Creating Italian Christmas Cookies is a delightful process. Follow these steps to ensure your cookies turn out beautifully:

1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add Eggs and Extracts: Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well blended.
5. Combine Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined.
6. Chill the Dough: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to firm up.
7. Shape Cookies: Roll the dough into small balls or use cookie cutters for desired shapes.
8. Place on Baking Sheets: Arrange the shaped cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between them.
9. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.
10. Cool: Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for 10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks.
11. Prepare Icing: In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar with milk until smooth. Adjust consistency as necessary.
12. Decorate: Once cookies are completely cool, drizzle icing over them and sprinkle with colorful decorations.

By following these simple steps, you’ll have a batch of delightful Italian Christmas Cookies ready to share and enjoy!