Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies Royal Icing (Printer-Friendly)
Buttery heart-shaped cookies decorated with beautiful royal icing—ideal for Valentine's Day and celebrations.
# What You'll Need:
→ Sugar Cookies
01 - 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
→ Royal Icing
08 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
09 - 2 tablespoons meringue powder
10 - 4 to 6 tablespoons warm water
11 - Gel food coloring, optional
# How to Make It:
01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
02 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
03 - Add the egg and vanilla extract; beat until combined.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredients; mix until a smooth dough forms.
05 - Divide the dough in half, shape into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out heart shapes with a cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared sheets.
08 - Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are just beginning to turn golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.
09 - In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add 4 tablespoons warm water.
10 - Beat with an electric mixer on low, then high, until stiff peaks form, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
11 - Adjust consistency with more water, a few drops at a time, for flooding or piping as desired.
12 - Divide icing into bowls and tint with gel food coloring if using.
13 - Decorate cooled cookies with the royal icing. Allow to set completely before stacking or serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The cookies hold their shape beautifully during baking, so your hearts actually look like hearts, not sad, bloated blobs like my first disastrous attempt years ago.
- The royal icing creates this perfect sweet crunch that gives way to the buttery softness beneath, creating this lovely textural contrast that store-bought cookies simply cannot match.
02 -
- If your kitchen is warm, place the rolled dough back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before cutting shapes, a trick I learned after watching my perfectly cut hearts turn into sad blobs during my first attempt.
- The royal icing needs to dry completely overnight before stacking cookies, which I discovered the hard way when I rushed to package them and ended up with a smeared mess that my kids still tease me about.
03 -
- Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper instead of using flour, which prevents the dough from becoming tough through unnecessary flour absorption, a trick my grandmother shared that revolutionized my cookie game.
- Add a tiny pinch of salt to your royal icing, which enhances the sweetness without making it taste salty, creating a more balanced flavor that makes people wonder what your secret is.