Easy Shortbread Heart Shaped Cookies Recipes

SHORTBREAD HEARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Place the hearts on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
• Allow to cool to room temperature.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S SHORTBREAD HEARTS - INA GARTEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment (I use a standard Kitchen Aid hand mixer with regular blades), cream together the Butter and 1 Cup of the Sugar until they are just combined.
• Add the Vanilla.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the Flour and Salt; then add them to the Butter and Sugar mixture.
• Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk.
• Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter (I roll the dough between two sheets of flour-dusted waxed paper -- no sticking!).
• Place the hearts on an ungreased sheet pan and sprinkle with sugar (I line the baking sheets with parchment paper).
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (time will vary based on the size/shape/thickness of your cookie dough), until the edges begin to brown.
• Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Leave plain or dip in or paint with melted chocolate or Royal Icing.
• A NOTE FROM INA: The edges of the shortbread are ever so slightly sharper if you chill the cookies before baking them. I cut out the cookies days ahead and bake them the day I serve them.
• For me, I loosely wrap each baked cookie in bakery-type waxed 'tissue' paper and store them in the fridge in a tightly sealed Tupperware-type container -- they will keep for weeks this way and still taste great!

VANILLA SHORTBREAD HEARTS

Steps:

• In small bowl, combine flour and salt.
• In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Beat in vanilla.
• Beat in flour mixture just until blended.
• Shape dough into 2 disks; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Between 2 sheets of floured wax paper, roll 1 disk 1/8-inch thick.
• With floured 3-inch heart-shape cookie cutter, cut out cookies.
• Cut out centers of half cookies with floured 1 1/2 inch heart-shape cookie cutter.
• Slide cookies on wax paper to another large cookie sheet and refrigerate about 15 minutes, or until firm.
• Remove heart-shape centers from cookies; place cookies on prepared sheets, 1 inch apart.
• Bake 13-15 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden.
• Cool on parchment paper on wire racks.
• Repeat with remaining dough, rerolling scraps.
• Sift confectioners' sugar over cookies with cut-out centers.
• Spread 1 t jam on each plain cookie; top with remaining cookies to form sandwiches.