Valentine's Day Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies (video) (2024)

My Sugar Cookie Video Tutorial

Watch my YouTube video recipe for step-by-step instructions on how to make these easy, Valentine’s Day heart shaped sugar cookies! Want to receive new recipe emails in your inbox? Make sure to subscribe to my website emailing list and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!

Ingredients for Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make these heart shaped sugar cookies!

• Unsalted Butter: use unsalted butter for best results. Soften the butter at room temperature for about 30 minutes prior to using. The butter should be soft but not melted!
• White Granulated Sugar: simple, plain sugar is the best option for this recipe.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Eggs, Vanilla, Baking Powder, & Salt: for making the sugar cookie dough.
• Unsalted Butter: for making the raspberry buttercream.
• Raspberries: you can use fresh or frozen berries for making the frosting.
• Sprinkles: I love to use variety of fun sprinkles to make the cookies extra festive!

Making the Sugar Cookie Dough

This easy and delicious heart sugar cookie recipe yields soft and delicate cookies that are perfect for any occasion! I like to use a hand mixer for this recipe but a stand mixer will also work well!

1. I start this recipe off with the butter and sugar. You’ll need softened butter for the cookie batter and I recommend removing the butter from the fridge at least an hour or two before making the dough.
2. Start by mixing the butter and sugar together for a few minutes until the mixture is creamy, then add in the egg and vanilla. I always add the flour, baking powder and salt last.
3. Once you’ve added the flour, keep mixing until a dough ball forms. The sugar cookie dough will at first look crumbly, as if it needs more moisture. Just keep mixing it until it comes together into a smooth ball. I even use my hands sometimes to combine the dough until it’s uniform.

Chilling the Cookie Dough

The secret to making the perfect heart sugar cookies is to let the dough chill. Chilling the dough is crucial for these cookies!! You do not want to skip this step! The chilled cookie dough will retain its shape while it bakes, creating beautifully shaped cookies. If you do not chill the dough, it will spread out as it bakes and create a mess! There are two main methods for this step.

• The first method I’ll share is the one I prefer and the one I demonstrate in my video tutorial. Once I have the sugar cookie dough ready, I divide it half and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface, then transfer the cookies onto a baking sheet. I recommend rolling the dough to ¼-inch thickness. I refrigerate the cookies on lined baking sheets for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• The second method is great if you want to make the sugar cookie dough ahead of time and plan to make the cookies later. For this method, wrap the prepared cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap; wrap twice for good measure! Next, refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. Once you’re ready to make the cookies, simply divide the dough and roll it out. The dough should be handled minimally by hand, as the warmth of your hands will start to melt the butter and soften the dough too much.

Baking Instructions for Sugar Cookies

Once I have my heart shaped sugar cookies shaped and chilled, it’s time for the oven!

1. I bake these cookies in my preheated oven set to 350F/177C for about 12 minutes. Every oven bakes a little differently so I recommend starting your first batch of cookies at 10 minutes and increase the time as needed.
2. The cookies should stay pale white in color on the top and just slightly golden underneath. Don’t over bake the cookies!
3. Once they’re baked, I let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then I transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely. These heart shaped cookies will be super fragile when you first remove them for the oven so try to be careful handling them.

Adding Raspberry Frosting to Sugar Cookies

These incredible heart sugar cookies are frosted with one of my all-time favorite frostings! I’m using my Raspberry Buttercream, made with real raspberry flavor! This buttercream is tart and fruity and the perfect choice of these cookies!

• The best way to frost the cookies is to use a pastry bag and pipe the frosting onto the cookies. Check out my video tutorial to see how it’s done! I used a small, round tip (Wilton #12) to pipe the frosting.
• Garnish the top with sprinkles to make these Valentine’s Day cookies extra special!
• Since this frosting is made with real butter, I recommend keeping the cookies stored in the refrigerator if you don’t plan to eat them all the same day. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge and remove them about 30 minutes to an hour before enjoying, to allow the cookies and buttercream to soften.

Need some supplies to make this recipe? Shop my Amazon Affiliate links for the items you’ll need to make these cookies at home! See Disclosure Statement.

• Heart Shaped Cookie Cutters – I love this set of cookie cutters because it has multiple sizes!
• KitchenAid Hand Mixer – this is the mixer I use and I love it! It’s quiet and powerful and gets the job done!
• Silicone Mats – I use these mats for just about everything, even roasting vegetables!
• Fancy Sprinkles – these lux sprinkles are perfect for decorating cookies for a special occasion!

5 from 1 vote

Sugar Cookies:

Raspberry Buttercream:

Making the Cookie Dough:

• Line 2 to 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or use silicone mats.

• Place the softened butter and sugar into a mixing bowl (you can use stand mixer or hand mixer for this recipe). Beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until the butter is light in color and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix again on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until the egg is well beaten.

• In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients into the cookie batter and mix on low speed for a couple minutes until a cookie dough begins to pull into a ball. If needed, use your hands to gently knead the dough together.

• Divide the dough in half and lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough out gently until it is ¼-inch/6-mm thick. Turn the dough over a few times to keep it from sticking to the surface. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out small or large hearts. Next, transfer the cookies onto lined baking sheet, spacing them apart about 1 ½-inches/3 ½-cm. Collect the dough scrapes and reuse them.

Chilling the Dough:

• Method 2: Alternatively, wrap the prepared cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. When ready to make the cookies, roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Handle the dough as least as possible with your hands, as the warmth will cause the dough to soften too much.

• Place the baking sheets with the prepared cookies into the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes to one hour. Start preheating your oven to 350F/177C. Once the cookies are chilled, remove 1 baking sheet at a time and place it directly into the preheated oven. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, just until the bottoms of the cookies are slightly golden; the tops should stay pale white.

• Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

• While the cookies are baking and cooling, prepare a batch of my ‘Raspberry Buttercream’, instructions below.

Frosting the Cookies:

• For my decorating method, I transferred the frosting into a pastry bag tipped with a small, round tip; I used Wilton #12. Pipe the frosting onto the cookies in a heart shape and then smooth with an off-set spatula. Alternatively, simply use an off-set spatula to spread the frosting onto the cookies.

• Cookies can be enjoyed immediately. Since this frosting is made with real butter, I recommend keeping the cookies stored in the refrigerator, if you don’t plan to eat them all the same day. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week and remove them about 30 minutes to an hour before enjoying, to allow the cookies and buttercream to soften.

Raspberry Buttercream:

• Prepare the raspberry sauce first. Place the raspberries and granulated sugar into a small saucepan and bring the berries to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until the berries start to fall apart and form a jam. Pour the jam into a fine mesh strainer arranged over a mixing bowl. Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to press the sauce through the strainer, leaving the seeds behind. Discard the seeds and place the sauce into the refrigerator to chill.

• Next, prepare the buttercream. The butter needs to be just slightly softened, not melted. If the butter is too soft, return it to the refrigerate to chill. Place the softened butter into a mixer bowl and whisk on high speed for 7 to 10 minutes, until the butter is fluffy, creamy, and pale white in color. Make sure to scrap down the sides of the mixing bowl often to ensure all the butter is well-mixed.

• Add the confectioner’s sugar next and start mixing on low speed first until the sugar is incorporated. Once all the lose sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer to high speed and whisk for 3 to 4 minutes, until the buttercream is light and fluffy. Scrap down the sides of the mixing bowl periodically to make sure everything is well mixed.

• If desired, add a few drops of red food coloring at this time. For a sourer buttercream, add the citric acid. For even more raspberry flavor, add raspberry extract. Add the chilled raspberry sauce last! Add the sauce and mix for about 15 to 20 seconds, 30 seconds maximum, with the mixer. Do not overmix or this will cause the buttercream to separate! Finish mixing in the sauce by hand using a spatula and use.