Reliable Almond Vanilla Christmas Cutouts

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (227 g)
• 4 ounces cream cheese (113 g)
• 1 cup sugar (200 g)
• 1 large egg (50 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (2 g)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (375 g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (4 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (3 g)
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (180 g)
• 2 Tbsp milk (30 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (2 g)
• Pinch salt (1 g)
• Sanding sugar (30 g)

Instructions

1. Beat dairy and sugar. In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar on medium until pale and smooth, about two minutes. Scrape the bowl, then beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract until fully combined.
2. Finish the dough. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients in two additions on low, stopping when no flour streaks remain. Divide dough into two disks, wrap, flatten, and refrigerate for one hour.
3. Prepare oven. Near the end of chilling, heat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment. Roll one disk on a lightly floured surface to one-quarter inch, turning often; keep the second disk chilled.
4. Cut shapes. Cut two- to three-inch shapes, placing them one inch apart on prepared sheets. Reroll scraps once. If dough feels soft or sticky, chill the filled sheet for ten minutes before baking.
5. Bake and cool. Bake for eight to ten minutes, until bottoms are lightly golden and tops look dry. Cool cookies on the sheet for five minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Cool completely before glazing.
6. Glaze cookies. Whisk powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth and thickly pourable. Spoon glaze over cooled cookies, then add sanding sugar immediately. Let the glaze dry completely before stacking or packing.

Notes

• For cleaner edges, keep dough chilled and use cool baking sheets between batches. If dough cracks, rest it five minutes before rolling again.
• Weigh flour when possible: excess flour makes crumbly dough, while too little makes shapes difficult to transfer. Keep rolling flour light.
• For glaze, aim for a slow ribbon. Add milk by drops if thick, or powdered sugar by spoonfuls if thin.