Valentine Heart Linzer Cookies
Valentine Heart Linzer Cookies are an easy twist on the classic Linzer cookie, a flaky buttery shortbread cookie filled with raspberry jam, but now cut into a perfect heart sandwich cookie to give on February 14th.
For most people, Valentine’s Day is either a beautiful date night filled with romance or fancy restaurants. For others, it’s a holiday to be avoided at all costs. For me? Valentine’s Day is an excuse for candy and for breaking out all the red velvet, raspberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, and white chocolate for all my favorite baked treats. Since I didn’t have the time to break out the royal icing, these Valentine’s Heart Cookies were made with a classic shortbread dough, raspberry jam, and my heart-shaped cookie cutters that wait for me every February!
Give these as a gift this Valentine’s Day, or make them for yourself any time of the year – cause raspberry and buttery shortbread are ALWAYS good.
What do I need to make Valentine Heart Linzer Cookies?
As always, I keep my recipes simple for you! You will need:
- Butter, unsalted and softened to room temperature.
- Granulated sugar.
- All Purpose Flour. If you want a bit more saltiness, take ¼ tsp of salt and whisk together flour and salt.
- Raspberry Preserves. You can either buy this at the store like I did, or throw some raspberries, sugar, water, and cornstarch into a food processor, puree, and then cook over a saucepan until it thickens.
- Powdered sugar, for dusting.
How to make Heart Sandwich Cookies
First, you start with the shortbread cookie dough.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or you can use an electric mixer or mix by hand as well. Mix until it is lighter in color and fluffy.
One the butter is nice and creamy, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour. Mix on a low speed until everything is just incorporated. This will take about 30 seconds.
Bring the dough together in a big ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge and refrigerate until firm – this will take about 20-30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 and prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Once the dough is firm, remove it from the fridge and, using a floured rolling pin, roll out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll until about ½ an inch thick.
Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut 24 cookies, re-rolling the dough as much as you need to to use it all. Then take a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter, and cut a small heart of the center of 12 cookies.
Place cookies on the baking sheets. These cookies should not spread or change shape during baking. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
Once cookies have cooled, take a tsp of raspberry jam and place it in the center of a cookie that does not have a smaller heart cut out. Take a cookie that does have a heart cut out, and place it on top, forming a sandwich. Repeat until you have 12 sandwich cookies.
Dust cookies with powdered sugar.
Storage and Make Ahead
These cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They are best served the day of.
You can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. You can either freeze the dough or freeze the entire sandwich cookie after baking.
Tips and Tricks
- Be sure to add just a small amount of raspberry preserves when forming the sandwich. It is tempting to get as much filling in there as you can, but less is more in this instance. Too much would spill out the sides.
- If you don’t care for raspberries, change up the flavor of preserves. Strawberry or blueberry would work great!
- If you want extra cookies, this recipe is easy to double or triple!
Valentine Heart Linzer Cookies
Valentine Heart Linzer Cookies are an easy twist on the classic Linzer, a flaky buttery shortbread cookie filled with raspberry jam, but now cut into a perfect heart sandwich cookie to give on February 14th.
Ingredients
- • 3/4 cup butter
- • 1/4 cup sugar
- • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- • 12 teaspoons raspberry preserve
- • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat until very light and creamy. I did this using my Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment but you can use an electric handheld whisk or beat by hand.
When the butter is creamy, add the flour and beat on a low speed until a dough is formed (about 30 seconds).
Bring the dough together with your hands, form it into a ball then use the palm of your hand to flatten the ball into a disc (this will make it easier to roll out later on).
Cling wrap the dough and put it into the fridge for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes preheat the oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 6. Take the dough from the fridge and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to the thickness of 1.5-2cm thick using a floured rolling pin.
Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into 24 hearts. Re-rolling the dough as many times as needed to use it all up.
Take a heart-shaped cookie cutter that is smaller than the one you already used and cut a small heart from the center of half of the cookies.
Transfer all of the cookies onto the baking sheets, leaving a small amount of space in between. These cookies will not spread or lose their shape during baking.
Bake for 10 minutes. Once baked, the cookies will still be soft so leave them to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a cooling rack.
When the cookies are cool, add a teaspoon of raspberry preserve to the center of the cookies without the cutout.
Take the cutout cookies and place them on top gently pushing them together.
Dust the finished cookies with powdered sugar.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 188Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 92mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 2g
I’m Melissa, the imaginative force behind Sparkles to Sprinkles, where creativity comes to life, and sprinkles of joy are scattered generously. Melissa is a proud Jersey girl who found love with a New York boy. As a mom to four wonderful boys and a few fur babies, her journey into the world of blogging began after making the life-changing decision to stay home and raise her children. Previously a dedicated workaholic, Melissa’s blog became her creative outlet and passion project. Inspired by her mother-in-law, a masterful cook renowned for her delicious home-cooked meals and legendary holiday feasts (think mouthwatering sausage stuffing), Melissa honed her culinary skills through a combination of family recipes and countless cooking classes. She often attended these classes with her son Michael, who shared her enthusiasm for cooking from a young age. Melissa’s love for learning extends beyond familiar cuisines, as she enjoys exploring international recipes in hands-on cooking classes. Her blog features a diverse array of recipes, showcasing her expertise with various kitchen appliances such as the Instant Pot, air fryer, Slow Cooker, Ninja Foodi, Instant Vortex Plus, and more. Join Melissa on her culinary adventures as she shares tried-and-true family favorites alongside exciting new discoveries!
