In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk to combine the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl to makes sure that everything is incorporated. Be careful not to over mix.

The dough is a little sticky to handle. Therefore, depending on the texture of your dough it may need to be placed in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour. This will help the dough keep its shape during the cooking and make the dough less stick so you can handle it to make your shapes.

Drop Cookies

Use a cookie scoop or roll a tablespoon of dough in your hand. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Press the dough ball flat with your hand, or a glass with a pretty design on the bottom dipped in granulated sugar, or a fork.

Rolling Cookie Dough

If you plan on rolling out your dough, a fast time-saving tip is to divide the dough into quarters and roll between two sheets of parchment paper. By doing this, you skip the need for a lightly floured surface and extra clean up. Next chill the dough. Pro Tip. The best thickness to roll cookie dough is 1/4-inch up to ½-inch thick. Any thinner the cookies will not be as soft and chewy. When ready, use cookie cutters to make your shapes. Working with the cookie dough. If at any point the dough becomes too sticky to handle, simply pop it back into the refrigerator, and in a few minutes, it will be good to go again.

Line your ungreased baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Place sugar cookies in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are just starting to turn a light golden color. The bake time will vary from oven to oven depending on the temperature. Let cool completely on a wire rack before storing or frosting.

Make the Frosting.

Stir together the ingredients powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla. If you plan on adding food coloring use less milk. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar, too thick, add a little more milk 1 teaspoon at a time.

Frost and decorate your cookies as desired.