Chocolate Almond Coated Shortbread Cookies

Recipe:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.
   
2. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour.
   
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 1/4 inch (.5 cm) thick. Cut into rounds or whatever shapes you wish using lightly floured cookie cutter. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are lightly brown. Cool on rack.

*For the chocolate coating & almond crumbs, I eye-balled it, so I can't give exact measurements. I melted Hershey's dark chocolate chips over the stove and threw a handful of almonds in my blender to chop them up. I dipped about half the cookie in the chocolate, then dipped it in the almond crumbs. Put them in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to cool.