Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies Recipe
This Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies Recipe is the ultimate treat for Valentine’s Day! These soft, buttery cookies are the perfect small-batch option, yielding five perfectly-sized sugar cookies with a delicate hint of almond and vanilla. Each cookie is topped with a pink sugar glaze and sprinkled with festive Valentine’s nonpareils, making them as beautiful as they are delicious. Plus, this no-spread sugar cookie recipe ensures flawless shapes every time!
- No-spread sugar cookie dough: This sugar cookie dough doesn’t spread, making it ideal for cutting out shapes of all sizes.
- Small Batch: This recipe is a small-batch take on classic, buttery sugar cookies, complete with a simple icing. Depending on the size of your cookie cutter, you’ll end up with about five sugar cookies. Also, the dough isn’t just easy to work with—it’s packed with flavour, thanks to a balanced blend of vanilla and almond extract. After all, no one wants a sugar cookie that’s all looks and no taste!
- Decorating: You can use any sprinkles you like to decorate these cookies—I chose Valentine’s themed nonpareils for a festive touch. If you prefer, you can skip the glaze and opt for buttercream frosting or even royal icing.
Ingredients For Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies Recipe
- Flour – This recipe uses all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder – Gives the cookie a softer, cakier texture, and the leavening agent reacts to help the cookie slightly rise.
- Salt – Use a table salt or kosher salt.
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness and creating a nice crumb texture.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter to prevent the cookies from becoming too salty, but if you opt for salted butter, simply skip adding any extra salt. Ensure the butter is at room temperature to avoid lumps in the dough. I usually leave mine out on the counter for about two hours but, if you’re short on time, soften it by microwaving in 10-second intervals until it’s soft enough to press your finger through easily.
- Egg yolk – Since it’s a small batch recipe you only need one room-temperature egg yolk to bind everything.
- Vanilla and Almond extract – I like to use both vanilla and almond extract to avoid having a tasteless sugar cookie. You can use lemon, peppermint or orange extract as well.
- Icing Sugar – For the glaze, use sifted icing sugar to ensure a smooth, lump-free consistency.
- Milk – Whole milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half all work well
- Corn Syrup – Either light or dark corn syrup works here. Both taste the same, and the glaze’s color isn’t significantly affected.
- Gel coloring – Use red or pink gel food coloring and avoid liquid food coloring, as it can thin out the glaze too much.
- Nonpareils – Use your favorite Valentine’s Day-themed sprinkles. Alternatively, you can decorate with shredded coconut, or drizzle the cookies with melted white chocolate.
How To Make The Sugar Cookie Dough
Step 1: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside. With a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix in the egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extract on low to medium speed until well combined.
Step 2: Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough might look slightly crumbly but that’s okay. Transfer it onto a piece of plastic wrap, press it together into a disk, and wrap it tightly. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the dough on a silicone mat or parchment paper, then cover it with another sheet of parchment. Roll the dough to about 1/2 or 1/4 inch thick (thicker cookies are softer and thinner cookies are crispier). Peel off the top parchment, cut out your cookies, and use a knife or spatula to transfer them to the baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely before icing.
How To Make The Glaze
Step 1: In a bowl, combine the icing sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and milk. Whisk until smooth, adding more icing sugar or milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency (I recommend a slightly thick glaze). Add a drop or two of gel food coloring using a toothpick, then whisk again until evenly blended.
Step 2: Using a spoon, carefully pour the glaze onto each sugar cookie, leaving a small border to prevent it from running off the edges. Alternatively, you can pour the glaze into a shallow bowl and dip each cookie directly into it for a smooth, even coating. Finish by topping the cookies with sprinkles, and let them set for about an hour to dry completely.
More Cookie Recipes
Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies Recipe FAQ
My cookie dough is crumbly what should I do?
If your cookie dough feels crumbly, gradually add 1/2 teaspoon of milk at a time until it just comes together. However, keep in mind that the dough should remain slightly crumbly and once chilled, the butter will firm up and bind the dough into a sturdy, workable consistency.
How mnay cookies does this recipe make?
Since this is a small-batch sugar cookie recipe, it typically yields 4 to 5 large cookies. However, the final count depends on the thickness of your dough and the size of your cookie cutters. Rolling the dough out thinner will allow you to cut out more cookies, while thicker dough will result in fewer but sturdier cookies.
Can I freeze the sugar cookie dough?
Yes, you can freeze sugar cookie dough! While you can freeze the dough and thaw it before rolling, I’d recommend rolling it out, cutting it into your desired shapes, and then placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet for a quick flash freeze. Once they’re frozen, stack the cookies with parchment or wax paper in between, and store them in a sealed reusable bag. When you’re ready to bake, just pop them directly into the oven.
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Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 14 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (72 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Sugar Cookie Glaze
- 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons corn syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 drop pink food coloring
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Dough
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then set aside. With a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix in the egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extract on low to medium speed until well combined.1 cup all-purpose flour (120 grams), 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 14 cup granulated sugar (50 grams), 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (72 grams), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough might look slightly crumbly but that’s okay. Transfer it onto a piece of plastic wrap, press it together into a disk, and wrap it tightly. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the dough on a silicone mat or parchment paper, then cover it with another sheet of parchment. Roll the dough to about 1/2 or 1/4 inch thick (thicker cookies are softer and thinner cookies are crispier). Peel off the top parchment, cut out your cookies, and use a knife or spatula to transfer them to the baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely before icing.
Sugar Cookie Glaze
- In a bowl, combine the icing sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and milk. Whisk until smooth, adding more icing sugar or milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency (I recommend a slightly thick glaze). Add a drop or two of gel food coloring using a toothpick, then whisk again until evenly blended.1/2 cup icing sugar,, 2 teaspoons corn syrup, 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon whole milk, 1 drop pink food coloring
- Using a spoon, carefully pour the glaze onto each sugar cookie, leaving a small border to prevent it from running off the edges (or you can pour the glaze into a shallow bowl and dip each cookie directly into it for a smooth, even coating). Finish by topping the cookies with sprinkles, and let them set for about an hour to dry completely.
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