Description
Buttery vanilla sugar cookies with a festive pink heart hidden inside each slice. The dough requires no rolling for the final shape.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon alcohol free vanilla bean paste
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pink gel food coloring
Instructions
- Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl on medium speed for 3 minutes until creamy and pale.
- Mix in the egg and alcohol free vanilla bean paste until fully combined.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate medium bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in three additions and mix on low speed just until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough and color one third of the batch with pink gel food coloring leaving the remaining two thirds plain.
- Pat the pink dough into a slab about 3/4 inch thick, wrap it in plastic, and freeze it for 20 minutes to firm up.
- Cut heart shapes out of the cold pink dough using a 1 inch cutter and stack them tightly face to back to create a long cylinder of hearts.
- Freeze the heart cylinder for 20 minutes until it is solid and resistant to bending.
- Crumble the plain dough and press it firmly around the frozen heart log to completely encase it in a smooth round cylinder.
- Wrap the finished log in plastic and refrigerate it for 1 hour to ensure the layers bond and chill thoroughly.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice the cold log into rounds 1/4 inch thick, place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are set.
- Wash hands after handling raw egg and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
Notes
- The chilling times are necessary for the dough to hold its shape during slicing and baking.
- Use a 1 inch cutter for the hearts to fit correctly inside the outer dough.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American