Pink raspberry buttercream frosting sandwiched between soft, heart shaped cookies makes the perfect homemade gift for Valentine's Day! These Valentine heart sugar cookies are made with no-chill, no-spread cookie dough that's deliciously buttery and perfect for making sugar cookie sandwiches.
These heart sugar cookies hold a special place in my heart.
My birthday is just a few days before Valentine’s Day, and every year when I was a kid my mom would bake a big batch of these heart shaped cookies and send them in to school for me to share with all my classmates on my birthday. So even though these cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day, I’ll always think of them as birthday cookies!
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Why This Recipe Works
A batch of homemade, heart sugar cookies is a wonderful way to let your loved ones – or that special someone – know you’re thinking of them on Valentine’s Day. Each sandwich cookie is made of my favorite raspberry buttercream frosting nestled between two soft, buttery sugar cookies. The result is a cookie sandwich that’s tender, delicately sweet, and pretty enough to share!
This sugar cookie recipe is my go-to recipe for 3 reasons:
- They taste AMAZING! These cookies are buttery and delicate with just the right amount of sweetness.
- There's no need to chill the dough before rolling it out and baking the cookies. Huge time saver!
- These sugar cookies won't spread when baking. They hold their shape perfectly, making them ideal for cutting a decorating all sorts of shapes and designs!
And did I mention just how delicious they are? You're going to want to bookmark this recipe to make again and again!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Sugar Cookie Ingredients:
Raspberry Buttercream Ingredients:
Confectioners' Sugar - These cookies include both confectioners' sugar and granulated sugar. Confectioners' sugar helps to create a sugar cookie that's especially tender. And of course we'll use confectioners' sugar to make the buttercream frosting, too.
Cream of Tartar - Cream of tartar isn't usually found in sugar cookie recipes, but I like to include just a tiny bit in these cookies because it helps to create a chewy texture and also helps to minimize browning. around the edges as the cookies bake. If you don't have any on hand feel free to skip it.
Unsalted Butter - These cookies have a rich buttery flavor thanks to lots of butter! As always, opt for unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt that's in the cookies and frosting.
Raspberry Jam - Choose your favorite raspberry (or other fruit) jam or preserves to add both flavor and natural color to the frosting. Avoid chunks of fruit in the frosting, but seeds are fine if you don't mind them. I think they look pretty in the frosting, but the decision is up to you!
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a whisk and spatula), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- A food processor, for mixing the cookie dough.
- Heart-shaped cookie cutters (or any shape you like), for cutting out the cookie shapes.
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer, for mixing the frosting.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 2: Make the cookie dough. Place the flour, both sugars, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a food processor and process just until mixed.
Step 3: Cut the butter into small pieces and distribute over the flour mixture. Process until the dough resembles coarse meal.
Step 4: Whisk together the egg and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and process until the dough comes together.
Step 5: Remove the dough from the processor and knead it for several seconds, until no dry bits remain and the dough is cohesive throughout.
Step 6: Roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut 16 cookies using a 3 ½ inch heart shaped cookie cutter. Cut a smaller heart in half of the cookies using a 2 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter.
Step 7: Transfer the cookie cutouts to the prepared baking sheets using a spatula and sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of each.
Step 8: Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheet atop a wire rack.
Step 9: Make the frosting. Beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Add vanilla and salt and beat on medium-high speed until blended.
Step 10: Add sugar slowly – one cup at a time – beating well on medium speed and scraping the bowl often.
Step 11: Add milk and raspberry jam and beat on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Step 12: Once the cookies are completely cool, spread the full heart cookies with the raspberry buttercream frosting and top with the heart cut out cookies.
Recipe Tips
Don't over work the cookie dough when mixing. Once the flour has been added, working the dough too much will create a tough rather than tender cookie.
Be careful not to roll the cookie dough too thin. Thin cookies will become crisp when baked, so stick to ¼ inch thickness when rolling out the dough for soft cookies.
Avoid over baking the cookies. You'll know that the cookies are finished baking when they are no longer shiny. If the edges are turning golden, the cookies are slightly over baked (they'll still be delicious, just not as soft).
Recipe FAQs
Powdered (or confectioners') sugar helps to create a soft and chewy cookie texture, so I love to use it in addition to granulated sugar when making sugar cookies. You'll need some for the frosting as well.
No, there's no need to grease cookie cutters. Plus doing so will leave some grease on the edges of your cookies, which will affect how they bake. Instead, if you find that your cookie cutters are sticking to the dough when cutting the cookies, try dipping the edge of the cookie cutter in some flour to minimize sticking.
The simplest way to fill these sandwich cookies is to spread the frosting onto the bottom cookie using an icing spatula (a butter knife can work if that's what you have on hand) and topping with the bop cookie. Alternatively, you could pipe dots of frosting onto the bottom cookie using a piping bag and tip.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: These sugar cookie sandwiches can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Unfrosted sugar cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Sugar cookie sandwiches (or unfrosted sugar cookies) can be sealed in an airtight container and frozen for up to 2 months.
More Valentine's Day Recipes
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Recipe
Valentine Heart Sugar Cookies
Special Equipment
- food processor
- Heart-shaped cookie cutters
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 12 ½ Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Raspberry Buttercream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch fine sea salt
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons raspberry jam or preserves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the cookie dough.
- Place the flour, both sugars, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a food processor and process just until mixed.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and distribute over the flour mixture. Process until the dough resembles coarse meal, about 30 seconds.
- Whisk the egg and vanilla together in a small bowl until combined. With the processor running on low speed, pour the egg mixture through the feed tube and process until the dough comes together, about 30 to 60 seconds.
- Remove the dough from the processor, place it on a lightly floured surface, and knead it for several seconds, until no dry bits remain and the dough is cohesive throughout.
Cut and bake the cookies.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut 16 cookies using a 3 ½ inch heart shaped cookie cutter. Cut a smaller heart in half of the cookies using a 2 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter.
- Transfer the cookie cutouts to the prepared baking sheets using a spatula and sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of each.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. (You'll know the cookies are finished baking when they're no longer shiny but the edges have not yet turned golden.) Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheet atop a wire rack.
Make the frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric mixer), beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth.
- Add vanilla and salt and beat on medium-high speed until blended.
- Add sugar slowly – one cup at a time – beating well on medium speed and scraping the bowl often. When all sugar is added the frosting will be slightly dry.
- Add milk and raspberry jam and beat on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Assemble the sandwich cookies.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, spread the full heart cookies with the raspberry buttercream frosting and top with the heart cut out cookies.
badkracker
Can these be frozen, baked or unbaked to prepare ahead?
Allison Ferraro
Hi! Yes, these cookies can be frozen either plain or as assembled cookie sandwiches. Be sure to keep the cookies sealed in an airtight container and they can be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Allison
Paula
Do you need to use a food processor?
Allison Ferraro
Hi Paula! I have not tried making the sugar cookie dough without a food processor, and I do recommend using one since it will allow you to easily cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients and also to easily blend the egg into the dough. If you want to try the recipe without a food processor, I recommend first whisking the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then cutting the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter before blending the egg and vanilla into the dough using either a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) or an electric hand mixer on low speed, being very careful not to over mix the dough. You can use the process photos in the recipe post as a guide when blending each set of ingredients. If you do try these alternate mixing methods I'd love to know how it turns out! Happy baking!
- Allison