Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
1 cup butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract
In a second bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt.
2 ½ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring to combine. The dough will form in clumps that will easily stick together when pressed. (I admit, it looks a bit weird.) You can use the hand mixer if you like, just know that the dough is a bit thick.
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sanding sugar. Place each ball on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 2-inches between.
3 tablespoon colored sanding sugar
Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool on racks.
Notes
Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. For longer keeping, store the airtight container in the freezer.To freeze the dough: wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in a ziptop freezer bag in the freezer. Thaw prior to shaping, rolling, and baking the cookies.To freeze unbaked cookies: scoop out the cookie balls and place on a lined tray in the freezer. Freeze until firm. Remove from tray and place in a ziptop freezer bag, labeled with baking instructions. To bake, thaw for a few minutes on the prepared baking sheet and roll in sugar as instructed. Bake according to recipe.Nutritional values are approximate and based on 1 cookie.