These are the cookies we make and decorate at Christmas, and they come from my maternal grandmother. This recipe is relatively easy, but plan on devoting a good part of a day to baking and decorating (or one day to bake, and another to decorate).
King Arthur flour advises that you should not leave too much cookie dough to re-roll and cut because after the second roll, the dough gets tough and dry.
INGREDIENTS
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cups shortening (Crisco)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp milk
1-1/2 cups sugar
DIRECTIONS
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mix shortening, sugar, and eggs until creamy. Mix in flour mixture, vanilla, and milk.
Chill 3-4 hours.
Preheat oven to 400.
On a lightly floured board, pastry sheet, or stone countertop, roll out 1/3 of the dough, keeping the rest chilled. Roll 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut in shapes and decorate with an egg white wash and colored sugar.
(Alternatively, bake the cookies undecorated, allow them to cool completely, and decorate with royal icing.)