One recipe, three cookie options-put your creative talents to work and whip up these easy cookies in time for Valentine’s Day. This all American cookie recipe for butter cookies has been optimized for Italian ingredients. The hardest part in using an American recipe is converting the cups/teaspoons to grams and milliliters. To make things easier for you we have done the conversions for you but IKEA has great measuring cups and spoons that make any recipe doable.
Make the dough:
2 1/2 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (160 grams) superfine sugar – IMPORTANT
1/4 tsp salt (a scant coffee spoon full)
225 grams butter – softened and cut into 16 pieces
2 teaspoons (10 mls) vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (10 grams) cream cheese at room temperature
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
Mix together the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Set the mixer on low and add the butter one piece at a time. Let 15 to 20 seconds pass between pieces of butter. This is the most important step. The butter needs to be uniformly mixed into the flour mixture. If butter clumps remain you will have air bubbles form in your cookies which will make them lumpy. Taste good but a little less cute.
Once the butter is completely incorporated, add the vanilla and cream cheese. Run the mixer on medium until large clumps form. Divide batter into three balls. Flatten into disks and cover with domopak. Place in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Mini Glitter hearts (photo above)
Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper until around 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Recool the dough in refrigerator for 5 minutes. Use a small heart cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Transfer to parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Dust with colored sugar. Cook for 10 minutes in preheated oven. Turn sheet halfway through cooking time. When golden, take the cookies out of oven and transfer to cooling rack. You can purchase colored sugar online or make it at home. Mix ONE drop of food coloring into granulated (not fine) sugar and mix well.
Raspberry Jam Hearts
Follow the indications given for Mini Glitter Hearts with the following modification. Use two sizes of heart cookie cutters. For each cookie: cut out one large base and one frame (which has had the smaller heart cut out). Dust the frame with white granulated sugar. Bake and cool. Boil raspberry jam until volume is reduced by 1/3. Assemble cookies by placing a generous spoonful of cooled jam on top of the base. Use spoon to spread the jam. Place the frame ontop.
Confetti Glazed Hearts
Cut out different sized hearts and bake. Mix together glaze: 1 tablespoon (5 grams) room temperature cream cheese, 3 tablespoons (45 mls) whole milk and 1 1/2 cups (170 grams) powdered sugar. Stir until smooth. Cover cookies with a generous layer of glaze and sprinkle with colored sugar. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
SHARE WITH YOUR LOVED ONES AND HAVE A GREAT VALENTINE’S DAY!
These cookies were inspired by two main sources: Cook’s Illustrated and Martha Stewart.
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