Heart Shaped Cookies
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with heart cut-out cookies decorated with cute messages! This no-chill sugar cookie dough makes delicious cookies. The royal icing on top hardens nicely for easy storage and cookie delivery!
Making cut-out cookies is my favorite treat for every holiday. Pumpkin shaped cookies for Halloween, Shamrock cookies for St. Patrick’s Day, now heart cookies for Valentine’s Day! I use my go-to sugar cookie recipe that requires no chilling the dough and guarantees no spreading in the oven. Topped with a simple royal icing, these cookies are hard to resist!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fun Valentine’s Day treat. The heart shape makes this a cute dessert for the holiday of love!
- Personalize the message. Write your Valentine’s name or a cute message on top of the cookies for a personal touch.
- No chilling the dough. Just roll, cut and bake! The cookies are done in less than 30 minutes, then all you have to do is decorate.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: Use unsalted butter that is room temperature. Different brands of salted butter have various amounts of salt added so it’s best to add it separately and control the amount yourself.
- Vanilla: A good quality pure vanilla extract makes a difference in how these cookies taste. I prefer Rodelle.
- Baking powder: This leavening agent helps the cookies rise and have a tender texture. Check that it is fresh and not expired for the best results.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, this sweetener makes the cookies extra soft.
- Meringue powder: To help the icing harden, use meringue powder to make the royal icing. You can find it at your local chef’s store or online.
- Food coloring: Use pink and red food coloring to decorate the cookies. I suggest gel food coloring because it’s more concentrating and won’t affect the consistency of the icing as much.
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations
Change the cookie cutter size. Use various size hearts to create more interest and yield more cookies! Smaller cookies will bake more quickly than larger ones.
Add sprinkles. Not a fan of royal icing? Add sprinkles instead! You can also do both icing and sprinkles.
Use almond extract. Add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract when adding the vanilla to the cookie dough. This adds a lovely flavor to the cookies.
How to Make Heart Shaped Cookies
- Whisk together the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, then mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, then mix just until combined.
- Roll dough to 1/4-inch thick. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut the dough. Reroll the scraps and repeat. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 F for 8 minutes or until the edges are firm and just starting to turn light golden.
- For the icing, whisk together the water and meringue powder until foamy. Turn mixer on high and add the confectioners’ sugar. Mix until medium-soft peaks form. Mix in vanilla. Divide icing into two bowls. Stir pink food coloring into one bowl and red food coloring into the other.
- Transfer icing to piping bag fitted with round tips. Outline and fill the cookies. Let them dry, then use remaining icing to decorate with messages.
Expert Tips
Roll dough to an even thickness so the cookies bake at the same rate. If using different size cookie cutters, bake the same size cookies in the same batch.
Dip the cookie cutters in flour before cutting the dough. This will prevent the dough from getting stuck to the cutter.
Beat icing until stiff peaks form. If the icing becomes too thick to flow smoothly, thin with water a few drops at a time until it flows smoothly.
Let the first layer of icing dry completely. It may take a couple hours for the icing to dry, but it’s worth it. If the bottom layer of icing is hardened, the top layer with writing will be clearer and easier to read.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Make ahead the dough and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Alternatively, it can be store in the freezer for 3 months. For the dough into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Freeze cookies for up to 3 months. Wrap stacks of 4 or 5 cookies in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer bag or airtight container to prevent freezer burn.
Recipe FAQ
Most likely the dough was too warm. If you’re baking in a warm or humid climate, chill the cut-out cookies for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before baking them.
It’s either too liquid-y or the climate is too humid. Keep in mind it does take 6 to 12 hours for the icing to fully set.
Related Recipes
If you love cookies, try these recipes next!
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Get the Recipe: Heart Shaped Cookies
Ingredients
Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- 2 ½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cup (180 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Royal Icing
- 2 Tablespoons meringue powder
- 5-6 Tablespoons warm water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ⅔ cups (320 g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- Pink food gel
- Red food gel
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine softened butter and confectioners’ sugar using a hand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until thoroughly incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides as necessary.
- With mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture to the bowl. The dough is ready when most of it sticks to the paddle. When touched, it has a little give, but does not stick to fingers. If it’s too sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Flour the work surface and roll dough to about 1/4-inch thick, using flour for dusting as necessary. Use a 2 ½ to 3 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut cookies and place on prepared baking sheet. Gather scraps and re-roll dough when necessary. If baking in a warmer climate, chill cookies for 20 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, rotating halfway through. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Prepare icing.
Royal Icing
- Place the meringue powder and 5 tablespoons water in a large mixing bowl, and whip with the whisk attachment until foamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and confectioners’ sugar, then whip on medium speed until thick, about 3 minutes. The royal icing should hold a medium soft peak. If necessary, thin with additional water, a few drops at a time, to get the desired consistency.
- Divide the icing into two bowls. Add red food gel to one bowl and pink food gel to the second bowl. Transfer to two separate icing bags, each fitted with a small round tip (I used Wilton #2).
- Outline half the cooled heart cookies with the pink icing. Fill with icing, then let them dry completely. Repeat with red icing and the remaining cookies. Let the cookies dry completely This can take a couple hours. Keep remaining icing for decorating.
- After the icing is dry, use the remaining icing to add designs on top. Dry completely.
