Cookie dough - Cream butter well, add white & brown sugar slowly cream well. Beat eggs and water and vanilla in seperate bowl.

Mix & sift dry ingredients & add alternating with wet ingredients to butter & sugar. Mix well.

Cut batter in half and wrap each half in wax paper and chill overnight before rolling out dough. Roll on a floured board & cut into shapes about 1/8" thick or thicker for softer cookies.

Bake in 350 oven for 8-10 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets or until lightly golden. For soft cookies don't over bake. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 6-8 Dozen depending on the size. Be creative and make animal shapes, hearts or christmas shapes etc. I make them simple as there are no little ones around anymore.

Buttercream Icing * for icing - Cream butter and shortening add confectioners sugar, vanilla and milk, beat well, add more milk if needed to desired consistency. If you like a lot of icing you may want to make more. My family likes alot of frosting so I usually make 1 1/2 times this icing recipe.

These cookies freeze well in layers of wax paper in a tin can. Taste great right from the freezer!