Soft And Chewy Sugar Cookies

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
softened but still cool
1 cup granulated sugar,
plus 1/2 cup for rolling
1 T light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 t vanilla

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, cream the butter, the 1 cup granulated sugar, and the brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg and the vanilla; beat at medium speed untilcombined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Place the 1/2 cup sugar for rolling in a shallow bowl. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a
1 1/2-inch ball, roll the ball in sugar, and then place it on prepared sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the dough about 2 inches apart. Use a drinking glass to flatten the balls of dough until they are about 3/4 inches thick.
4. Bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and their centers are just set and very lightly colored, about 11 minutes.

This recipe came from The New Best Recipe From The Editors Of Cook's Illustrated.