Description
Delightfully festive heart-shaped sugar cookies topped with vibrant royal icing in pink and red hues. These cookies are perfect for special occasions like Valentine’s Day or romantic celebrations, offering a tender crumb with sweet, smooth icing decorations.
Ingredients
Scale
Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- 2 ½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cup (180 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Royal Icing
- 2 Tablespoons meringue powder
- 5-6 Tablespoons warm water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ⅔ cups (320 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- Pink food gel
- Red food gel
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside to prevent cookies from sticking and ensure even baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. This ensures the leavening and seasoning are evenly distributed in the dough.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a hand mixer, beat the softened unsalted butter with the confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy for about 1 to 2 minutes. This step incorporates air to create tender cookies.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the large egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is fully combined and smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides to incorporate all ingredients evenly.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: On low mixer speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. The dough should mostly stick to the paddle and feel slightly soft but not sticky. Add additional flour by tablespoon if necessary.
- Roll Out Dough and Cut Shapes: Flour your work surface and roll the dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Use a 2 ½ to 3 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Place them on the prepared baking sheets. Re-roll scraps as needed. Chill dough for 20 minutes in warmer climates to prevent spreading.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through to ensure even baking. Cookies are done when edges are set and bottoms are lightly golden.
- Cool the Cookies: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This prevents them from breaking and allows them to firm up.
- Prepare Royal Icing: In a large bowl, whip meringue powder with 5 tablespoons warm water using a whisk attachment until foamy, around 3 minutes. Add vanilla and sifted confectioners’ sugar, then whip on medium speed until the icing forms a medium soft peak (about 3 minutes). Thin with extra water as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Color the Icing: Divide the icing into two bowls. Stir red food gel into one bowl and pink food gel into the other. Transfer each colored icing into icing bags fitted with small round tips (Wilton #2 recommended).
- Decorate Cookies: Outline half the cooled heart cookies with pink icing, then flood the inside with the same color. Let dry completely. Repeat outlining and flooding with red icing on the remaining cookies and allow them to dry fully, which can take a couple of hours.
- Add Icing Details: Once the base layer of icing has dried, use remaining icing to pipe decorative designs on top of the cookies. Let decoration dry thoroughly before storing or serving.
Notes
- Meringue powder is available at local chef specialty stores or online.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week to maintain freshness.
- You can freeze baked cookies or dough wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 3 months to extend shelf life.
- Chilling dough before cutting and baking in warmer climates helps prevent excessive spreading during baking.
- Allow royal icing to dry completely to avoid smudging and achieve professional finish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 175
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 78mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.4g
- Trans Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 27mg
