Just like romantic date nights and red roses, Valentine’s Day is synonymous with cookies. You can’t go wrong with delicious cookies around February 14th, which is why we love this recipe for Heart-Shaped Thumbprint Cookies from PureWow. Yielding 24 perfect and delicious cookies, this recipe adds delicious jelly, jam, or preserves to a classic thumbprint cookie for a sweet treat you’ll want to make all year long.
Ingredients:
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream, plus more as needed
• 1 cup jelly, jam or fruit preserves
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and mix to combine. Scrape the side and bottom of the bowl, then add the egg yolk and vanilla, and mix to combine.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of the mixer and mix until the dough just starts to come together for about 2 minutes. It should appear bit dry and crumbly. Add the cream and mix to combine. If the dough still seems too dry or crumbly, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until it comes together.
4. Divide the dough into 24 even pieces, then roll each into a ball. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets, staggering the rows of cookies and leaving about 1½ inches between each one. Use your thumb or a finger to gently press into the dough diagonally toward the left side, then rotate your finger to press again on toward the right side, making a heart shape.
5. Transfer the trays to the oven and bake until lightly golden at the edges, 9 to 12 minutes, rotating the trays between oven racks halfway through baking. While the cookies bake, ready the jam and a small spoon (or put the jam in a piping bag and cut a small opening from the tip).
6. When the cookies come out of the oven, carefully fill the cavities with jam while they are still warm. Serve immediately, or store in airtight containers for up to a week.
On the hunt for a new favorite recipe to add to your list of staples? The team at Oxford at Iron Horse Apartments in North Richland Hills, Texas encourages you to try your hand at this delicious option.