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.
Coeur a la Creme is totally my fave. Haven’t had it since culinary school though…
Beautiful cookies, Zoe!
Anything chocolate would be my choice for V day!
My favorite deserts is orange rolls. My mom used to make these for Christmas morning and she died without showing me her secrets so I have been experimenting to come up with the right taste and texture. Second to that would have to be butter cookies!
Your heart cookies are beautiful! I love holiday baking. Especially now that I have a preschooler….I have suddenly become the Mom that wants to bring the coolest treats to the school party….even though I know that the kids don’t care..I could bring in something that looks like a mud pie on a stick and they would love it as long as it was sweet! 🙂 I am learning so much about baking, and I love it! My Valentine’s Day dessert would have to be sugar cookies like yours! (I am not a chocolate lover….just the occasional nibble….unless it is a Snickers bar, then all bets are off). I love all things lemon, so I will definitely be trying these cookies! Thanks for sharing!!
Fave Valentine Dessert: Molten Chocolate Lava Cake!
my favorite valentine’s day dessert would be…Red Velvet Cake <3333
Favorite dessert? Creme Brulee!
Oops I forgot to mention a perfect dessert-strawberry frasier cake.
I have long made heart shaped brownies to give on VD. But if someone were trying to woo me, I’d want cheesecake or rum cake or anything that has a smooth creamy texture!
Strawberries injected with Grand Mariner dipped in dark chocolate over a thin milk chocolate shortbread cookie with a glass of good champagne..simple but very flavorful
Strawberries marinated in Grand Mariner dipped in dark chocolate with a glass of good champagne..simple but very flavorful
My favorite Valentine’s Day dessert is tiramisu for two.
For as long as I can remember, Valentine’s Day cookies have been my favorite. My mom use to make large heart cookies, frost them and then ice my classmates names on them. Of course, that was when it was ok to bring something homemade to school to share.
My favorite Valentine’s dessert is a rich, fudgy flourless chocolate cake. Thanks for the cookie recipe, Zoe.
Shortbread dipped in chocolate will do the job for Valentine’s day! Great recipe
I can’t imagine a better Valentine’s dessert than chocolate mousse. I love a mousse that’s bittersweet, moist, and airy. It can be in glasses, individual dishes or a large bowl.
Anything with dark chocolate in it is alright with me.
Valentine’s Day says love and that means dark chocolate with sea salt for me. Love lemon shortbread too.
Valentine Day calls for chocolate for me. Dark chocolate with a bit of sea salt. The cookies look great. I love lemon shortbread too.
Deborah Madison’s Lemon Pudding Cake from The Savory Way!
My favorite valentines treat is chocolate covered strawberries.
Love most deserts, but Valentine’s Day calls for chocolate! Molten chocolate cake!
Mmmm tiramisu. Chocolaty. Creamy. Yummmy! Seriously though, anything with chocolate is my instant fav!
creme brulee. definitely.
Ok. This might qualify as a dessert, at least at our house. It is called Sweetheart Jell-O Salad.
Make 2 (3 oz.) boxes of any red Jell-O, but only use half the water called for. Add a 16 oz. can of applesauce, and mix in a l6 oz. can of jellied cranberry sauce. Add thawed frozen strawberries (you can save some of the juice from the strawberries as they thaw and use it instead of some of the water in the Jell-O.) Chill until firm. It’s good!