Sugar Hearts

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
* 1/4 cup half-and-half
* 1 large egg
* 1 large egg yolk
* 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and half-and-half. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until just blended.

Mix in the dry ingredients to form a soft dough. Divide the dough in half. Press the dough into disks, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll out one of the disks of dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of l/4 inch.

Use a 2 1/2-inch heart cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll, and continue cutting out cookies until all the dough is used.

Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets, placing them 2 inches apart. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12-15 minutes, or until just golden. Transfer to racks and let cool completely.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Dip the hearts half-way into the chocolate and let stand for 30 minutes until set.