Best Sugar Cookies - Master recipes

Ingredients

• For the cookie dough: -
• 1 cup (225 g or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled -
• 1 cup (200 g) sugar -
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract -
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract -
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from roughly 1 medium lemon -
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder -
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt -
• 2 ounces (57 g, or 1/4 cup) cream cheese, at room temperature -
• 1 large egg -
• 3 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour -
• To finish: -
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for cutting out the cookies -
• Colored sparkling sugar to decorate, optional -
• Royal icing to decorate, optional -