Makinze is currently senior food editor at Delish, where she develops recipes, creates, and hosts recipe videos and is our current baking queen. She is our expert pie crimper, believes you should always have the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies on hand, and everyone needs to know a perfect roast chicken recipe.
What better way to surprise your sweetheart this Valentine's Day than with the most adorable sweet heart? These festive cookies topped with cream cheese frosting are not only so simple to make, but are the sweetest food gift to give your special someone this holiday. You don't need to be a baking whiz to whip up these homemade cookies—no matter your decorating skills, these too-cute cookies are sure to look (and taste) amazing.
How do I make sure my cookies hold their shape?
After cutting out your cookies, transfer to your prepared baking sheets and freeze for 10 minutes. While it might seem like an unnecessary extra step, don't skip it! This will help your cookies to hold their shape while baking.
How should I decorate my cookies?
The short answer: however you please! We used food coloring to transform our cream cheese frosting into red and pink hearts with festive sprinkles, but you can decorate your cookies however you prefer. Dye your frosting with your sweetheart's favorite colors, skip the dye altogether, create icing designs on top of your base cream cheese coat, or even top with candy—you can't go wrong with these adorable cookies.
Tip: Looking for a more basic sugar cookie frosting? Try our recipe for perfect royal icing.
How do I store them?
Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for around 3 days after baking.
Have you made these yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
- Yields:
- 2 dz.
- Prep Time:
- 30 mins
- Total Time:
- 1 hr 40 mins
- Cal/Serv:
- 306
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 3 c.
(360 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 1 tsp.
baking powder
- 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1 c.
(2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 c.
(200 g) granulated sugar
- 1
large egg
- 1 tbsp.
milk
- 1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
For the buttercream
- 1
(8-oz.) block cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 c.
(1 stick) butter, softened
- 4 c.
powdered sugar
- 1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
Pink and red food coloring
Sprinkles
- Nutrition Information
- Per Serving (Serves 24)
- Calories306 Fat15 gSaturated fat9 gTrans fat0 gCholesterol49 mgSodium114 mgCarbohydrates41 gFiber0 gSugar29 gProtein3 gVitamin D0 mcgCalcium31 mgIron1 mgPotassium37 mg
- Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.Powered by
Directions
- Step 1In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until combined, then add flour mixture gradually until totally combined.
- Step 2Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
- Step 3When ready to roll, preheat oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out dough until 1/8” thick. Cut out shapes with a 2 1/2" heart-shaped shape cookie cutter and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Freeze 10 minutes (so your shapes hold while baking!)
- Step 4Bake until edges are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Step 5Make frosting: In a large bow using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until combined.
- Step 6Divide frosting into 3 bowls. Add pink food coloring to one bowl and red food coloring to another. Stir each bowl and add more food coloring until desired color is reached. Frost cookies using an offset spatula with each color of frosting, then top with sprinkles.