Cream butter, sugar, egg, vanilla in a large bowl until fluffy. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and blend well.
Divide dough into quarters; wrap tightly and chill for 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 325°. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface 1 quarter at a time, to 1/8 thickness. Use large heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies; use a smaller heart to cut out center of cookies.
Place cutouts on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies from cookie sheet; cool on wire rack.
White Chocolate Center
Pour white chocolate chips in glass bowl; melt in microwave for intervals of 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between to prevent burning the white chocolate. Blend and until smooth. Place cooled cookies on wax or parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Spoon in melted white chocolate and top generously with sliced almonds.
Refrigerate cookies for about 5 minutes until white chocolate is firm.
Recipe Notes
I cut out the centers of the heart on the cookie sheet so that it would better keep it’s shape. If you get flour on top of your dough, just gently rub it into the cookie dough a bit. Makes 2 dozen cookies depending on size of cookie cutter.