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Ingredients:

¾ cup (1 and ½ sticks) salted butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 and ½ cups granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 and ¾ teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups flour, spooned and leveled

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until it is soft and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the softened cream cheese and continue to beat for 1 minute, until well incorporated.
3. Add the sugar and beat well, 1-2 minutes, until fluffy.
4. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat well. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula.
5. Add salt and flour and beat until just barely combined, scraping the sides and bottom again. Do not stir too much or you will make your dough tough. Dough should be sticky.
6. Scrape the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap or bowl. Cover or wrap tightly and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
7. When the dough is completely chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
9. Prepare a work surface with a light dusting of flour.
10. Split dough in half, put any dough you’re not working with into the fridge.
11. Use floured hands to flatten out the dough a bit, then use a rolling pin to roll it and smooth it out a bit, so cookies are about 3/8 inch thick.
12. Lightly dust your chosen cookie cutters with flour. Press firmly into the dough, utilizing your space wisely. When placing shapes onto your baking pan, leave at least 1 inch between each cookie.
13. If the dough you’re working with is no longer chilled, place the baking sheet into the fridge or freezer for a couple minutes.
14. Without overworking the dough, continue process until the dough is gone. Refrigerate the dough as necessary, as the cookies should go into the oven cool.
15. Bake the shaped cookies at 350 for about 9 minutes for smaller cookies, and about 10-11 minutes for larger cookies. Do NOT overbake – you don’t want the edges or tops to brown at all. The cookies should be barely browned on the bottom.
16. Leave the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes, then immediately transfer to a large Tupperware and cover until they are completely cool.
17. Enjoy, frost if you’d like, or add sprinkles!