In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter and 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar and mix on a medium-high speed for a couple of minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color.

Add in 1 large egg, 2 tsp almond extract, and 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. Mix on a medium speed until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Then, add 3 cups of flour, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp fine salt to the butter mixture and mix at a low speed until it is JUST incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is properly mixed together.

At this point, the dough should still be pretty thick. Divide the dough into three equal-sized portions (about 10 oz. or 305g each). Leave one uncolored, and use gel food coloring to color one portion green, and the other red. Wrap each portion of dough in a piece of plastic wrap.

Chill the dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes, in the freezer for 10 minutes, or in the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C 30 minutes before you plan to cut the cookies, and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

Unwrap each portion of cookie dough and lay the plastic wrap flat on your counter. Roll out each portion of chilled dough to be about 7x12 inches. Lay out a piece of parchment paper, then stack the dough on the parchment paper in the following order: green on bottom, white in the middle, and red on top.

Trim the edges with a sharp knife to get rid of any uneven parts. Cut one of the long sides at an angle, so that you have slightly less red than green on that edge. Start rolling the cookie dough from this edge.

Carefully roll the cookie dough into a long log with a tight spiral. Once the cookie dough is rolled, use your finger to gently spread the green cookie dough over the seam and seal the log.

Pour 1 cup of Christmas sprinkles into a rimmed baking sheet and roll/press the cookie dough in the sprinkles until it's fully coated.

Use a sharp knife to slice cookies that are about ⅓ inch thick. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 12-14 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake more evenly. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 15 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.