Heart Shaped Valentines Cookies are the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's day or the entire holiday season. They feature buttery shortbread, rich chocolate, and sugary sprinkles. Make a small batch for just you and a significant other or a large batch to spread the holiday spirit with your friends and family.
These shortbread cookies are more decadent and rich than your average holiday sugar cookies. They're just enough sweet and salty, making for the perfect buttery cookie. As chocolate lovers, we always dip shortbread cookies in semisweet chocolate for extra rich chocolatey flavor.
These Valentines cookies are so much fun to decorate with holiday-themed sprinkles & fun cookie cutter shapes. The shapes you can cut the dough into are limitless! We find heart shaped cookies are appropriate all year round since there's always a reason to celebrate and share love through food.
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About Valentines Cookies
- Taste - The combination of shortbread and chocolatey shell is deliciously decadent.
- Texture - The outside chocolate layer is firm with a nice snap while the shortbread hasa nice crunch.
- Effort - Just melt the chocolate, dip the shortbread, then enjoy!
- Time - It takes about 30 minutes to prep and chill the shortbread dough, about 20 minutes to bake the shortbread, then about 10 minutes to melt the chocolate and dip the cookies.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter - Room temperature butter is best for the cookie dough texture and adds a buttery flavor. We prefer to use European butter because it has a higher fat content resulting in a crisper, buttery cookie. American butter has higher water content, which will make the cookie less buttery but still delicious.
- Granulated Sugar - Sugar adds sweetness and helps the cookies spread as the sugar melts.
- All-purpose flour - All purpose flour is the foundation for the cookies.
- Vanilla extract - Vanilla extract adds complexity and sweetness to the shortbread cookie dough. For a stronger vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean paste.
- Salt - Salt balances the sweetness and sugar.
- Vegetable shortening - Shortening makes the cookies soft and tender.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips - We recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips because they are the perfect balance of sweet and rich and pair perfectly with the shortbread.
- Decorative sprinkles - Sprinkle add a crunchy and sugary flavor crystals.
Substitutions
- Gluten free - Use gluten-free all-purpose flour to make these cookies gluten-free. We recommend this gluten free flour for the best results.
- Vanilla bean paste - Use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract for a richer vanilla flavor.
- Dark chocolate Chips - If you prefer the intensely flavored and lightly bitter taste of dark chocolate, use dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.
- White chocolate chips - Replace the semi-sweet chocolate chips with white chocolate chips for added sweetness.
Variations
- No sprinkles - Omit sprinkles if you want to enjoy the pure combination of chocolate and shortbread.
- Drizzled Chocolate - Instead of dipping half the cookie in chocolate, you can dip the whole thing or you can drizzle chocolate on the cookies to ensure there is chocolate with each bite.
- Other shapes - Use a non-heart shaped cookie cutter to make the cookies into any other shape you want.
- Ice Cream - Enjoy these chocolate dipped cookies warm with ice cream to get if you want to be extra indulgent.
How to Make Heart Shaped Cookies
- Mix ingredients - Using a stand mixer fitted with attachment or hand mixer, beat butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add flour and mix on low until the dough is just mixed & smooth.
- Roll and cool dough - On a floured surface, roll the dough into a flat circle, place in cellophane or a food storage container, and cool in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oven - While dough is in freezer, heat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut cookies with cookie cutter - Remove the dough from the freezer and roll into a half-inch sheet. Use a cookie cutter of choice and cut the dough. Form the excess dough into a ball, roll it out into a sheet, and cut with the cookie cutter. Continue until all the dough is used.
- Freeze cookies then bake - Place the cookie dough shapes directly onto baking sheets and place in the freezer for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the freezer and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on a cooling rack.
- Microwave chocolate chips and shortening - In a microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening for 1 minute or until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the microwave and stir the melted chocolate until smooth.
- Dip cookies in chocolate then add sprinkles - Dip half of each cookie in the chocolate and dust with pink sprinkles. Place the chocolate-dipped cookies on wax paper and allow the chocolate to cool and harden.
Recipe FAQs
Shortbread cookies are denser and more richly flavored than regular cookies. They also usually don't contain a leavening agent like baking soda or baking powder.
Cooling the dough in the freezer is will solidify the butter and prevent the cookies from spreading too thin.
The chocolate will naturally harden, but you can also refrigerate the cookies to speed up the process.
Equipment
This easy chocolate cookie recipe requires common kitchen essentials. You will need a strainer or whisk to sift the flour, a mixing bowl, an electric handheld mixer or stand mixer, cookie dough scooper, parchment paper or silicone mat, baking sheet, and cooling rack.
Storage
Cookies have two lifecycles: pre-oven and post-oven. You can enjoy fresh cookies all the time if you plan ahead. It doesn't take a lot of work and it pays dividends for as long as you have cookie craving (as in, always).
Once cookies are baked, keep them in an airtight container or bag or under a cloche. They will stay good for 5-7 days.
How to Freeze these Butter Cookies
If you don't think you can eat an entire batch of these heart cookies, we recommend freezing your cookies. This will allow you to make one single batch and bake as you need, so you don't have to commit to an entire 30-40 cookies in one week.
- Simply make a batch of cookie dough.
- Scoop cookie dough balls using your cookie scoop.
- Place the balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet that will easily fit in your freezer. They can be arranged very close together since they aren't going into the oven.
- Place the cookie dough balls into the freezer and freeze for 1-2 hours or until completely frozen solid.
- Remove the balls and place them in an airtight container or bag. Label the container or bag with the date.
- Keep frozen for 4-6 weeks. Before baking, allow the cookie dough to thaw for a couple of hours.
Baking Tips
- Good quality butter is essential to good shortbread cookies. We highly recommend using European butter if possible.
- Once the chocolate is melted, promptly dip the cookies in the chocolate to ensure that the chocolate does not cool and harden.
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📖 Recipe
Heart Shaped Valentines Cookies
Equipment
- 1 strainer
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 3 teaspoon Vegetable shortening
- 1¼ cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Decorative sprinkles
Instructions
- Mix ingredients - Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add flour and mix on low until the dough is just mixed & smooth.1½ cups Unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks), 1 cup Sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon Salt, 3 cups All-purpose flour
- Roll and cool dough - On a floured surface, roll the dough into a flat circle, place in cellophane or a food storage container, and cool in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oven - While dough is in freezer, heat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut cookies with cookie cutter - Remove the dough from the freezer and roll into a half-inch sheet. Use a cookie cutter of choice and cut the dough. Form the excess dough into a ball, roll it out into a sheet, and cut with the cookie cutter. Continue until all the dough is used.
- Freeze cookies then bake - Place the cookie dough shapes directly onto baking sheets and place in the freezer for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the freezer and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on a cooling rack.
- Microwave chocolate chips and shortening - In a microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening for 1 minute or until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth.1¼ cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips, 3 teaspoon Vegetable shortening
- Dip cookies in chocolate then add sprinkles - Dip half of each cookie in the chocolate and dust with sprinkles. Place the chocolate-dipped cookies on wax paper and allow the chocolate to cool and harden.Decorative sprinkles
Notes
- Store these cookies in an airtight container or bag or under a cloche. They will stay good for 5-7 days. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 6 weeks.
- Good quality butter is essential to good shortbread cookies. We highly recommend using European butter if possible.
- Once the chocolate is melted, promptly dip the cookies in the chocolate to ensure that the chocolate does not cool and harden.
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