These heart shaped frosted sugar cookies are decorated with pink buttercream frosting and heart themed sprinkles for an easy Valentine's day dessert! These cookies are similar to the iconic Lofthouse style cookies with a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture and sweet vanilla frosting!
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar until fully combined.
Then add in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and mix until fully combined and fluffy.
Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt until the dough comes together into a ball. It should be very soft, but not sticky.
Divide in half and press the dough into discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or a minimum of at least 2 hours).
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to your desired thickness (I like between ¼ and ½ inch thick). Then cut out the cookies into your desired shapes.
For these heart shaped sugar cookies, I used these heart cookie cutters. But you can use whatever cookie cutters you want! This recipe makes about 40 heart cookies in various sizes, but will make more or less depending on the cookie cutters you use.
Place the heart cookies 1-2 inches apart on your lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer for a minimum of 20 minutes before baking. This ensures the cookies keep their shape.
While the cookies are chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the edges are set. Bake on the middle rack of the oven and rotate the pan halfway through baking for the best results.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove and let them finish cooling on a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add in the vanilla extract, pink food coloring, and heavy cream. Beat the buttercream for 3-4 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy.
Dollop about 1 tablespoon of buttercream frosting on top of the cookies and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Then garnish with Valentine's sprinkles if desired!
Notes
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.