Cream together butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer or with a hand mixer.
Add in egg and almond extract and beat together well.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda and add to butter mixture.
Mix until combined and the dough comes together.
Dough does not need to be chilled, but can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator (up to 3 days) or freezer (up to 3 months) until ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment, waxed paper, or plastic wrap to ¼"-½" thick.
Use cookie cutters to cut shapes. Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are just barely showing a bit of browning.
Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing cookies from baking sheet and transferring to a cooling rack.
Frost, if desired, when cookies have cooled completely.
Frosting Instructions
Beat marshmallow creme with a whisk. Gradually add butter, 2-3 tablespoons at a time.
When all the butter has been incorporated, add powdered sugar and peppermint extract. Whisk 1-2 minutes more until frosting is fluffy and smooth.
Top each cookie with a layer of frosting and sprinkle with crushed candy cane pieces.