Cream the butter and sugar

• Place the softened butter and white sugar in the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment.
• Cream until the mixture is fluffy and fully incorporated.

Scrape and add the wet ingredients

• Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the cold egg, salt, vanilla extract and almond extract.
• Mix until combined.

Incorporate the flour

• Scrape down the bowl once more.
• Add the flour one cup at a time, mixing and scraping briefly between each addition, until the dough forms a ball and the paddle is almost clean.

Roll out the dough

• Gather the dough into one clump with a spatula.
• Place it between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to about 2 cm thick, keeping a rectangle shape.
• Wrap in plastic wrap.

Chill the dough

• Refrigerate the rolled dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour (no more than 24 hours, or it will dry out).

Cut out the cookies

• Place the chilled dough on parchment paper and run the rolling pin over it to level it.
• Cut out shapes with the cookie cutter.
• Poke a small hole in the center of each cookie so they bake evenly.
• Chill the cut shapes again before baking.

Bake

• Bake at 190 °C for 10 to 11 minutes, until cooked through but not browned.
• Smooth the tops of the cookies with a flat spatula right after baking so they are level.