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Red Velvet heart-shaped cookies for Valentine's Day. Stacks of cookies with pink, yellow or green frosting are arranged, and the pink cookie on top of the front stack has a bite taken out of it. Photo credit to the Baking a Moment blog

Red Velvet Cookie Recipe for Valentine's Day

Believe it or not, measuring cups aren’t always a very accurate way of determining the correct amount of each ingredient for a recipe. By actually weighing your ingredients rather than measuring them by volume, you get much more of an accurate measurement. Luckily, weighing ingredients isn’t as difficult as you might think. Kitchen scales, especially ones with collapsible bowls, are easy to use, and more importantly, your recipes will be on point. A fun way to break in your scale is to try a new recipe, and what better occasion to bake up some treats than Valentine’s Day?

 Red Velvet Valentine's Day heart-shaped cookies are arranged in a single layer on a tray. The cookies have pink, yellow, or green frosting. Photo credit to Baking a Moment blog.

I had to highlight this Valentine’s treat because it combines two of the best things ever: cake and cookies. These red velvet sugar cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day because they’re rich and sultry with their deep red hue. Plus, the unique heart shape compensates for any lack of decoration frosting-wise, so they can be really quick and simple to make. Just spread a layer of colored frosting on each one and you have decadent cookies nostalgic of those cute sweetheart candies that sadly never tasted good.

 

This recipe is also perfect for couples and singles alike. If you’re getting together with your other single friends for the holiday, you can decorate these hearts a bit more realistically! Whip up some black and red frosting and enjoy your bleeding hearts and calories well spent.

 

To ensure the highest quality of these deliciously dank red velvet cookies, weigh out each of the ingredients below on your kitchen scale.

 A few stacks of the red velvet heart-shaped Valentine's Day cookies are shown. The front stack has a cookie with pink frosting on top with a bite taken out of it. Photo credit to the Baking a Moment blog.

RED VELVET SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE 

Ingredients

 

1 cup unsalted butter (227 grams)

4 ounces cream cheese (113.4 grams)

1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)

1 egg yolk, large

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring

3 cups all-purpose flour (375 grams)

1/4 cup cornstarch (32 grams)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (21.5 grams)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

 

Instructions

 

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Place the butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-low speed until smooth (about 1 minute).
  3. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and food coloring and mix on medium speed until combined.
  4. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add the flour, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt.
  5. Mix on medium-low speed until a stiff dough forms (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
  6. Roll the dough to 3/16-inch thick (rolling pin rings ensure an even and exact thickness) between 2 sheets of parchment paper.
  7. Remove the top sheet of parchment, and cut shapes with a 3-inch heart cookie cutter.
  8. Peel the shapes from the bottom layer of parchment, and transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
  9. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, or until set around the edges but still a little soft towards the center.
  10. Cool completely, then frost with royal icing.

 

Check out the full recipe on Baking a Moment, who is also credited for all photos.

 

Haven’t broken into your new kitchen scale yet? Check out our tips for accurate weight measurement to ensure a recipe for success.