Heart Cookies – Texanerin Baking

Heart cookies are a classic treat, perfect for Valentine’s Day or any occasion. With their buttery, chewy texture and sweet jam filling, they’re always a hit. These cookies are easy to make, customizable, and great for gifting. They can be made traditionally or gluten-free.

I tried a few different ways to make heart-shaped cookies. I experimented with making cut-out sugar cookies using my Almond Flour Sugar Cookies as the base. I also tried shaping other cookie dough into heart shapes, but the method in today’s recipe proved to be the quickest and easiest option.

My Heart-shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies are even quicker than today’s recipe, but then you’re left with a lot of cookie scraps.

Which could either be a good thing (because you get to keep all the scraps for yourself!) or a bad thing (because you get to keep all the scraps for yourself!).

But they’re chocolate chip. I wanted something red. So here we are!

Please note that this “making hearts in a thumbprint cookie” method doesn’t work with every thumbprint cookie recipe. I first used the dough from my Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies and they spread WAY too much.

I didn’t even bother trying with my Gluten-free Thumbprints because just by looking at the photos, you can see that they crack around the edges. That’s fine for normal thumbprints, but not cookies where you want them to keep their perfect round shape.

So I’d stick with the recipe below to ensure your heart cookies come out perfectly.

Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, see my disclosure.

Here’s an overview of what you’ll need.

• Unsalted butter – I did try this recipe with coconut oil and the result wasn’t as tasty, and the cookies cracked a bit. They did not look good! I haven’t tried these cookies with vegan butter, so I can’t recommend it for this recipe.
• Granulated sugar – no sub possible for this recipe.
• Egg yolk – using just the yolk helps the cookies spread less and hold their shape better. Egg whites contain more moisture, which can cause the dough to spread more during baking. Using just the yolk reduces the overall moisture content. Yolks also have more fat, which can help stabilize the dough and keep the cookies from spreading too much.
• Almond extract – provides a subtle nutty flavor that enhances the cookies. You can substitute with vanilla extract or lemon extract if you don’t have almond extract.




• Flour – you can use all-purpose flour or King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour for a gluten-free version.
• Jam – any jam will work, but strawberry jam gives the brightest red color, which is perfect for Valentine’s Day-themed treats. Make sure to get a seedless jam that’s not chunky! Chunky jam would result in some ugly-looking hearts.
• Salt

How to make them

This is just a normal thumbprint cookie recipe, but with heart indentations.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Mix in the egg yolk, almond extract, and salt until fully combined. Add the flour and mix on low speed until well combined. You’ll have something that looks like crumbs.

Roll the dough into sixteen 1-inch balls.

Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet that will fit in your freezer. Use your pinky finger to gently create a heart shape in each cookie ball.

Press lightly but firmly, ensuring you don’t press through the dough. Fill each indent with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam.

Freeze them for 30 minutes. This helps them retain their shape during baking.

Preheat your oven to 350 °F (175 °C). After the dough has chilled, bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Let them cool before transferring to a wire rack.

Tips

Here are some helpful tips to ensure your heart-shaped cookies turn out perfectly.

• Don’t overfill the jam – use about 1/2 teaspoon of jam per cookie. Too much jam can overflow during baking, making a mess and causing the cookies to lose their shape.
• Use parchment paper – always line your baking sheet with parchment paper. It helps prevent sticking and makes cleanup much easier.
• Watch the baking time – keep an eye on your cookies as baking times may vary slightly depending on your oven. The cookies are done when the edges are golden brown.

Troubleshooting

If you follow the directions and don’t make any subs other than what I’ve talked about in the post, you shouldn’t have any issues. But if you do, here are some solutions.

• Dough is too sticky – if your dough is difficult to handle, chill the dough for a bit longer.
• Dough is too dry or crumbly – try adding a tiny bit of water (about 1/2 teaspoon at a time) until it comes together. Be careful not to add too much, as the dough can become too sticky.
• Cookies are spreading too much – make sure the dough is chilled properly before baking. If they’re still spreading, you may need to add a bit more flour.

How to make ahead, store, and freeze

These are great to make ahead! Here’s how far in advance you can make them.

• Dough – prepare the dough and refrigerate it for up to 2 days before baking or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Jam-filled dough balls – you can put them in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. I’m not sure about refrigerating the jam-filled dough balls. I would stick with freezing to be on the safe side.
• Baked cookies – can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for a week. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag.

Jam options

If strawberry jam isn’t exciting enough, here are some ideas to switch things up.

• Raspberry – the tartness of raspberry jam pairs beautifully with the sweetness of almond. If you prefer a lemon version, use lemon extract and add about a tablespoon of lemon zest. That would also work well with strawberry or blackberry jam. For the stone fruit options below, I’d go with almond extract.
• Blackberry – for a slightly tangier option, blackberry jam is a great choice. As I said above, make sure to use jam that’s not chunky. You won’t be able to make nice-looking hearts if there are chunks of blackberries in your jam.
• Peach jam, apricot or cherry preserves – stone fruit and almond are a match made in heaven. Cherry will give you the best color for hearts, but the bright orange hearts that you’ll get with peach and apricot would be cheery-looking. If making the cherry preserves, smash the cherries with the bottom of a glass to ensure the preserves come out nice ands smooth.

Gluten-free option

So far, I’ve only tried these cookies with regular all-purpose flour and with King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour.

The gluten-free version is just as delicious as the one made with all-purpose flour. I haven’t tried this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour, but based on similar recipes I’ve made, the cookies might be a bit grittier compared to King Arthur’s.

Or they might not hold their shape as well. It’s impossible to say without trying it. And for that reason, I can’t really recommend trying any other types of gluten-free flour blends. Even if they’re meant as a direct sub for all-purpose flour, they may result in cookies that spread a bit too much, making for sloppy hearts.

I hope you’ll enjoy these heart cookies! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading! 🙂

❀

• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 13 min
• Ready in: 1:05 h
• Yield: 16

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (140 grams) all-purpose flour or for gluten-free, use King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour
• 3 tablespoons (40 grams) strawberry jam (a smooth, seedless one)

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
2. Mix in the egg yolk, almond extract and salt until fully combined.
3. Add in the flour and mix on low speed until well combined. You’ll have something that looks like crumbs. If you want to use your hands to form a dough, you can, but I just weighed out the 20 grams from the bowl. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking or frozen for up to 3 months.
4. Roll into sixteen 1-inch balls (about 1 tablespoon or 20 grams each). Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet (this will not go in the oven) or dish that will fit in your freezer.
5. Use your pinky finger to create a heart shape in each cookie. Press gently but firmly to form a wide indent, making sure not to press through the dough. Fill each heart-shaped indent with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze the cookies for 30 minutes to help them retain their shape during baking. Preheat your oven to 350 ° F (175 °C) while they chill.
6. Remove the cookies from the freezer and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are set and the bottoms are lightly golden.
8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for a week. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com