Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies
Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies are soft, chewy, and buttery treats with a sweet vanilla flavor and a tender crumb. Perfectly shaped and easy to decorate, these cookies bring warmth and charm to any occasion. With simple ingredients and straightforward steps, this recipe is ideal for bakers of all levels looking to create delightful, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that hold their shape beautifully.
- Author: Nora
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Dry Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (345 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Preparing the Dough: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated, then gradually mix in the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
- Chilling the Dough: Shape the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour to firm it up. This helps rolling and prevents spreading during baking.
- Rolling and Cutting the Cookies: Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes and transfer them gently to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them apart for even baking.
- Baking: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until edges just begin to turn golden. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Chill your dough well to prevent cookie spread and maintain crisp heart shapes.
- Use parchment paper for even baking and easy cookie removal.
- Avoid overbaking; remove cookies when edges are lightly golden but centers remain soft.
- Flour your cookie cutter lightly to prevent sticking and keep shapes neat.
- Adjust thickness to control texture: thicker cookies are softer, thinner cookies have crisper edges.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
Keywords: Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies, soft sugar cookies, vanilla sugar cookies, holiday cookies, homemade cookies, easy sugar cookies, decorated sugar cookies