If Valentine's Day sneaks up on you and you want to make some cute heart shaped cookies but hate making roll-out cookies, this recipe is for you. These heart cookies are buttery, soft, and best of all do not require a heart-shaped cookie cutter or even a rolling pin to create.
While this recipe is best suited for Valentine's Day cookies, you can really make heart cookies anytime of the year. For some other Valentine's Day recipes check out these ideas for decorating heart cookies with royal icing or Valentines Cookie Pops.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links at no cost to you.
If you have a heart cookie cutter on hand, you can try my classic sugar cookie cut-out recipe, red velvet cut-outs, chocolate chip cookie cut-outs, or cookies and cream cut-out cookies.
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Ingredients
These sugar cookies are made with simple ingredients you most likely already have at home.
Cookie Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar (white sugar)
- Powdered Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
Icing Ingredients
- Powdered Sugar (Confectioners Sugar)
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Milk (any kind will work)
- Food dye (optional)
- Sprinkles (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Pro Tip: For the flour, it is best to use the spoon and level method to ensure you are using the right amount of flour. With a spoon, lightly scoop the flour into the measuring cup until the cup is over flowing with flour. Using the back of a knife or utensil with flat edge, level off the excess flour. Do this over the bag of flour or an extra bowl to catch the extra flour.
Make the Sugar Cookie Dough
In a large bowl with either a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) or a hand mixer, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar together on high speed until fully combined, light, and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat again on medium speed until they are incorporated.
Add in the dry ingredients in sections, beating with the electric mixer on low between each addition until the dough comes together smoothly. When complete, the dough will be very tacky, but not extremely sticky and shouldn't stick to your hands too much.
Shape the Heart Sugar Cookies
Using a cookie scoop or spoon, gather about 2 tablespoons (or ~25 grams) of dough. With your hands, roll the dough into a long cylinder shape, about 2-3 inches long. Bring the two ends together creating a "U" shape. Pinch the bottom of the "U" to create a point and place it on the prepared baking sheet. With a glass or jar with a flat bottom, lightly dust with flour, and press down the cookie dough to create a the shape of a heart. If the dough is sticking to the bottom of the glass, add a bit more flour to the bottom of it.
Bake Sugar Cookies
Bake cookies until the bottom edges are slightly golden brown. Bake time will be approximately 8-9 minutes. Once removed from the oven, allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes to set and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Pro Tip: Cookies tend to bake faster with parchment paper than on silicone mats.
Make the Frosting
While the cookies are baking and cooling, it's time to make the icing. If you don't have time (or want) to make homemade icing, you can easily just use some canned frosting. While I typically prefer homemade treats, there is something about canned frosting that I love. Maybe its nostalgic or maybe just delicious. But either way, no shame in the canned frosting!
However, if you decide to make the frosting, it's really simple. In a small bowl, beat the softened butter until its is smooth and whipped. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue to beat on low speed. Once all of the sugar has been added, add the vanilla extract and teaspoon of milk, and beat on low again. Add milk a teaspoon at a time until you get a smooth, easily spreadable texture, similar to that of peanut butter.
At this point if you want to color the icing, add a small amount of food dye and beat until combined.
Decorating the Heart-Shaped Treats
Once the cookies are completely cooled, spread a light layer of icing on the top of the cookies. Immediately add sprinkles if you plan to do so.
Pro Tip: Use a small offset spatula with a tapered end to spread the icing. These types of spatulas are ideal to evenly and deliberately spread the icing to where you want it to go. Definitely not a necessary item, butter knives work great, but these are an inexpensive tool to add to your decorating arsenal.
Decorating Ideas
Classic Heart Colors
Decorating these heart-shaped sugar cookies with the classic red, pink, and/or white colored icing and topping with a Valentine's Day sprinkle mix make for an adorable and classic heart cookie.
Conversation Hearts
Divide up the icing into several small portions, dying each one a pastel color. Decorate the cookies with various pastel shades (similar to conversation hearts). Top the icing with red sprinkles to emulate the red words on traditional conversation heart candies.
Color the Dough
Add a few drops of food coloring to the dough as soon as the flour has been incorporated to get a fun colored cookie!
Storage
Place the cookies in an airtight container (these Rubbermaid ones are my favorite) and keep at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can freeze for up to 3 months.
Related
Royal Icing Information
Heart Cookies without Cookie Cutter
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour (360g)
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, room-temperature (227g)
- ⅔ Cup Powdered Sugar (90g)
- ½ Cup Sugar (113g)
- 2 Eggs (100g)
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Icing Ingredients
- 1½ Cup Powdered Sugar (180g)
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature (115g)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2-4 Teaspoons Milk
- Food coloring (optional)
- Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Make the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and powdered sugar on high speed until fully combined, light, and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until mixed in. Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat on low until it has been incorporated. (For images of what the dough will look like at each step, see post above.)
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon or 25g of dough. Roll into a cylinder shape about 2- inches in length. Bring the two ends of the cylinder together into a "U" shape. Pinch the bottom of the "U" to create a point and place on cookie sheet. Dip a glass with a flat bottom in flour and then press down on the cookie flatten. (For step-by-step images, see post above.)
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to set on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Make the Icing
- While the cookies are baking, make the icing. With an electric mixer, beat the butter until its whipped, slowly add the powdered sugar.
- Add the vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of milk and continue mixing the icing. Add 1 teaspoon of milk at a time until the icing is an easily spreadable consistency (similar to that of peanut butter).
- If you are adding food coloring, do so at this point.
- Once the cookies are fully cooled, frost them with icing and immediately add sprinkles.
Notes
- Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperate for 3-5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
