Steps:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream butter in a large electric mixer. Add the vanilla, sugar and beat well.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then add milk. On low speed gradually add sifted ingredients. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary and beat only until thoroughly mixed.
4. Divide dough in half and wrap each in plastic wrap and chill in refigerator for 3 hours or more.
5. Adjust oven racks to divide the oven in thirds. Preheat to 400°
6. Place one package of dough on a lightly floured board. Flour on all sides and form into a ball. Roll dough to a generous 1/4”. Cut cookies as you wish. For very large cookies cut with a 4” cookie cutter.
7. Transfer cookies to an unbuttered cookie sheet using a spatula. Place them 1 1/2” to 2” apart. Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar.
8. Bake until cookies are lightly browned, reversing portions of sheets, top to bottom, back to front, as necessary to even browning. Large thick cookies need to bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
9. With a wide spatula transfer cookies to a cooling rack.