In large mixing bowl with an electric mixer (I like to use my stand mixer with paddle attachment) cream together sugar and butter, on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Beat in egg until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla extract until evenly mixed.

With mixer on low speed, add flour and salt and beat to combine. The dough will be very thick. Add in milk and beat to combine. The milk helps thin out the dough so it’s easier to pipe. The more milk you add the more it spreads.

Scoop dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. This dough can be difficult to pipe so it’s best to not overfill the bag. You can also use two piping bags by placing the dough into one bag without a tip then place inside a second bag fitted with the tip. Pipe 1 inch cookies into a spiral shape onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper spaced about 2 inches apart. If using sprinkles, sprinkle on top of the cookies now. Chill for 30 minutes (this helps the cookies keep their shape. If piping is too difficult alternatively you can scoop the cookies, use a cookie press, or roll the dough into a log, chill, then slice into rounds.

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

Bake for 13-15 minutes until lightly golden browned in color. I prefer 15 minutes so cookies come out nice and crisp in the end. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack to continue cooking. Cookies will become crispier as they cool.