Beat on medium speed until very fluffy and well blended.

Add and beat until well combined the butter, sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla, and almond extract.

Sift the flour over the top and stir in until well blended and smooth.

To pipe the cookies:

Stir in the milk

until the dough is soft enough to easily force through a pastry bag tube.

Position cookies on a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Fit the piping bag with a 1/2-inch-diameter open star (or similar) tip. Fill the pastry bag no more than two-thirds full, twist the opening tightly closed, and squeeze out generous 1-1/2-inch rosettes or stars, spacing about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. (For best results, keep the bag and tip perpendicular to the sheet, with the tip almost touching the sheet.)

To press the cookies:

If the dough seems soft and difficult to handle, stir in the additional flour.

Cover and refrigerate the dough until slightly stiff but not at all hard, 30 to 40 minutes.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Ready the press by inserting the desired design plate by sliding it into the head and locking it into place, or follow the manufacturer's instructions. If you are unsure whether the dough is of the right consistency, put a small amount in the press tube and press out several test cookies. Chill the dough further before continuing if it does not go through cleanly. When the consistency is right, fill the press tube with the dough, packing it down firmly. Press out the cookies, spacing about 1 inch apart on the sheets. Keep the unused dough refrigerated as you work.

If desired, decorate piped or pressed cookies with:

Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are just slightly golden and barely tinged with brown at the edges, 9 to 12 minutes. Remove the sheet to a rack and let stand until the cookies firm slightly. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool.