In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and almond extract. In a separate small mixing bowl, mix together flour, spices, baking powder and salt; add to the bowl with the butter mixture and mix until no traces of flour remain. Divide dough in half; shape each half into a rough disc shape. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hr. or until firm. On a cold work surface sprinkled lightly with flour, use a rolling pin dusted lightly with flour to quickly roll out 1 disc of dough to an even ¼" thickness (keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll). Cut dough with cookie cutters, rerolling scraps; place 1" apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll and cut remaining disc of dough. Bake in a preheated 350° oven until edges are lightly browned (12-15 min.), rotating and turning pans halfway through. Let cookies rest on sheet pans for 2 min.; move to a wire rack to cool. When cookies are completely cool, decorate with icing, if desired.

Tasty Tips:

• The yield on this recipe will vary depending on the size and shape of cookie cutter(s) used. A cutter roughly 2" wide will yield approx. 4 dozen cookies.
• If dough is made well in advance and is fully chilled, bring to room temperature for 1 hr. before rolling.
• If dough gets too warm, it may be a good idea to put the cut cookies into the fridge for 20-25 min. before baking.