Instructions: Heat oven to 275 degrees. Butter three 8- by 2-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed until just combined. Add salt, and combine.

Divide dough into three parts and transfer each to a separate bowl. Add appropriate flavoring ingredients to each bowl to create three different flavors. Transfer each batch of flavored dough to prepared pans, taking care to make sure the tops are level and smooth. Using the back of a knife, lightly score each pan into 12 wedges. With the tines of a fork or a skewer, create a decorative pattern on each wedge.

Bake until pale golden, but not browned, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the outer edge of each pan to loosen. Remove from pan and using a serrated knife, follow the score marks to cut the shortbread into neat wedges. Wrapped well, shortbread will keep for up to 2 weeks.

This recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies.

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