Learn how to make these light and crisp Valentine sugar cookies for a delicious and beautiful treat that you can share with friends.
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Valentine Sugar Cookies
These Valentine sugar cookies have the perfect blend of crunch and softness. They aren’t flimsy or overly chewy like store-bought sugar cookies. They’re crisp like something that can carry its weight in a milk dunk.
My mother has passed this recipe down to me, and it’s one we’ve enjoyed for many other holidays as well. These cookies have a subtle citrus undertone with a pinch of orange zest that makes them delightfully bright and flavorful.
For the filling, I used my family’s easy fig preserves recipe, but you can choose any type of filling you like. Strawberry preserves or raspberry preserves would work well.
To make these the perfect Valentine’s Day sugar cookies, I cut out a design very similar to linzer cookies. I also substituted clear sugar sprinkles on top instead of powdered sugar.
It’s the most romantic sandwich cookie you can imagine, and it’s perfect for gifting to your friend or big crush.
Recipe Notes
- For a crisper cookie, simply let the cookie brown slightly longer and/or roll the dough out slightly thinner before cutting your heart shapes.
- I prefer to use aluminum cookie sheets over dark, non-stick cookie sheets. This helps prevent the cookies from browning too quickly on the bottom. You can also use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to provide a more even distribution of heat.
- Always sandwich your jelly-covered cookie and heart outline cookie soon after removing them from the oven. This will help “seal” the cookies together.
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The Best Valentine Sugar Cookies Recipe Ever
These heart-shaped Valentine sugar cookies have a subtle orange zest and the perfect balance in texture -- not too crisp and not too soft. With a beautiful red jelly filling, they make the perfect gift for any holiday.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup shortening
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp grated orange peel
- 4 cups flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 tsp milk
- 4 tbs strawberry or raspberry jelly
- White sugar sprinkles
- Two heart-shaped cookie cutters (large and small)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Mix the dough
- Cream the sugar and shortening in a mixer until well blended.
- Add the eggs, and continue to mix until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and grated peel, and mix thoroughly.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Gradually, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the teaspoons of milk.
- Divide the mixture into half or quarters. Chill the dough for one hour.
Roll and cut cookies
- Begin rolling out one cluster of dough at a time to about 1/8-inch thickness, leaving the remaining dough chilled until ready.
- Using the larger of the two cookie cutters, cut heart shapes in the dough. Then use the smaller cookie cutter to create a smaller heart cutout on half of the cookies. This will be the "window" for the jelly filling.
- On the large heart shapes (without the cutout), spread a thin layer of jelly to cover, leaving about a 1/8-inch border from the edge.
- Sprinkle a light coating of white sugar sprinkles on the plain heart-shaped cookies, if desired.
Bake
- Place the cookies onto a greased cookie sheet or non-stick plan. (You can also opt to use parchment paper or a silicone mat.)
- For the smaller heart shape cutouts, you can either leave them as smaller cookies or combine them with the remaining dough to continue making the larger heart cookies.
- Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes until they turn slightly golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, place them on a cooling rack, and "sandwich" the plain heart and jelly heart. Sprinkle with more granulated sugar sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
Baking times will vary depending on the thickness of the cookie and cookie sheet used. I recommend aluminum cookie sheets for more even heating.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 367Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 181mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 4g
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These cookies are gorgeous. It warms my heart to know you are sharing your Mother’s recipe with me.
Hugs,
Kippi
Thanks so much, Kippi! I’m hoping to share many more recipes passed down from Mom this year.
Your cookies look absolutely delicious! I’ve seen layered cookies like this my whole life but have never tried one. The heart shape with the red preserves in between the layers is perfect for Valentine’s Day. I know a batch of these wouldn’t last long at my house!
Thank you, Paula! I make this sugar cookie recipe often, but this is the first time I decided to dress them up. I had to gift them so I wouldn’t eat them all! I appreciate the sweet comment. Hugs, Crissy