Heart Cookies
What better way to surprise your sweetheart on Valentine's Day than with the most adorable and heartfelt treat? These delightful cookies, topped with cream cheese frosting, not only taste amazing but also make the perfect sweet gift for your special someone. The best part? You don't need to be a baking expert to create these homemade goodies—no matter your decorating skills, these irresistibly cute cookies are sure to impress.How can I ensure that my cookies maintain their shape?Once you've cut out your cookies, carefully transfer them to your prepared baking sheets and place them in the freezer for 10 minutes. While this extra step may seem unnecessary, it plays a vital role in helping your cookies retain their desired shape during baking.What's the best way to decorate the cookies?The choice is yours! There are countless ways to decorate these cookies to suit your preferences. For example, we used food coloring to transform our cream cheese frosting into red and pink hearts, adding festive sprinkles for an extra touch. However, feel free to unleash your creativity and decorate your cookies however you like. Dye the frosting with your sweetheart's favorite colors, opt for natural hues, experiment with icing designs on top of the base cream cheese coat, or even embellish them with candies—the possibilities are endless. No matter how you choose to adorn them, these adorable cookies are sure to bring joy and delight.
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIES
- 3 c. (360 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 c. (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- 1 (8-oz.) block cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened
- 4 c. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- Pink and red food coloring
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until combined, then add flour mixture gradually until totally combined.
- Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
- When ready to roll, preheat oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out dough until 1/8” thick. Cut out shapes with a 2 1/2" heart-shaped shape cookie cutter and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Freeze 10 minutes (so your shapes hold while baking!)
- Bake until edges are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Make frosting: In a large bow using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until combined.
- Divide frosting into 3 bowls. Add pink food coloring to one bowl and red food coloring to another. Stir each bowl and add more food coloring until desired color is reached. Frost cookies using an offset spatula with each color of frosting, then top with sprinkles.
Nutrition
Calories: 306kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 3gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 114mgPotassium: 37mgSugar: 29gCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!