Here’s how to create your delicious Christmas Cookies:

For Sugar Cookies:

1. Preheat Oven: Start by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until smooth.
4. Add Egg and Extracts: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully combined.
5. Combine Ingredients: Gradually blend in the dry mixture until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
6. Roll Dough: Roll rounded tablespoonfuls of dough into balls, then place them onto ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Flatten: Use a glass to gently flatten each cookie ball.
8. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
9. Cool: Allow cookies to cool on the trays for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks.

For Gingerbread Cookies:

1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
3. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Mix in Egg and Molasses: Beat in the egg and then mix in the molasses until fully incorporated.
5. Combine Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until combined.
6. Chill Dough: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
7. Roll and Cut: After chilling, roll out the dough on a floured surface to about ¼ inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
8. Bake: Place cookies on a lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
9. Cool: Let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks.