These Heart-Shaped Shortbread Cookies have a rich buttery flavor, a lightly crisp texture, and a white chocolate glaze that adds the perfect touch of sweetness and flavor. We love these for Valentine’s Day, but they also make great gifts and treats throughout the year.
What we love about these Shortbread Heart Cookies
I love shortbread cookies. I love the buttery crumb. They are a little crisp, slightly tender, not overly sweet, buttery, simple, rich, and delicious. I especially love them dipped in white chocolate. These heart-shaped shortbread cookies, dipped in white chocolate with sprinkles, are some of my favorite cookies. They make the perfect Valentine’s treats, but they are also a special treat and gift throughout the year.
I include cornstarch in this recipe because it helps to make the dough easier to work with and because it adds a little tenderness to the finished cookie. Shortbread dough can sometimes be challenging to roll out, but the cornstarch helps the dough stay together a little better, making it less crumbly and softer. I love the texture the cookies have from the cornstarch in the dough. They are more tender, with a slight crispness, which I really enjoy. The sweetness of the granulated sugar in the cookie and sprinkled on top is the perfect combination, and the white chocolate glaze just takes them over the top.
Looking for other Valentine’s treats? Try our White Chocolate Valentine’s Popcorn, our Cream Cheese and Strawberry Pie, or our Cherry and Cream Cheese Pie
What you need to make these Shortbread Valentine Cookies
You will need the following ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla
- White vanilla flavored melting wafers (I use Ghirardelli brand)
- Pink gel food coloring (I used Wilton’s magenta gel food color)
- Valentine’s pink sprinkle mix (I used Ten Acre Gifts Sprinkles Mix found at Home Goods)
Heart Shortbread Cookies Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- You can substitute additional flour for the cornstarch. The dough will be a little harder to roll out, and it will be a touch more crisp.
- You can use powdered sugar in place of granulated sugar, but you will need more powdered sugar, between 1/2-3/4 cup more, and the cookie will be softer.
- You can use regular butter instead of salted, but I would cut back on the salt called for in the recipe.
- You don’t have to add vanilla, but I like the flavor it adds.
- There is so much flexibility for how you decorate the cookies. You can use food dye or gel food color, or different colors to achieve the color of your choice. 1 drop of the magenta food coloring gave me the color you see in the cookies. You don’t even have to add food coloring, and just dip in white chocolate, or try white and dark or milk chocolate.
- You can use any Valentine’s sprinkle mix of your choice.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Using an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, at medium speed, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides with a spatula if needed. Add the vanilla and beat until thoroughly mixed.
Step 2. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix at low speed just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides of the mixture to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
Step 3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, pat it down, and shape it into a disk. Cover completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 4. Roll the dough with a lightly floured rolling pin 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, adding additional flour as needed. Cut the dough with a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, and place the cut cookies 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with additional granulated sugar. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the cut cookies in the refrigerator to chill while the oven preheats.
Step 5. Bake for 14-16 minutes until the edges are a very light gold color. Once the cookies are cooled to room temperature, divide the melting wafers into two microwaveable bowls if you want two colors. Follow the instructions for melting the wafers on the back of the package. Dip each cookie halfway into the white chocolate and let the chocolate drip off one edge of the cookie to remove any excess white chocolate. See the recipe below for tinting the white chocolate in the other bowl.
Step 6. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets to set. Sprinkle each cookie with Valentine’s sprinkles right after placing it on the baking sheet. Allow the chocolate to set for about 30 minutes before serving or storing.
Tips
- I recommend keeping parchment paper on hand; it is especially helpful when baking cookies. Lining your pan with parchment paper helps prevent cookies from spreading when baking, which in turn helps prevent your cookies from becoming too thin and crispy. The cookies won’t stick to your pan, and pans are much easier to clean up. Also, the parchment paper creates a thin layer between the cookies and the pan, which helps promote even browning and prevents hot spots on your pan that may cause cookies to burn.
- There is so much flexibility in how you decorate the cookies. You can use food dye or gel food color, and different colors to achieve the color of your choice. 1 drop of the magenta food coloring gave me the color you see in the cookies. You don’t even have to add food coloring, and just dip in white chocolate, or try white and dark or milk chocolate.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Can the cookies be made in advance? |
| a. The USDA says that cookie dough is safe in the fridge for 2-4 days. You can make this dough the day before, store it covered in the fridge, and roll and bake the cookies the next day. Before rolling and baking, keep the dough out at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or the dough will be hard to scoop. I personally prefer to bake these right after their short refrigeration time and make the cookies in advance, not the cookie dough, just because I find it easier to roll out the cookies after the shorter refrigeration time. b. Shortbread cookies last 1-2 weeks, covered at room temperature. These are fantastic make-ahead cookies. I find their texture stays the same after several days at room temperature, and after being thawed from frozen. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. The white chocolate and sprinkles on the cookies freeze very well, or you can freeze the shortbread cookies and dip them in white chocolate the day you serve them. |
| How do I store shortbread cookies? |
| a. Shortbread cookies last 1-2 weeks, covered at room temperature. I use a Tupperware container and use parchment paper to separate the layers when stacking, so the cookies don’t stick together. I wouldn’t refrigerate them for longer storage in case that affects the texture of the cookies, instead I would freeze them and thaw at room temperature before eating. |
Heart Shaped Shortbread Cookies
These Heart-Shaped Shortbread Cookies have a rich buttery flavor, a lightly crisp texture, and a white chocolate glaze that adds the perfect touch of sweetness and flavor. We love these for Valentine’s Day, but they also make great gifts and treats throughout the year.
45
minutes45
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minutes20-22
cookiesIngredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, using the spoon and level method for measuring
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature (3 sticks)
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
10 -ounce package white vanilla flavored melting wafers (I use Ghirardelli brand)
1 drop Wilton magenta gel food coloring (or other food dye or gel food coloring for the desired color)
Valentine’s sprinkles mix (I used Ten Acre Gifts Sprinkles Mix from Home Goods)
Directions
- Line two to three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- Using an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, at medium speed, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides with a spatula if needed. Add the vanilla and beat until thoroughly mixed.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix at low speed just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides of the mixture to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, pat it down, and shape it into a disk. Cover completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough with a lightly floured rolling pin 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, adding additional flour as needed. Cut the dough with a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, and place the cut cookies 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with additional granulated sugar.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the cut cookies in the refrigerator to chill while the oven preheats. Repeat the process, gathering the scraps and rolling out the dough until all the dough is used, refrigerating the next batch while the one before it bakes in the oven.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes until the edges are a very light gold color. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Replace the old parchment paper with new parchment paper on two baking sheets.
- Once the cookies are cooled to room temperature, divide the melting wafers into two microwaveable bowls if you want two colors. I like to use smaller, deeper bowls to help with dipping the cookies in the chocolate. Follow the instructions for melting the wafers on the back of the package for one of the bowls. Set the other bowl aside. Stir the chocolate well in between each 15-second interval in the microwave. Add 1 drop of the magenta food color into the melted white chocolate and stir well to completely incorporate.
- Dip each cookie halfway into the tinted chocolate and let the chocolate drip off one edge of the cookie to remove any excess chocolate. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets to set. Sprinkle each cookie with Valentine’s sprinkles right after placing it on the baking sheet. Repeat with half of the cookies, saving the other half for the non-tinted chocolate.
- Repeat the process with the second bowl of wafers and the rest of the cookies without tinting the white chocolate in the second bowl. Allow the chocolate to set for about 30 minutes before serving or storing.
Notes
- To measure your flour, spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level off the top using a knife or straight-edged utensil for best results.
- If the white chocolate starts to thicken while you are dipping the cookies, you can easily reheat it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to melt it again. Stir again before using.
- There is so much flexibility in how you decorate the cookies. You can use food dye or gel food color, and different colors to achieve the color of your choice. 1 drop of the magenta food coloring gave me the color you see in the cookies. You don’t even have to add food coloring, and just dip in white chocolate, or try white and dark or milk chocolate.
- How thick you roll the dough each time and the size of your cookie cutter will affect your serving size for your cookies. This recipe makes 22 cookies for me, but it could be slightly different for you.
- These are also pretty with the whole cookie glazed in white chocolate. I included a few in the images. Doing that uses up more white chocolate, and you may need two bags of the wafers to have enough chocolate.
These are so cute, and the texture of the cookie looks perfect.
Thank you so much! I appreciate your feedback! I love shortbread cookies, and it really is fun and delicious to add the white chocolate and sprinkles.
You nailed this recipe on the head for all of the preppy, pink, loving teens! I made them this weekend with my daughter and her friends, and they thought they were just the cutest things ever.
That makes me so happy to hear! It really is a pretty, and delicious cookie. I love hearing that the girls enjoyed them. How fun that they made cookies together, such a cute idea. Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback!
Love this cute heart shaped shortbread cookies!
Thank you! They really are a fun Valentine’s treat with the heart shapes and white chocolate. So glad you like them!
These buttery cookies with white chocolate glaze sound like the perfect sweet treat for Valentine’s Day or anytime
Thank you so much! We do love these year round, but these heart shapes are so fun for Valentine’s Day! Thanks for the great feedback!
These cookies had the loveliest buttery flavor! Looking forward to playing around with the deocrations on the next batch for Valentine’s Day 🙂
I am so glad you enjoyed them! I love that you are decorating them how you like. They are such a fun Valentine’s treat! Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback!
I love the beautiful pastel pink! I am going to make these for my kids and surprise them in their lunch on Valentines.
Thank you so much! I hope they enjoy them as much as we do! Thanks for the great feedback!