Valentine shortbread cookies

If you’re looking for a sweet little bake to celebrate Valentine’s, these heart‑shaped shortbread cookies are the answer. They’re buttery, melt‑in‑the‑mouth, and almost too cute to eat… almost. There’s something magical about a tray of warm, golden heart shortbread, just a handful of ingredients, a quick chill, and suddenly you’ve got the prettiest Valentine’s treat to gift, nibble, or wrap up with a ribbon.

These buttery, crumbly, heart‑shaped shortbread really is the sweetest way to say, ‘I made this for you.’

Valentine shortbread cookies

Valentine shortbread cookies

Cook Time 20 minutes
Chilling time 30 minutes
Servings 35 cookies

Ingredients
  

Heart cookies

  • 200 g unsalted butter soften (see top tip)
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 300 g plain flour plus extra for sprinkling on the surface

Decoration

  • 200 g icing sugar
  • 7 tbsp water
  • food colouring – add enough depending on the colour you need
  • sprinkles sugar hearts, glitter

Instructions
 

  • Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
  • Add the sugar and butter to a bowl and beat together until smooth. Top tip: it’s best to leave the butter out so that it softens, this will be a lot easier to beat together with the sugar.
  • Gradually add the flour and beat until a dough is formed.
  • Lightly flour your worktop and roll out your dough to approx 0.5cm thick
  • Cut out your baby feet with a cutter and place on the baking paper. Once you’ve used up all the dough, place in the fridge for 30mins.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 180°c.
  • Once chilled, remove the baby shortbread feet from the fridge and bake in the oven for 15-20mins or until golden.
  • Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely and place on a wire rack.

Decorating

  • In a large bowl, add the icing sugar and gradually at the water to a thick consistency (you don’t want it runny as it will fall off the biscuits). If using more than one colour divide into two or three bowls.
  • Gradually add the colouring to your icing to the colour you are wanting.
  • Add the icing into a piping bag, pipe a border around the biscuit and then gradually fill the biscuit, tilting so it fills evenly.
  • Then add your decorations. Repeat until all biscuits are iced.