Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies Recipe tastes buttery and tender with crisp edges, a soft center, and just enough vanilla and almond to feel special without turning into a sugar bomb. It suits anyone who wants a cute, homemade Valentine dessert in about 1 hour total, including chill time. I test these every year for my family, and my kids now judge all other cookies against this batch.
Why Make This Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies Recipe at Home
Homemade heart cookies feel thoughtful, look adorable, and cost less than a fancy bakery box. You control the sweetness, the thickness, and the icing, so the cookies match your taste instead of a generic store version.
You skip mystery ingredients and use pantry staples you already trust. The dough rolls easily, holds its shape, and works well for baking with kids or for a low-stress decorating night with friends.
“These heart-shaped Valentine cookies taste like a bakery treat, but the dough rolls so easily that my kids handled most of the work.”
Ingredients You Need
the heart-shaped cookie dough
- 2 ¾ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour
- Use a standard unbleached flour like King Arthur or Gold Medal for consistent texture.
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature
- Use real butter, not margarine, for the best flavor and structure.
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- The extra yolk adds richness and tenderness.
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- You can skip this if you dislike almond or swap with more vanilla or a touch of lemon extract.
the icing and decoration
You can choose one of these two easy options.
Simple vanilla icing (no mixer needed):
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2–3 tablespoons milk (dairy or unsweetened non-dairy)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Gel food coloring in pinks and reds, optional
- Sprinkles, sanding sugar, or edible glitter, optional
Shortcut option:
- Store-bought royal icing mix or cookie icing in squeeze bottles
- This works well if you want neat outlines without pulling out a mixer.
Pantry shortcuts and swaps
- Use pre-colored tube icing if you want quick decorating with kids.
- Use store-brand sugar and flour; the butter quality matters more than the sugar brand.
- Swap half the vanilla with strawberry extract for a fruity twist.
- Use gluten-free 1:1 baking flour if you need gluten-free cookies; choose a blend that includes xanthan gum.
Equipment list
- Large mixing bowl and medium mixing bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Kitchen scale, optional but helpful
- Rolling pin
- Heart-shaped cookie cutters in a few sizes
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Wire cooling racks
- Small bowls and spoons for icing
- Piping bags or zip-top bags with a tiny corner snipped off
Tips & Mistakes
- Chill the dough at least 30 minutes so the hearts keep sharp edges and do not puff too much.
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy so the cookies bake tender, not dense.
- Do not add extra flour while mixing; only dust the counter lightly when you roll the dough.
- Roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick so the cookies bake evenly and stay soft in the center.
- Pull the cookies from the oven when the edges just start to turn light golden; dark edges taste bitter.
- Let cookies cool fully before icing or the icing will melt and slide off.
- Keep icing on the thicker side for outlines and slightly thinner for flooding so it sets with a smooth finish.
- Avoid stacking decorated cookies until the icing dries completely or you will smudge all your hard work.
How to Make Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients
Add flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk until the mixture looks uniform and no streaks of baking powder remain. Set the bowl aside.
Step 2: Cream butter and sugar
Place the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. Scrape the bowl so no butter hides on the bottom.
Step 3: Add egg, yolk, and extracts
Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until the mixture looks smooth and creamy. Scrape the bowl again so everything mixes evenly.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients
Pour the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in two additions. Mix on low speed until the dough just comes together and no dry flour shows. Stop mixing as soon as the dough forms a soft, slightly sticky ball so the cookies stay tender.
Step 5: Chill the dough
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a flat disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days. Chilled dough rolls easier and holds heart shapes better.
Step 6: Roll and cut the hearts
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll one dough disc to about ¼ inch thick, then cut out hearts with your cookie cutters and place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between each cookie.
Step 7: Bake the cookies
Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake 8 to 11 minutes, depending on the size of your hearts. Pull the cookies when the edges look set and just start to turn light golden, while the centers still look pale. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 8: Mix the icing
Add powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Whisk until smooth and thick, then add more milk a few drops at a time until the icing flows slowly off the spoon. Divide into small bowls and tint each portion with gel food coloring as desired.
Step 9: Decorate the heart-shaped cookies
Transfer some icing to piping bags or zip-top bags. Outline the cookies with slightly thicker icing, then thin a portion with a few drops of milk and fill the centers. Add sprinkles or sanding sugar while the icing still feels wet, then let the cookies sit until the icing sets and feels dry to the touch.
Variations I’ve Tried
I swap almond extract with lemon extract and add a little lemon zest to the dough for a bright, citrus version. I also stir mini chocolate chips into the dough and skip icing, then drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled cookies. For a strawberry twist, I mix freeze-dried strawberry powder into the dough and icing, which adds color and flavor without extra liquid.
You can also dip half of each heart in melted dark or white chocolate and add sprinkles on the chocolate side. For a slightly less sweet cookie, I cut the sugar to ¾ cup and keep the icing light, which works well for adults who prefer less sweetness.
How to Serve Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies
Serve these heart cookies on a pretty platter with hot chocolate, coffee, tea, or cold milk. Pack a few in small treat bags with ribbon for classroom parties or office surprises. Add them to a dessert board with fresh berries, chocolate-covered strawberries, and a bowl of fruit dip. I also tuck one or two into lunch boxes as a sweet Valentine surprise.
How to store
- Store plain, undecorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Keep iced cookies in a single layer or between sheets of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
- Chill the dough, tightly wrapped, in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
- Freeze unbaked cookie dough discs for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge overnight, then roll and bake.
- Freeze baked, undecorated cookies for up to 2 months in a freezer bag with the air pressed out.
- Reheat cookies in a 275°F (135°C) oven for 4 to 6 minutes to refresh the texture; avoid reheating iced cookies or the icing may soften and lose detail.
Heart-Shaped Valentine's Day Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until a soft dough forms.
- Divide dough in half, flatten into disks, wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour until firm enough to roll.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough to about 1/4-inch thickness.
- Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out cookies and place them 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Gather scraps, reroll, and continue cutting until all dough is used.
- Bake 8–10 minutes, or until edges are just set and barely golden. Do not overbake.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add more milk, a few drops at a time, to reach a spoonable but thick icing consistency.
- Divide icing into bowls and tint each with a drop or two of red or pink food coloring, if desired.
- Spread or pipe icing onto cooled cookies. Immediately decorate with sprinkles or sanding sugar before the icing sets.
- Allow icing to dry completely before stacking or storing the cookies.
Notes
Approximate per 1 cookie (24 cookies total): 130 calories; fat 6 g; saturated fat 3.5 g; carbohydrates 18 g; fiber 0 g; sugars 10 g; protein 1 g; sodium 70 mg. Values will vary based on exact ingredients, decorations, and portion size.
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