1-First: pulse the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter pieces one at a time while pulsing until the mixture turns crumbly and evenly moistened. Then, mix in the vanilla and milk, and keep processing until the dough starts to stick together.

2-Turn the dough onto a clean surface and knead it until it’s soft, smooth, and easy to shape. Form it into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. While the dough chills, preheat your baking sheets lined with parchment paper to get them ready.

3-Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to shape your cookies and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Gather any scraps, reroll them, and cut more cookies, then chill the cut shapes on the sheets for 1 hour.

4-Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake the cookies on the center rack for 11½ to 12 minutes until they show a pale golden color with tiny flaky layers around the edges. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack. Total time is about 2 hours and 2 minutes, with 30 minutes prep, 1 hour 20 minutes chilling, and 12 minutes baking.