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    Home » Cookies

    Heart Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing

    Published: Jan 22, 2022 · Modified: Feb 5, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Valentine's Day heart cookies are here!!! Sugar cookies are the perfect cookie to decorate. Unfortunately, my piping skills are not the greatest, but I love great tasting icing with pazazz. Although, I must admit I love buttercream icing on my sugar cookies.

    They have so many cute decorative sugars and small heart candies that it is hard to choose. So I purchased four or five containers only because I could not decide.

    Heart Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing on a white plate along with heart candies all around.

    I also chose not to put the icing on the whole top of the cookie because I wanted to see part of the pink sugar cookie. But to be honest, it is easier to put the icing on the whole top.

    Ingredients

    I separated the ingredients, one for the sugar cookie and the other for the buttercream icing.

    Heart Sugar Cookies

    Ingredients for Heart Sugar Cookies.
    • 1 cup Butter unsalted 
    • 1 cup Sugar white
    • 2 drops Coloring gel pink
    • 1 Egg
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 3 cups All-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoon Baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt

    Buttercream Icing

    Ingredients for making buttercream icing.
    • 2 cups Powdered sugar
    • ½ cup Butter unsalted 
    • 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 2 Tablespoons Milk whole or 2%

    Making Valentine's Day Heart Cookies

    This recipe is my favorite sugar cookie recipe and the easiest buttercream icing, and I hope you enjoy them!

    Creating the Sugar Cookies

    To prep, I weigh out the sugar and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour, salt, baking powder into a bowl and run a whisk through to blend.

    Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand or hand-held mixer until light and fluffy. I do this for a good 2-3 minutes. Next, add the vanilla extract and then the egg. Next, add the coloring gel. Add the second drop if you want it as pink as mine. Remember that the dry ingredients have not been added yet, so it will decrease in the pink color just a little after the flour is added. Finally, add the flour mixture.

    Place the cookie dough onto a pastry mat and bring it all together into a ball. Split the ball in half. Flatten them into two round flat disks and wrap them in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

    • The color of pink for the cookie dough before adding flour. That will tame the color a little.
    • Two flat round disks of cookie dough getting ready to be wrapped and refrigerated.

    Taking one of the disks, I break it in half and roll the cookie dough out on a floured pastry mat. You can use whatever size heart shape cookie cutter you like; the one pictured (de Buyer Cookie Cutters Set, Heart) here is 3-¾ inch measured at the middle down to the point at the bottom. Next, move the cut-out cookies to a parchment-lined cookie sheet pan.

    • Rolled out pink sugar cookie dough and six heart shapes are cut out with cookie cutter.
    • Heart sugar cookies on parchment paper ready for the oven.

    Bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes. I leave them on the pan for a minute after taking them out of the oven. Next, move them to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before making your icing.

    Sixteen finished pink heart sugar cookies cooling on a wire rack and getting ready to be decorated.

    Easy Buttercream Icing

    Did I say easy? I did indeed...

    Add your softened butter to a mixer bowl and beat it for a minute or two. You want it smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the powdered sugar. Start on a low speed!!! I say this from experience. 🙂 Once the powdered sugar is incorporated with the butter, gradually increase the mixer speed. Mix for a good 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the vanilla extract and the milk. Now, on a medium to medium-high mixer speed, beat till smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

    Using a knife to put buttercream icing onto a heart sugar cookie.

    Finally, add icing to your heart-shaped sugar cookies and add any decorations you want on the top. Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day!

    Close-up of a finished heart sugar cookies with buttercream icing.

    Storage

    I store my sugar cookie with icing in a large airtight container. I also lay the cookies in a single layer then tear off wax paper or parchment paper and lay that between my layers. This way they do not stick together, and they look as pretty as the day I baked them.

    Try a Few Other Cookies

    Chocolate Cookie Cups with Strawberry Cream

    Strawberry and Chocolate Meringue Cookies

    Heart Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing on a white plate along with heart candies all around.

    Heart Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing

    Barbara Hall
    Easy cookie and icing recipe to make for a great Valentine's Day treat.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Total Bake Time 24 mins
    Chill 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 9 mins
    Course Cookies
    Cuisine American
    Servings 27 cookies
    Calories 208 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    Heart Sugar Cookies

    • 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted room temperature (2 sticks)
    • 1 cup (200 g) Sugar white
    • 1 (1 ) Egg
    • 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
    • 3 cups (375 g) All-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoon) Baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
    • 2 drops (2 drops) Coloring gel pink

    Buttercream Frosting

    • ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature (1 stick)
    • 2 cups (240 g) Powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
    • 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Milk whole or 2%

    Instructions
     

    Heart Sugar Cookies

    • Weigh or measure your sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour, salt, baking powder into a bowl and run a whisk through to blend.
    • Cream the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Next, add the vanilla extract and the egg. Now add 2 drops of coloring gel and mix till incorporated. Finally, add your dry ingredients and mix until combined.
    • Place the dough on a pastry sheet and divide it in half. Flatten each cookie dough half before wrapping it in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    • Now, please take one of the chilled cookie disks out and place it onto a lightly floured pastry mat. I made my cookies about ⅛" thick. There are bands on the ends of my rolling pin so that you can roll out the dough evenly. If you roll out your dough thicker, you may need to add a minute or two to the time. Next, cut out 8 pink hearts and place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. They are ready for the oven.
    • Bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes. After baking, leave the cookies on the pan for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack.

    Easy Buttercream Icing

    • In a mixer, cream the butter till smooth, Add the powdered sugar, and on the LOWEST mix the butter and powdered sugar together. Once most of the sugar is incorporated, gradually increase the mixer speed. Mix for a couple of minutes. Then, stop and scrape down the sides and add the vanilla extract and the milk. Turn the mixer to medium to medium-high speed and beat for about 5 minutes. You want a fluffy and smooth texture for the icing.
    • Ensure the heart sugar cookies are completely cooled before putting the icing on the top. This buttercream icing is white, so you can put anything on top to make them your own. Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 208kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 58mgPotassium: 22mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 326IUCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword decorated heart sugar cookies, heart cookies, pink heart sugar cookies, sugar heart cookies
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Serafina

      January 30, 2022 at 7:14 am

      5 stars
      Lovely Pink heart biscuits my little nieces love them and asking for more ❤️😋

      Reply
      • Barbara

        January 31, 2022 at 4:17 pm

        Hi Serafina, I am so glad the little ones loved them! I ate way too many myself, but they were delicious, I thought. 🙂

        Reply

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