Begin by creaming together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract in a spacious bowl, using an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually incorporate this flour mixture into the butter mixture, stirring with a sturdy spoon until well combined. Chill the dough for two hours to enhance its texture.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Use cookie cutters to create your desired shapes and place the cookies two inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 4 to 6 minutes. Once baked, transfer them from the pan and allow them to cool on wire racks.
To prepare the buttercream frosting, use an electric mixer to beat together the shortening, confectioners' sugar, water, additional salt, both vanilla extracts, and butter flavoring until the mixture is fluffy. Once the cookies have cooled completely, proceed to frost them generously with the buttercream.
