Valentine Heart Sugar Cookies

These Frosted Heart Sugar Cookies are the perfect treat for Valentine's Day parties!

Valentine's Day is all about the sweet treats, and sharing them with the ones you love. One of my favorites growing up were the heart-shaped sugar cookies loaded with buttercream frosting and sprinkles. This recipe for Valentine Heart Sugar Cookies with handmade buttercream taste just like the ones I enjoyed as a kid, and are so easy to make! Baking is a fun Valentine activity to do with the kids, and these cookies are sure to be a hit at any Valentine party.

Use a hand mixer or stand mixer and a mixing bowl to combine the ingredients to make the cookie dough. Once mixed, the dough should be quite soft and light in color. If it seems too sticky, you can add a little bit of flour to the mixture.

Use a rolling pin to flatten the cookie dough to 1/4" thick. Wrap the dough in parchment paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. If necessary, the dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut the cookies out of the sheet of dough. Roll any unused dough and keep cutting until it's gone. Arrange cookies on the baking sheet about 1" apart, and bake until golden brown around the edges.

Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Mix ingredients for buttercream frosting and add red or pink food coloring for Valentine's Day. Spoon frosting into a piping bag with a star piping tip. Pipe dots, circles, or zig-zags of frosting over the entire cookies and immediately top with a generous amount of Valentine sprinkles.

Valentine Heart Sugar Cookies

Servings: 3 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• Valentine sprinkles

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups confectionary sugar
• ½ cup salted butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• Gel food coloring - red or pink

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. The butter/sugar mixture will be fluffy and light in color.
2. Add in egg, vanilla, and almond extract, and mix until combined.
3. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again to combine.
4. In a separate mixing bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
5. While the mixer is on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat until you have a soft dough. If dough seems too sticky to roll, add 1 Tablespoon of flour.
6. Remove dough from the bowl and split into 2 equal parts. Roll each half of the dough to 1/4-inch thickness between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate both sheets of dough, for at least 1-2 hours.
8. Preheat oven to 350º F.
9. Line 2-3 baking sheets with silicone baking mats and set aside.
10. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into heart shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough continue cutting until it is all used. Repeat for the 2nd sheet of dough
11. Arrange cookies on baking sheets 1 inch apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
12. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Frosting Directions:

1. Whip the butter in a bowl for 1 minute.
2. Slowly add powder sugar to the butter, and mix until combined.
3. Add the vanilla and almond extract, and fully incorporate until smooth.
4. Add a few drops of red food coloring and mix. Slowly add more to achieve the desired shade.
5. Scoop frosting into piping bag with a star piping tip. 
6. Pipe frosting on fully cooled cookies in a dotted or zig-zag pattern.
7. Top with a generous amount of Valentine sprinkles!

Tips: 

• For best results (a soft and chewy cookie), don't over-bake the cookies.
• Frosting Storage: Any unused buttercream can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 5-7 days. 
• Cookie Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.
• Freeze: Freeze cookies for up to 1 month. Stack cookies in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper placed between each layer to prevent the icing from sticking to the other cookies.

Not only are these heart sugar cookies a festive Valentine treat, but they really are easy to make and taste delightful! If you decide to give this recipe a try, I'd love to hear all about it! Please share your creations on Instagram, Facebook, or leave a comment/photo on the project pin on Pinterest!

If you like this recipe, don't forget to Pin, Like, and Share!