Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Butter Frosting

Cookies
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups butter, softened
3 eggs
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
3 t. vanilla
6 1/2 cups flour

In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar, butter, eggs, baking soda, salt and vanilla until fluffy. Add the flour, blending thoroughly. Divide the dough into four pieces and wrap each separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take out one piece of dough, leaving the rest in the fridge until ready to use. (Cold dough makes better cookies.) Roll the dough between two pieces of waxed paper to desired thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters.
Place the cookies on a cold baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. (Rinse the baking sheets with cold water between batches so they are cold when they go in the oven.)
Bake 9 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool on cookie sheet for 2 min before cooling on rack. Decorate as desired.
-Recipe from "Three Decades of Cooking with Donna Lou Morgan"

Frosting
6 C. powder sugar
2/3 C. margarine or butter softened
3t. vanilla extract
approximately 4 T. milk
food coloring if desired

Blend powdered sugar and butter. Add vanilla and milk one tablespoon at a time. Beat until smooth.

Both of these are large recipes and can be halved.