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Share the love on Valentine's Day with these valentine sugar cookies! Sweet, buttery, heart-shaped sugar cookies, sandwiched with a layer of whipped raspberry cream, and dipped in chocolate. Beautiful and delicious treat to share with the loved ones on a special day.
These classic sugar cookies can be easily prepared by hand, without any special equipment, making them a fun baking project for kids and adults alike!
These cute, crumbly and buttery sugar cookies are ideal as a gift on Valentine's, but are also equally great to enjoy any day or time of the year!
My sugar cookie dough is really easy to work with, and it holds its shape really well during the baking. It tastes great, and you can also be enhance it with vanilla, almond or lemon flavour. I use the same method and recipe in these Valentine sugar cookies, as I do in my Easter Sugar Cookies and my Birthday Sugar Cookies recipe.
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- Ingredients and substitutions
- Instructions
- Variations
- Equipment
- Storage
- Top tip
- FAQ
- 📖 Recipe
- Comments
Ingredients and substitutions
Sugar cookies require only a handful of simple ingredients. For these Valentine sugar cookies you will need:
- Sugar - I always use caster sugar when making these cookies. You can also use granulated or icing/ powdered sugar instead.
- Butter - Unsalted butter is my choice, but feel free to use salted butter or baking block like Stork instead.
- Egg - One large egg at room temperature.
- Vanilla - Good quality vanilla extract to enhance the flavour of the sugar cookies. You can also try almond extract instead, or even some freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Flour - This recipe is made with plain, all-purpose flour.
- Salt - Pinch of fine salt to balance out the flavours.
Additionally, you will also need:
- Fresh or frozen raspberries - I normally use frozen raspberries, as they are much cheaper. You can also use strawberries instead.
- Double cream - Whipping cream or heavy cream can also be used here.
- Icing/ powdered sugar.
- Chocolate - For dipping the cookies in. Use milk, dark or white chocolate.
- Sprinkles - Optional for decorating the cookies with. Hundreds and thousands will also work great, and so will dried freeze raspberries or strawberries.
Scroll to the bottom of this post for the recipe card and the full list of the ingredients.
Instructions
When making this Valentine sugar cookies recipe, you can easily mix all of the dough ingredients by hand. But if you prefer, feel free to use a hand-held electric mixer or standing mixer with the paddle attachment.
Cream the butter and sugar, combine with an egg and vanilla (or almond extract, or lemon juice), and sift in the flour and salt. Mix the ingredients until the dough forms, then split the dough into two equal parts.
Place a sheet of baking parchment or silicone baking mat on flat work surface and dust it lightly with some flour. Transfer one half of the cookie dough onto the parchment/ silicone mat and place an extra sheet of baking paper on top of it (this will help to prevent the dough sticking to the rolling pin).
Roll the dough to £1 coin thickness (about 5 mm) and transfer to the fridge for at least an hour, or for an overnight chill.
Chill the dough, then cut out the cookies to the desired shape, using the cookie cutter.
Place the cookies onto baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating the baking tray half way through.
Hint: Rolling the cookie dough before chilling it in the fridge helps to handle the cookies much better. It also ensures their shape stays in tact, and that they will not spread too much while baking.
Allow the baked cookies to cool completely, before assembling them. While the cookies are cooling down, prepare the filling.
Spread around 1 teaspoon of the filling onto the back of one cookie, then place another cookie on top of the filling, sandwiching it together. Chill in the fridge.
Dip each assembled and chilled cookie in melted chocolate. Sprinkle some dried freeze raspberries or your favourite sprinkles on top of each cookie and enjoy!
Variations
- Use a different filling - Instead of raspberry whipped cream filling, use your favourite jam, spread, buttercream or frosting. Cream cheese based frosting will work great here (you could use the cream cheese frosting from my Gingerbread Cupcakes recipe, just scale it by half). You can also replace the raspberries with strawberries (fresh or frozen), or any of your favourite berries.
- Keep it simple - Plain sandwich heart cookies without chocolate or the sprinkles are still a delicious and beautiful option.
- Gluten free - Check out this Valentine's Chocolate-Dipped Heart Cookies recipe from the Loopy Whisk blog, for a gluten-free version of sugar cookies (which was also an inspiration for my valentine sugar cookies)
- Add some colour - Add few drops of the gel food colouring to the cookie dough or to the filling, to create even more eye-catching design.
Equipment
- Freestanding or hand-held electric mixer (although it is not necessary, as you can also make this recipe by hand).
- Baking sheets/ baking trays - This recipe will make about 40 individual cookies, so a couple of large baking sheets or baking trays will be handy. Otherwise, bake in few batches.
- Baking parchment or silicone baking mats - I like silicone baking mats, because they do not slide, when rolling the cookie dough directly on them.
- Rolling pin - Large rolling pin works well, but you could also use a wine bottle, reusable water bottle or drinking glass (the thicker one will be best) instead!
Storage
Store assembled and decorated cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Assembled cookies are not suitable for freezing.
Plain sugar cookies keep well for up to 5 days at room temperature (in an airtight container) or for up to 10 days in the fridge. They are also suitable for freezing for up to 3 months.
Top tip
When making sugar cookies, my number one tip is to chill the dough. Sugar cookie dough can be notorious for sticking to the rolling pin and to the work surface.
Rolling the dough between sheets of baking parchment is an easy and quick fix to this problem. If you try to chill the dough first, and then to roll it, the dough may be a bit too hard and difficult to roll.
Allow the cookies to chill in the fridge for 30min-1hour, before dipping them in cooled melted chocolate, otherwise the filling may not set properly.
FAQ
Why are my sugar cookies hard?
This happens when the cookie dough was mixed too much, or if you overbaked your cookies. Also, if you roll your sugar cookies too thin, they will bake much quicker, so always keep an eye on them. Pull the cookie sheet out of the oven when the cookies are just set and their edges are just starting to brown. It's always better to slightly under-bake them, instead of over-baking.
Why my sugar cookies spread?
Too much butter or too much sugar in the cookie dough may cause the cookies to spread and loose their shape. But the main reason for them to spread, is not chilling the dough for long enough. Cookies shouldn't feel warm to the touch or be sticky, before placing them in the oven. Chill the dough before cutting out the desired shape, and if you want the extra guarantee that they will not spread and hold their shape beautifully, chill them again for 30 minutes before baking.
Why are my sugar cookies flat?
Your oven may be too hot, if your cookies come out flat. I always use a separate oven thermometer, to be sure the temperature is right. Oven temperatures can vary greatly, depending on the make and model, so using a special oven thermometer allows to avoid setting the temperature too high or too low. Also, the cookie dough could have been rolled out too thin, resulting in a flat cookie. Aim for about 5mm thickness, as per the recipe instructions.
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5 from 29 votes
Valentine Sugar Cookies
Share the love with these cute, sweet and buttery sugar cookies sandwiched with a layer of whipped raspberry cream! They're dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with some freeze dried strawberries for super pretty and delicious finish.
Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, British
Keyword: heart cookies, sandwich cookies, sugar cookies, Valentine sugar cookies
Servings: 30 cookies
Calories: 149kcal
Author: Anna Wierzbinska
Equipment
2 baking trays
parchment paper
heart- shaped cookie cutter (pastry cutter will also work)
electric mixer (standing or hand-held one) optional
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 170 g unsalted butter softened
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 280 g all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the raspberry whipped cream:
- 150 g frozen raspberries
- 150 ml double cream
- 50 g icing sugar
For decorating (optional):
- 150 g chocolate of choice melted
- 2 tablespoon sprinkles or freeze dried raspberries
Metric - US Customary
Instructions
To make cookies:
In a large bowl cream together the softened butter and sugar (you can do it by hand, or by using an electric hand-held or standing mixer with paddle attachment). Add an egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
170 g unsalted butter, 150 g granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift in the flour and salt into the sugar and butter mixture, and stir to combine. Divide the cookie dough into two equal parts. Place a sheet of the baking paper or silicone baking mat on a flat working surface and dust it lightly with the flour. Place one half of the dough onto the baking paper/ silicone mat and cover it with another sheet of baking paper.
280 g all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt
Roll the dough between sheets of baking paper to about £1 coin thickness (roughly about 5mm). Transfer the rolled dough into the fridge (if stacking one on top of another, make sure to cover the top one with some baking paper too, so it doesn't dry out) for at least an hour, or an overnight chill.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Line the baking trays with baking paper or silicone baking mats. Remove one of the pre-rolled cookie dough pieces from the fridge. Using the heart cookie cutter (or any other cookie cutter of choice), cut the desired shapes and transfer them into the lined baking tray, spacing the cookies about 2 cm apart. Re-roll any remaining dough and repeat, until you have used up all of the dough. Do the same with the second piece of chilled dough.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, rotating the baking tray half way through. The cookies are ready when the edges are turning lightly brown. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to chill for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the raspberry whipped cream:
Prepare the raspberry reduction by placing frozen raspberries in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Cook them for 4-5 minutes, or until the berries have released their juices. Push the berries through the sieve, discarding the seeds and the skins, and return the juice into the saucepan. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the juice volume has reduced to about 1-2 tablespoon (it will thicken as well). Set aside to cool.
150 g frozen raspberries
Pour the cream into a medium bowl and add the icing sugar. Using a hand-held kitchen whisk, beat until soft peaks. Add 1-2 tablespoon of raspberry reduction and whip again, until medium-soft peaks.
150 ml double cream, 50 g icing sugar
To assemble the cookies:
Spread roughly about 1 teaspoon of the raspberry whipped cream over the back surface of one cookie, then place another cookie on top of the cream, sandwiching it between two cookies. Transfer the assembled cookies into the fridge for at least an hour.
Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate of choice and transfer into the baking tray or a wire cooling rack lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with freeze dried raspberries or sprinkles of choice. Allow the chocolate to set, and enjoy!
150 g chocolate of choice, 2 tablespoon sprinkles or freeze dried raspberries
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Video
Notes
- Baking times may vary, depending on the size of your cookies. My cookie cutter is roughly 5cm in size. If your cookies are bigger, add an extra couple of minutes to the baking times.
- The quantity of cookies will vary, depending on the size of your cutter. I normally get about 40 individual cookies (which then give me 20 sandwich cookies).
- Rolling the dough between sheets of baking paper will prevent it from sticking. If the dough feels too sticky to handle, place it in the fridge for 30-40 minutes.
Make ahead:
Cookie dough can be pre-rolled a day ahead and stored in the fridge overnight.
Storage & freezing:
Store assembled and decorated cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Assembled cookies are NOT suitable for freezing.
Plain sugar cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 10 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 10g | Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 25mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 226IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this?Tell me how you like it? Leave a comment or take a picture and tag @anna_wierzbinska on Instagram. I love seeing your take on my recipes!
This recipe was originally published in February 2020. It has been updated with the new photos, video and revised recipe and tips in January 2023.
