In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer beat the butter and cream cheese together on med-high speed until combined and smooth. Beat in the sugar until creamy, a minute or two. Then beat in the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract.
On low speed, slowly add the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat together until it's all combined and the dough comes together. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than 3 hours, let the dough sit out for 30 or so minutes to make it easier to work with.
Towards the end of chill time, preheat the oven to 350F. Line a few large baking trays with either parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Place the sanding sugar into small bowls.
Once the dough is done chilling, roll the dough into balls and roll the balls in the sanding sugar to coat them completely. Place the coated balls onto the baking trays about 1/2 an inch apart from the others (they really won't spread too much). Use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to gently press each ball down a bit.
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until very lightly browned around the bottom. Let them cool on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Finished cookies are soft and chewy but the sugar coating gives a nice texture contrast.
