1. In small bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat butter until smooth gradually add powdered sugar.
3. Continue to beat to blend. Add egg.  Stir in vanilla and almond extract, mix.
4. Continue to blend dough until the dough forms a ball inside the bowl.
5. Gradually add flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended.6
6. Shape shortbread dough into 4 sections.  Place each section into a small bowl.
7.  Add to each dough section the easy variations.
8. Roll into 8-inch logs. Wrap each log in wax paper and chill 4 hours or wrap in freezer wrap and freeze up to one month.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
10.  If frozen, let logs stand a room temperature 10 minutes.
11. Cut each log into ½ inch slices or width you prefer.
12.  Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheet.
13. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven.
14.  Let cool, store in airtight containers.

Easy Variations

Toffee-Espresso Cookies:  Using ¼ of the dough stir in ½ cup English Toffee bits and 2 tablespoons espresso powder. Combine and roll into an 8-inch log.  Step 5.  After baking, drizzle with melted chocolate. (1/2 cup mini morsels- melted)

Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies: Using ¼ of the dough stir in ½ cup mini chocolate chips and ½ cup finely chopped pecans. Combine and roll into an 8-inch log.  Step 5.

Cherry and Coconut Cookies: Using ¼ of the dough stir in ¼ cup toasted coconut and ¼ cup diced candied cherries. Combine and roll into an 8-inch log.  Step 5.

Cranberry-Orange Cookies: Makes an 8 –inch log or pinwheels. Roll out ¼ of dough, stir in ½ cup fresh ground cranberries, ½ cup ground walnuts and 1 tablespoon grated orange rind. Combine and roll into an 8-inch log. Or roll dough into 10 x 14  rectangle, fill with cranberry mixture and roll up like a jelly roll.  Wrap and freeze. Slice in ¼ inch cuts and bake.