Best Ever Butter Cookies - all-purpose

Method

• In a small bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth (about 1 minute). Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla and almond extract.
• Gently stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, just until incorporated. (Note: This is super important! When I took my expert cookie class in NYC last February at the Institute of Culinary Education, Chef Jeff taught us that the more you mix in the dry ingredients the worse your cookie will be... because the gluten releases and makes the cookie lose its tenderness).
• Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 1/4 inch (.5 cm) thick. I used my dough bands to achieve a perfectly even thickness. Cut into rounds or whatever shapes you wish using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are lightly brown. Cool on rack.
• Flood with Royal Icing watered down to a consistency that will flow. Or you can use whatever icing/frosting recipe is your favorite.
• Shortbread will keep in an airtight container for about a week or frozen for several months.
• Makes about 20 shortbread cookies or if you are a super freak like me you can quadruple this recipe and make 80!