Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in the egg, almond extract and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing just until the dough comes together.

Fold in the chopped cherries gently so they don't streak the dough pink.

Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour, until firm enough to roll without sticking.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment.

Roll the dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick, cut with a heart-shaped cutter, and place the hearts 1 inch apart on the sheets.

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden; the centers will look slightly underdone and firm up as they cool.

Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes, before icing.

Whisk the powdered sugar and milk together until the icing coats the back of a spoon in a smooth ribbon, then divide and tint half red and half pink.

Spread or pipe the icing onto the cooled cookies.

Let the icing set at room temperature for 30 minutes before stacking or packing the cookies.