In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add sugar and vanilla extract and continue beating until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl again.
Add flour and salt, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate with a spatula.
Form the dough into a ball, kneading gently on your counter if necessary. Divide the dough into two discs and wrap in plastic. Chill 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpats (see note). Set aside.
Working with one disc of dough at a time (leaving the second disc in the refrigerator while you work on the first), roll the dough out to about ¼" thick on a lightly floured surface.
Cut out shapes as desired, and place cut-outs on the prepared baking sheets 1-2" apart. Sprinkle cut-outs with salt, if desired. Chill the dough on the baking sheets 15 minutes.
After the dough cut-outs have chilled, bake 12-15 minutes (see note), or until just starting to firm up and look lightly golden at the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack.Enjoy!
Notes
Note on silpat: I use silpats to line my pans because the cookies don't brown as quickly (I hate it when cookies overbrown!) and because I can wash and use them again and again. If you don't have any and you're in the market for some, you can find them online [here]. Note on bake time: My cookies were about 2"x4" and were done in about 14 minutes. Keep an eye on your cookies, since cookie size/shape/oven temp will all impact how fast or slow your cookies bake up! Note on bunny tails: If you're looking to add frosting to your cookies like I did, check out my [vanilla bean buttercream] recipe! I just did the tiny bunny tails, and literally only needed a quarter cup of frosting (maybe less) for the whole batch!