Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed until smooth and combined. Add the sugar and beat until combined. Then, add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and continue to mix until combined. Scrape down the sides as needed to make sure all items are mixed well.
3. Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer and mix on low until combined. You might need to increase the speed of the stand mixer if it’s struggling to mix at low speed - the dough will be quite thick.
4. Pour the dough onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap and wrap the dough into a tight ball. Place in the fridge for one hour to chill. If you want to make the dough 1-2 days ahead of time, let the dough sit on the counter for about 30 minutes before using or the dough will be too hard to work with.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Pour the sanding sugar into separate bowls, if using more than one color.
7. Use your fingers or a spoon to pull approximately 1 Tbsp worth of dough off the chilled dough ball. Form into a ball and set aside. Repeat until the entire ball of dough has been formed into small round cookies.
8. Roll each piece of dough in the sanding sugar and place on a baking sheet, about 1-2 inches apart. Use the back of a drinking glass with a flat bottom (no indents) to gently press down on each cookie to slightly flatten it.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned.
10. Let cool for 2-3 minutes then move to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week.