Almond Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate and Cherries

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl using a whisk, hand mixer, or stand mixer. Mix in the almond extract.

Mix in the flour until almost fully incorporated. If you're using unsalted butter, mix in the salt now too. Then mix in the chocolate and cherries.

Pour the dough out onto a surface and press it together into a log about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. Wrap it in parchment or wax paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to overnight. Alternatively, you could roll the dough out into a ½ inch thick sheet and cut it into squares or circles with a cookie cutter, then chill it in the fridge.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge. If it’s too firm to cut, let it rest on the counter for a couple of minutes so that it softens slightly.

Slice the cookie dough log into discs about ½ inch thick. If the dough cracks a little when you slice it, just form it back into cookies.

Bake the cookies for 16 to 19 minutes, or until you can just see the bottom edges of the cookies turning golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely before eating.