These Valentine cookies are not only pretty, but most importantly they are delicious. They are made of a lemon shortbread and decorated with a lemon icing. Often these stylized cookies give way to aesthetics and forget that the flavor still rules supreme. These are both tasty and gorgeous!
Order my new cookbook, Zoë Bakes Cookies, now!
Did you know that Saint Valentine’s Day dates back to Pope Gelasius in 500 AD, not the Hallmark Cards of 1910? The original holiday was a religious one, with nothing to do with romance, flowers, chocolate or red royal icing. The modern Valentine’s Day must have been recreated by a pastry chef. It is an excuse to make sweet, pretty, heart-shaped treats like this Valentine cookies. There really isn’t another time of the year when heart-shaped desserts are permissible. It’s a shame really, but Valentine’s Day owns the shape, so we must take advantage of the opportunity.
As you know I am trying to thin out my baking pantry of all the loot various companies send me to test out and review. This scale is one of them. I think it is lovely and it works well, but I have several scales and honestly I prefer digital. This scale by Eat Smart can weigh up to 11-pounds, has a nice big hopper (bowl) and is stylish in a retro way. The down side is that is requires a kitchen that can handle its formidable size. This company also makes a tiny Digital Scale
How to Make Heart Shaped Valentine Cookies
See me make these step by step here and find the full recipe at the end of this post!
To make the Valentine cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Remove the rind, with some of the pith and chop it up into small pieces. Grind it up in a coffee or Spice-and-Nut Grinder
Until it is in very fine pieces. It should almost be powdery. If there are large chunks the cookies will not hold together when rolled out.
In a food processor grind some regular granulated sugar for about 1 minute and then measure out 1/2 cup of the superfine sugar for your recipe. The rest of the sugar can be saved for another recipe.
Beat the butter in a stand mixer with the Beater Blade Paddle Attachment 
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.
Knead very lightly until it is a smooth ball.
Use your favorite cookie cutters.
Dust the dough with flour and roll to about a scant 1/4-inch thick rectangle. The dough does not need to chill first.
You can re-roll the scraps once, beyond that it starts to get tough.
Position the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. If you are baking both sheets at once you will want to switch from top to bottom and back to front. Cool on a rack.
Meanwhile make the royal icing:
Combine all the meringue powder, cream of tartar, confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice in a stand mixer. It will be quite thick.
To decorate the cookies follow these instructions.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature (see note)
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar see notes
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- rind of 1 lemon see step-by-step instructions in the blog post
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour measured by stirring flour and then using scoop and sweep method
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Remove the lemon rind, with some of the pith and chop it up into small pieces. Grind it up in a coffee or Spice-and-Nut Grinder until it is in very fine pieces. It should almost be powdery. If there are large chunks the cookies will not hold together when rolled out.
- In a food processor, grind some regular granulated sugar for about 1 minute and then measure out 1/2 cup of the superfine sugar for your recipe. The rest of the sugar can be saved for another recipe.
- Beat the butter in a stand mixer with the Beater Blade Paddle Attachment on medium-high, until it is smooth. Gradually add the sugar, then vanilla and lemon, mixing until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. In thirds, add the flour and salt. Mix until the dough comes together and cleans the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead very lightly until it is a smooth ball. Use your favorite cookie cutters. Dust the dough with flour and roll to about a scant 1/4-inch thick rectangle. The dough does not need to chill first. You can re-roll the scraps once, beyond that it starts to get tough.
- Position the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. If you are baking both sheets at once you will want to switch from top to bottom and back to front. Cool on a rack.
Icing
- Combine all the meringue powder, cream of tartar, confectioner's sugar and lemon juice in a stand mixer. It will be quite thick.
Love molten chocolate cakes. However, the sexiest Valentine’s Day dessert we ever had was yummy things like berries, cookies, pretzels, fingers, etc, dipped into really, really good melted dark chocolate. Yum!
My favorite dessert to make is the William Sonoma homemade icecream cake. It’s so versatile, but my kids LOVE doughnuts and I’m going to try the Artisan doughnuts real soon–just printed it
Favorite Valentine dessert? Anything chocolate, of course!
fudgey chocolate cake–the kind that’s so rich all you need is 1-3 bites. mmmmm mmmmmm!
Chocolate covered strawberries! Natures perfect heart with a little chocolate bliss! Thanks
Gorgeous! I’m still using a cheapie, plastic Weight Watcher scale from the 70s…can you imagine? Oh, I have a digital but just prefer a standard scale.
Favorite V-day treat? Truffles!!
My favorite Valentine dessert would be a flourless chocolate cake. What a pretty scale!
My favorite one is a flourless chocolate cake made with almonds and covered with ganache. Very rich, dense and lush. Coverd with sliced strawberries it is perfect for Valentines Day. Love the scale!
Chocolate mousse.
Mmm, chocolate pavlova. My mouth starts watering just thinking about it. Will cross my fingers for a win…seems like a baker’s scale is one of the few things I haven’t already bought for my kitchen. A big thanks for giving Michelle Gayer a shout out as well. Love, love, love the Salty Tart. A visit to Midtown Global Market just isn’t complete without a chocolate Surly cupcake for dessert!
My favorite Valentine’s Day dessert is Panna Cotta. Actually, it is my favorite dessert anytime but Valentine’s Day is the only time I can put it in my red, heart shaped ramekins.
oh gosh. I have never actually celebrated Valentine’s day! 🙁 But I think I would have to go for something with caramel/dulce de leche since for me that is the sexiest food! So let’s say heart-shaped alfajores. 😀
Cookie dough truffles! So good!
I love lemon bars for any occasion. Valentine cookies are darling too…
My favorite. . . that’s such a mood issue for me. . . . last year I introduced my kids to chocolate fondue and they loved it!
These look wonderful, I’m thinking they might be yummy using orange peel and then dipped half in dark chocolate. . . that might be my project with the kids this year! Thanks for the idea!
We like making the kid-friendly fudge that uses marshmallow fluff. My kids wait eagerly all year for it, always metioning it whenever we pass the jars of fluff at the grocery store — about 876 times per year, or so it seems.
We love, love, love your devil’s food cake…and I was planning on making it for my Grandma’s birthday (the day after Valentine’s), but now I might foresee some delish lemon cookies too!!!
What a gorgeous kitchen addition! My favorite Valentine’s dessert is sour cream toffee fudge cake with a chocolate ganache & toffee sprinkles.
My family loves cheesecake for every occasion.
My favorite valentine’s day dessert is definitely cheesecake.
A good chocolate tart
I love anything chocolate!
Strawberry shortcake or a nice fresh strawberry tart are the PERFECT valentines desserts!!
I love making my nearly flourless brownies and serving them with a drizzle of raspberry coulis. But, a big bowl of chopped strawberries with a little sugar over pound cake sounds pretty amazing, on this snowy day. Or, some lemon curd with the strawberries. Don’t get me started!
Shortbread cookies and lemon icing? What a great combination! And your cookies look perfect.
My favorite Valentine dessert would be a dark chocolate truffle – after a nice meal, that is all I can do, and it packs a great chocolate punch:)