Description
Celebrate love with these delightful Valentine Heart Sugar Cookies featuring tender, buttery cookies sandwiched with a luscious raspberry buttercream frosting. Perfectly shaped as hearts and sprinkled with sugar, these cookies combine a tender crumb with a sweet and tangy filling, ideal for sharing on special occasions.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus more for sprinkling)
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Butter and Egg for Dough:
- 12 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons raspberry jam or preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside to prepare for baking.
- Prepare the cookie dough: In a food processor, combine the flour, granulated sugar, confectioners’ sugar, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Pulse just until mixed.
- Add butter: Cut the cold butter into small pieces and distribute over the flour mixture in the processor. Process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 30 seconds.
- Incorporate egg and vanilla: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract until combined. With the food processor running on low speed, slowly pour the egg mixture through the feed tube and continue processing until the dough comes together, about 30 to 60 seconds.
- Knead the dough: Remove the dough from the processor and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Knead gently for several seconds until no dry bits remain and the dough is cohesive throughout.
- Roll and cut cookies: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a 3 1/2 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut 16 cookies. For half of these, cut smaller 2 inch hearts from the center, creating heart cut-outs.
- Prepare for baking: Transfer the cookie cutouts to the prepared baking sheets using a spatula. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the tops of each cookie.
- Bake cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. The cookies are done when they lose their shiny surface but the edges have not turned golden. Remove and cool completely on the baking sheets atop a wire rack.
- Make the frosting: In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl with an electric mixer), beat the room temperature butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Add vanilla extract and pinch of sea salt, beating until combined.
- Add sugar and mix: Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time, beating on medium speed and scraping the bowl often. The frosting will become slightly dry at this stage.
- Add milk and raspberry jam: Add the whole milk and raspberry jam to the frosting. Beat on high speed until the frosting is light, fluffy, and well combined.
- Assemble the sandwich cookies: Once the cookies are completely cool, spread a generous layer of the raspberry buttercream frosting onto the whole heart cookies. Top each with a matching heart cutout cookie, creating a beautiful sandwich.
Notes
- Use cold butter for the dough to achieve a tender crumb.
- Do not overbake: cookies should lose their shine but not brown at the edges.
- Ensure cookies are completely cool before frosting to prevent melting.
- Raspberry jam can be substituted with any fruit preserve of choice.
- Rolling dough on a lightly floured surface prevents sticking without altering texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
