Soft and buttery Valentine Shortbread Cookies are the perfect sweet treat for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day. Easy & Delicious too!
Do you love shortbread cookies? We sure do! That wonderful buttery flavor that has the perfect crumbly texture is absolutely irresistable.
Add to that a simple royal icing and some cute little sprinkles and you’ll have a hard time getting me to share. These are just adorable!
I love making shortbread because it such a simple cookie recipe. It only calls for a handful of ingredients and there is so much you can do with it.
Since Valentine’s Day is upon us, I was getting excited to break out my heart-shaped cookie cutters (link below) and make some scrumptious cookies.
It also helped that I picked up some super cute Valentine sprinkles (that link also below) that really got me in the mood for baking.
Aren’t these just so adorable? You could make these as a special surprise for the kids when they come home from school or send them along with them for a class party.
I love making these for the hubs – who always appreciates a homemade batch of cookies.
Frosted or left unfrosted – these are delicious!
Here are some commonly asked questions
Can I use a vanilla substitute instead of vanilla extract?
Yes. Vanilla essence does not provide quite the same flavor as regular vanilla extract. However, it is a good alternative.
Can I use a sugar substitute?
I have not personally tried it, so I can’t say how that would turn out. But if you would like to try it, I suggest a product that offers a 1:1 swap. Please let me know how it turns out.
Can I use a gluten-free flour?
I’m not sure just yet. I have been meaning to give this a try but haven’t had a chance. If you do try this, I would recommend using a 1:1 flour like this one as I don’t believe it would require additional ingredients that are typically called for when trying to make baked recipes in a gluten-free version. Please come back & tell me how it turned out.
frosted shortbread cookies
Why do you add vanilla extract?
Vanilla extract is a common flavoring found in most sugar cookie recipes and really, many other types of cookies too. It adds a certain depth to the flavor of the cookie that extends beyond a more “bready” taste.
shortbread cookies with icing
What is the best way to store frosted shortbread cookies?
Once the icing hardens you can place the cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature.
HOW DO YOU MAKE the Best Shortbread Cookies?
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy– about 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Reduce the mixer to low speed, add the vanilla extract and food coloring, if using, and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer still on low speed, slowly add the flour. Mix just until the dough has come together in a ball.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes, or until it has hardened slightly.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough out until it is ¼” thick.
- Cut the cookies using a heart-shaped cookie cutter that is about 2” across.
- Transfer the cut cookies to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Re-roll any leftover dough and repeat the cutout process.
- Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of your hearts), or until the edges are starting to turn golden brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before adding icing or decorating.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
heart-shaped shortbread cookies
To make Valentine Shortbread Cookies you will need…
- butter – softened
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- red gel food coloring *opt
- all-purpose flour
- Royal Icing *opt
heart cookies
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
This is really a personal preference. If you are happy with just a little salt to cut the sweetness, then use salted butter.
I usually use whatever I have on hand & I really don’t pay too close attention to what butter I have. But I typically keep salted butter on hand & I love that little bit of extra salt with the sweet in this recipe.
These days with groceries being more difficult to find – I basically get whatever the store has available at the time and make it work.
HOW DO YOU MAKE Royal Icing for cookies?
- Combine the sugar, meringue powder and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment or in a medium mixing bowl – you’ll need a hand mixer.
- Whip the ingredients together on high for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture has the consistency to drizzle down back into the bowl and smooth out within a couple of seconds. Depending on the climate you may need to add more water or confectioner’s sugar (very small amounts at a time).
- Transfer a portion of the icing to a squeeze bottle and outline the cookies. You’ll want a thicker consistency for this step.
- Once the cookies are outlined the icing should harden within 2-3 minutes.
- Thin out the icing slightly with a little bit more water and then transfer to another squeeze bottle.
- Fill in the outlined cookies – this is called flooding. The icing should be nice and smooth and sort of pour into and fill the area you have outlined. The thicker icing you added earlier should hold it all in.
- Immediately add any desired sprinkles to the icing – before moving on to the next cookie as the icing will harden before you are done with all of the cookies and the sprinkles won’t stick.
- You can refrigerate the cookies to speed the process of setting the icing if desired.
iced shortbread cookies
Other Dreamy Desserts for Valentine’s Day
Sprinkle Sugar Cookies for Valentine’s Day
Valentine Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make Royal Icing you will need…
- confectioner’s sugar
- meringue powder
- room-temperature water
- food coloring *opt
shortbread dough
Can this recipe be cut in half?
This recipe works best when made in full. However, you can make the full batch of dough and then divide it – freezing the other half for a later time.
How do I properly measure the flour?
The official way is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the flour isn’t packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make your cookies too dry.
Because shortbread can get quite crumbly very easily with too much flour – please be sure to measure the flour for these cookies as described above.
vanilla shortbread cookies
Products I love when making Valentine Heart Cookies…
This heart-shaped shortbread cookie recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me this time of year, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made homemade shortbread before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this cookie recipe.
Cookies
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- red gel food coloring *opt
- all-purpose flour
- rolling pin
- mixer
- baking sheets
- parchment paper
- cookie cutters
- plastic wrap
Royal Icing
- confectioner’s sugar
- meringue powder – not egg white powder
- food coloring *opt
- squeeze bottles for decorating
- Valentine sprinkles
- pre-made royal icing
If you love this Easy Valentine Shortbread recipe, you’re going to love these other treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
This recipe calls for a stand mixer. Can I also make this recipe by hand?
Yes. This recipe can easily be made by hand. However, keep in mind that this method will influence the overall time commitment.
If you love this recipe for Valentine Shortbread Cookies as much as I do, please write a five-star review, and be sure to help me share on Facebook and Pinterest!
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Valentine Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp red gel food coloring opt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Royal Icing optional
Icing
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1½ tbsp meringue powder
- 4-5 tbsp room-temperature water
- food coloring opt
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy– about 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Reduce the mixer to low speed, add the vanilla extract and food coloring, if using, and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer still on low speed, slowly add the flour. Mix just until the dough has come together in a ball.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes, or until it has hardened slightly.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough out until it is ¼” thick.
- Cut the cookies using a heart-shaped cookie cutter that is about 2” across.
- Transfer the cut cookies to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Re-roll any leftover dough and repeat the cutout process.
- Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of your hearts), or until the edges are starting to turn golden brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before adding icing or decorating.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Icing
- Combine the sugar, meringue powder and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment or in a medium mixing bowl – you'll need a hand mixer.
- Whip the ingredients together on high for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture has the consistency to drizzle down back into the bowl and smooth out within a couple of seconds. Depending on the climate you may need to add more water or confectioner's sugar (very small amounts at a time).
- Transfer a portion of the icing to a squeeze bottle and outline the cookies. You'll want a thicker consistency for this step.
- Once the cookies are outlined the icing should harden within 2-3 minutes.
- Thin out the icing slightly with a little bit more water and then transfer to another squeeze bottle.
- Fill in the outlined cookies – this is called flooding. The icing should be nice and smooth and sort of pour into and fill the area you have outlined. The thicker icing you added earlier should hold it all in.
- Immediately add any desired sprinkles to the icing – before moving on to the next cookie as the icing will harden before you are done with all of the cookies and the sprinkles won't stick.
- You can refrigerate the cookies to speed the process of setting the icing if desired.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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