Sugar Cookies
Bake 6-8 minutes  at 400 degrees

1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
11/2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream butter and shortening well.  Gradually add sugar continue
creaming.
Add eggs and beat well.  Blend dry ingredients and stir in.  Add
vanilla.
Chill dough 3 hours or overnight before rolling out.
Roll out on floured pastry cloth or well floured board.
Cut out shapes with cookie cutters.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Leave ample room between cookies (1/2 inch or so ) so cookies will cook
evenly.
Bake 6-8 minutes until just set not brown on the top.  Cool cookies
before frosting.

Plain frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla  
3 Tablespoons milk add gradually ---you may actually use less than the 3 T.

Add vanilla to sugar.  Add milk gradually until frosting is of right
consistency.  Color as desired.  I end up using about one and a half
recipes worth to frost all of the cookies.