Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies Recipe tastes buttery, tender, and just a little bit crisp around the edges with a soft, melt-in-your-mouth center. It works perfectly for anyone who wants a cute, homemade Valentine treat in about 1 hour, start to finish. I bake these every February for my kids and neighbors, and I still catch myself “taste testing” way more than I admit.

Why You Should Try This Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies

This Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies Recipe gives you bakery-style sugar cookies with simple ingredients and zero drama. The dough rolls easily, holds its shape, and bakes into clean, sharp hearts that look like you bought them in a fancy shop.

You can customize the icing colors, sprinkles, and flavors, so the same base recipe works for classroom parties, date nights, or Galentine cookie boxes. The cookies stay soft for days, so you can bake ahead and decorate when you have time.

“I used this Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies Recipe for my kid’s school party, and every parent asked where I bought them. The cookies tasted buttery and soft, the hearts kept their shape, and the icing set perfectly for packing. This recipe now lives on my fridge with a big heart around it.”

Ingredients You’ll Need

Dry ingredients

2 ¾ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour
- Use a standard unbleached all-purpose like King Arthur or Gold Medal.
- Avoid cake flour, which makes the dough too delicate for cut-outs.
½ teaspoon baking powder
- This keeps the cookies from puffing too much and losing their heart shape.
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- If you use salted butter, reduce this to a tiny pinch.

Wet ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature
- Butter should feel slightly cool but yield when you press it.
- If you only have salted butter, use it and skip the added salt.
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Regular white sugar works best for a classic sugar cookie texture.
1 large egg, room temperature
- Room temperature eggs blend more easily and keep the dough smooth.
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Use real vanilla, not imitation, for the best flavor.
- You can swap ½ teaspoon with almond extract for that classic bakery cookie vibe.
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional but highly recommended)
- Almond extract gives that nostalgic bakery sugar cookie flavor.

Simple icing ingredients

You can choose between a soft vanilla icing or a firmer royal-style icing that sets harder.

Option 1: Soft vanilla icing (great for easy decorating)

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2–3 tablespoons milk (dairy or unsweetened almond milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Gel food coloring in pinks, reds, and white

Option 2: Quick royal-style icing (firmer, better for detailed designs)

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons meringue powder
3–4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
Gel food coloring

Decorations

Valentine sprinkles, nonpareils, or sanding sugar
Mini chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate
Crushed freeze-dried strawberries for a pretty, natural pink topping

Pantry shortcuts and substitutions

Use store-bought frosting if you feel short on time; thin it with a teaspoon of milk for easier piping.
Swap ¼ cup of the flour with cocoa powder for chocolate heart cookies.
Add citrus zest (lemon or orange) to the dough for a brighter flavor.

Equipment list

Heart-shaped cookie cutters in a few sizes
Large mixing bowls
Hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
Rubber spatula
Measuring cups and spoons or a kitchen scale
Rolling pin
Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
Baking sheets
Wire cooling racks
Piping bags or zip-top bags with the corner snipped
Small bowls and spoons for icing and colors

Tips & Tricks

Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes so the hearts keep their shape.
Use cool, not warm, baking sheets so the cookies bake evenly.
Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to prevent sticking and extra flour.
Keep dough thickness around ¼ inch for soft centers and clean edges.
Dip cookie cutters in flour if they start to stick.
Bake one test cookie to check timing in your oven before baking full trays.
Pull cookies when the edges look set and just barely golden; they finish on the hot sheet.
Let cookies cool completely before icing so the frosting sets instead of sliding off.
Use gel food coloring instead of liquid so the icing stays thick and bright.
Store decorated cookies in single layers or with parchment between layers to protect the designs.

How to Make Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until everything looks evenly combined. Break up any flour clumps with the whisk. Set the bowl aside while you work on the butter and sugar.

Step 2: Cream butter and sugar

In a large bowl, add the softened butter and granulated sugar. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture looks light, fluffy, and slightly lighter in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice so no butter hides at the bottom.

Step 3: Add egg and flavorings

Crack the egg into the butter mixture and add the vanilla extract and almond extract. Beat on medium speed until the mixture looks smooth and creamy, about 30 to 45 seconds. Scrape the bowl again so everything mixes evenly.

Step 4: Combine wet and dry ingredients

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the dry ingredients in two additions. Mix just until the flour disappears and the dough clumps together into a soft ball. If the dough feels sticky, sprinkle in 1 to 2 extra tablespoons of flour and mix briefly.

Step 5: Chill the dough

Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape each into a flat disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap or place it in a reusable bag. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.

Step 6: Roll and cut heart shapes

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap one disc of dough and place it between two sheets of parchment. Roll the dough to about ¼ inch thickness, then peel off the top parchment and cut out hearts with your cookie cutters.

Gather the scraps, press them together, and roll again. Place the cut hearts on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between each cookie. Keep the sheets in the fridge while you roll the second disc so the shapes stay firm.

Step 7: Bake the cookies

Place one baking sheet in the center of the oven. Bake the cookies for 8 to 11 minutes, depending on size, until the edges look set and the bottoms show a light golden color. Small hearts bake faster, so check them early.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies sit on the sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining trays.

Step 8: Mix the icing

While the cookies cool, prepare your icing.

Soft vanilla icing:
Add powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Whisk until smooth, then add more milk a teaspoon at a time until you get a thick but pourable consistency.

Royal-style icing:
Add powdered sugar and meringue powder to a bowl. Mix in 3 tablespoons of water and vanilla, then beat with a mixer for 3 to 4 minutes until the icing looks glossy and forms soft peaks. Add more water a teaspoon at a time until it flows slowly off a spoon.

Divide the icing into small bowls and tint each with gel food coloring. Stir until the color looks even and vibrant.

Step 9: Decorate the heart cookies

Place cooled cookies on a sheet of parchment for easy cleanup. Spoon icing into piping bags or zip-top bags and snip a tiny corner. Outline each heart, then fill the center with more icing and use a toothpick to nudge it into the corners.

Add sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or crushed freeze-dried strawberries while the icing still feels wet. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the icing sets, about 1 to 2 hours for soft icing and longer for royal-style icing. Once the icing feels dry to the touch, you can stack or pack the cookies.

What to Serve with Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies

Serve these Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies with cold milk, hot cocoa, or a cozy mug of tea. I like to set out a cookie platter with a mix of sizes and colors so everyone can choose their own “love level.” Add fresh berries, sliced strawberries, or a simple fruit salad to balance the sweetness. You can also pack a few cookies in cute bags with ribbons for easy Valentine gifts.

Storage Options

Store undecorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Keep decorated cookies in a single layer or with parchment between layers at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
Refrigerate the dough, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 days before baking.
Freeze unbaked cookie dough discs for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling.
Freeze baked, undecorated cookies for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container.
Freeze decorated cookies in a single layer until solid, then stack with parchment between layers for up to 1 month.
Thaw frozen cookies at room temperature in the closed container so condensation stays on the container, not on the icing.