- 2¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons) vegetable shortening such as Crisco
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- In a medium bowl, stir the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, vegetable shortening, and sugar until smooth and slightly lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and mix until blended, about 1 minute. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. The dough will be soft and smooth.
- Divide the dough in half and form it into 2 smooth disks about 6 inches in diameter. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to roll without sticking but not so hard that it is difficult to roll out, about 1 hour.
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour the rolling surface and rolling pin. Unwrap one piece of dough and roll it out to about a 12-inch circle that is 3/16 inch thick. Using a 3½-to 5-inch-long cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Place the cookie cutter carefully so you can cut out as many cookies as possible from each rolling. Use a thin metal spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, placing them about 1 inch apart. Gather together the dough scraps and set aside. Unwrap the second piece of dough and repeat the rolling and cutting process.
- Gather together all of the dough scraps, forming a smooth disk, and roll and cut out the dough. If there is still quite a bit of dough remaining, gather the scraps together and roll and cut the dough once again.
- Bake one sheet at a time until the edges and bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned, about 14 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.