Valentine’s Slice and Bake Heart Cookies Recipe
These Valentine’s Slice and Bake Heart Cookies are soft, chewy sugar cookies with a delightful red heart center and festive sprinkles, perfect for a romantic treat or special occasion. The slice-and-bake method ensures perfectly shaped cookies with consistent texture every time.
- Prep Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (325 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons (196 g) unsalted European butter (like Kerrygold), cool room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (50 g), room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk (18 g), room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (23 g) heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
Additional
- Red gel food coloring (amount as needed to reach desired pink or red shade)
- 1/2 to 1 cup pink and white jimmy sprinkles
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside for later use.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a mixing bowl, use a mixer to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the egg, egg yolk, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until well combined.
- Combine Flour Mixture: Gradually mix in the flour mixture until just combined, forming the cookie dough.
- Divide and Color Dough: Divide the dough, leaving about half (375-400 grams) in the mixing bowl. Add red gel food coloring to the divided portion and mix until the dough reaches your desired red or pink color.
- Chill Colored Dough: Roll the colored dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/2 inch thickness and freeze for 10 minutes to firm up.
- Cut Heart Shapes: Using a 1 1/2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut hearts from the chilled colored dough. Reroll scraps once and cut additional hearts.
- Assemble Heart Log: Lightly dab the center of each heart with water and stack them on top of each other, pressing gently to adhere. This forms a heart log approximately 9–10 inches long. Freeze the log on a parchment-lined baking sheet for at least 30 minutes until firm.
- Wrap with Plain Dough: Remove the heart log from the freezer. Take the remaining plain dough, cover it with plastic wrap, and roll it around the heart log, ensuring no gaps remain. Wrap the entire log tightly with plastic wrap and roll it to a smooth finish.
- Chill Dough Log: Refrigerate the wrapped log for at least 2 to 3 hours or preferably overnight to firm up before slicing.
- Preheat Oven: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Coat and Slice Cookies: Roll the chilled dough log in the pink and white jimmy sprinkles, then slice into approximately 1/2-inch thick cookies. Arrange the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies for 9 to 12 minutes until the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops appear matte. For crisper cookies, extend the baking time slightly.
- Cool and Serve: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For best results, use European-style butter for richer flavor and creaminess.
- Use a light touch when incorporating flour to keep the cookies tender.
- Red gel food coloring is preferred to achieve vivid color without affecting dough consistency.
- The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.
- Chilling the dough log is essential to maintain shape during slicing and baking.
