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Mini Heart Cookies Recipe: Easy, Buttery & Perfect for Gifting!

Learn how to make the most adorable mini heart cookies from scratch! This foolproof recipe features soft, buttery sugar cookies and a simple royal icing that sets perfectly. These charming little bites are ideal for Valentine’s Day, wedding favors, baby showers, or just because. Get step-by-step instructions, chef tips for perfect icing consistency, creative flavor variations, and cute packaging ideas. A must-try baking project that’s as fun to make as it is to eat! #HeartCookies #SugarCookieRecipe #RoyalIcing #ValentinesDayTreats #BakingFromScratch

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Your New Favorite Little Treat: Mini Heart Cookies

Hey friends, Beau here from Feastical! Can we talk about the pure, unadulterated joy of a mini cookie? There’s something about that perfect, bite-sized morsel that just hits different. It’s a little burst of happiness, a tiny celebration you can hold in your hand. And when you shape that joy into a heart? Well, you’re not just baking cookies anymore—you’re crafting little edible hugs.

Today, I’m sharing my go-to recipe for these incredibly charming Mini Heart Cookies. We’re talking a soft, buttery sugar cookie that holds its shape beautifully, topped with a smooth, crisp royal icing that you can color any shade of sweet your heart desires. They’re the kind of cookie that makes people’s eyes light up. Whether you’re prepping for Valentine’s Day, creating adorable party favors, or just want to say “I’m thinking of you” in the most delicious way possible, this recipe is your new best friend.

Now, I know the thought of royal icing can feel a little intimidating, but I promise we’re going to keep it simple, soulful, and totally approachable. I’ve packed this guide with all my favorite kitchen hacks and tips learned from years of (happy) kitchen mishaps. So, tie on your apron, find that favorite spatula of yours, and let’s bake up a storm of love and sweetness. Trust me, your kitchen is about to become the happiest place on earth.

A Batch of Memories: Why These Cookies Matter

This recipe takes me right back to my Grandma Lou’s kitchen, a place that always smelled like melted butter and unconditional love. Every February, she’d pull out her weathered recipe box and a collection of cookie cutters that had seen more decades than I had. My job, as her official “tiny chef” assistant, was to sprinkle the flour on the counter and, most importantly, be the first taste-tester of the dough. (A sacred duty I took very seriously.)

She didn’t make fancy, intricate designs. Her hearts were simple, her icing a straightforward pink or white. But she’d let me carefully place the sprinkles, creating what she called our “masterpieces.” We’d pack them into little tins and deliver them to neighbors, turning a simple baking session into a neighborhood joy parade. That’s the magic I want to capture here. It’s not about perfection; it’s about the connection, the laughter, and the love you knead into every step. Baking these cookies is my way of keeping that beautiful, flour-dusted tradition alive, and I’m so thrilled to share it with you.

Gathering Your Cookie Crew: The Ingredients

Great cookies start with great ingredients! Here’s the simple lineup for our buttery base and that dazzling royal icing. Don’t worry, I’ve included some chef-y insights and easy swaps to make this recipe work for you.

For the Sugar Cookie Base:

• 2¾ cups (340g) All-Purpose Flour: The trusty backbone of our cookie. Spoon and level it into your measuring cup to avoid a dense, dry dough. For a slightly more tender cookie, you can swap in ¼ cup of cornstarch for an equal amount of flour.
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder: Our little leavening agent that gives the cookies a gentle lift and a soft, cake-like texture, preventing them from being too hard.
• ½ teaspoon Salt: Don’t you dare skip this! Salt is the flavor superhero that balances the sweetness and makes the buttery vanilla notes truly sing.
• 1 cup (225g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature: The star of the show! Using unsalted butter lets you control the salt level. “Room temperature” is key here—it should be cool to the touch but leave a slight indent when you press it. This creates the perfect airy, creamy base when mixed with the sugar.
• ¾ cup (150g) Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the deal and, when creamed with the butter, creates tiny air pockets for a lovely texture.
• 1 large Egg: The binder that brings our dough together and adds richness. Make sure it’s at room temperature to emulsify properly with the butter and sugar.
• 1½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla is always my go-to for that warm, classic flavor. This is your cookie’s soul.
• ½ teaspoon Almond Extract (optional): My secret weapon! It adds a subtle, bakery-style depth that makes people say, “Wow, what is that amazing flavor?” If you’re not a fan, just use an extra ½ tsp of vanilla.

For the Royal Icing:

• 4 cups (480g) Powdered Sugar: The foundation of our icing, providing sweetness and that smooth, hard-drying finish. Sift it if it’s lumpy for the silkiest results.
• 3 tablespoons Meringue Powder: This is our game-changer! It’s a shelf-stable egg white substitute that creates a stable, safe-to-eat icing that dries hard. No raw egg whites needed! You can find it in the baking aisle.
• 6 tablespoons Water (plus more to thin): We’ll start here and add more by the teaspoon to get our icing to the perfect “flooding” consistency.
• Food Coloring (gel preferred): Gel colors are the way to go! They provide vibrant shades without thinning out your icing like liquid food coloring can. I love classic red, soft pink, and leaving some pure white.

Let’s Get Baking: The Step-by-Step Fun

Alright, team, this is where the magic happens. Follow these steps, and you’ll be a cookie-decorating pro in no time. I’ve sprinkled in my best tips to ensure your success!

Step 1: Make the Dough

In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. This isn’t just busy work—whisking ensures our leavening is evenly distributed so every cookie bakes up uniformly. In a separate, larger bowl, use an electric mixer (or some serious elbow grease with a wooden spoon) to cream the room-temperature butter and granulated sugar together. We’re looking for light, pale, and fluffy, which should take about 2-3 minutes. This step incorporates air, which is key for texture! Beat in the egg, vanilla, and that optional almond extract until just combined. Now, gradually add your dry ingredients to the wet, mixing on low speed until the dough just comes together. Chef Hack: Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see dry flour. Overmixing is the enemy of a tender cookie!

Step 2: Chill Out

Divide your dough into two equal discs—this makes it easier to roll out later. Wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap. Now, the hardest part: patience! You must chill the dough for at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days. This step firms up the butter, preventing the cookies from spreading into blob-hearts in the oven. It also allows the flour to fully hydrate, giving you a much cleaner cut-out shape.

Step 3: Roll & Cut

Preheat your oven to a steady 350°F (175°C) and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Take one disc of dough out of the fridge and roll it to a consistent ¼-inch thickness. Pro Tip: If the dough is too hard, let it sit for 5-10 minutes. If it gets sticky, sprinkle a little more flour. Now for the fun part—press your mini heart cutter straight down and lift straight up. Don’t wiggle it! To get the most cookies, start from the outside and work your way in. Use a small offset spatula or a butter knife to gently transfer the hearts to your prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch between them.

Step 4: Bake to Perfection

Slide those trays of love into your preheated oven. Because they’re mini, they bake fast—only 7 to 9 minutes. You’re looking for the edges to be just barely starting to turn a light golden brown. The centers should still look soft and puffy. They will firm up as they cool. Big Tip: Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for even cooking. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. I mean it—completely cool before you even think about icing!

Step 5: Whip Up the Royal Icing

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder. With the mixer on low, gradually add the 6 tablespoons of water. Once incorporated, crank the speed up to medium-high and beat for 1-2 minutes until you have stiff, glossy peaks. To test, lift the beater—the peak of icing should stand straight up. This is your “outline consistency.” Now, separate the icing into smaller bowls for coloring. For each color, add a tiny bit of water at a time (like ½ a teaspoon) and stir until it reaches “flood consistency.” To test, lift your spatula and let the icing drip back into the bowl. It should smooth out within 10-15 seconds.

Step 6: Decorate Your Hearts

Spoon your icing into piping bags fitted with small round tips (like #2 or #3), or you can use disposable bags with a tiny corner snipped off. For each cookie, first pipe a outline around the edge with your thicker icing. Then, immediately “flood” the inside with the thinner icing, using a toothpick or a scribe tool to gently guide it into the corners and pop any air bubbles. Let your creativity run wild! Allow the cookies to set, uncovered, for at least 4-6 hours, or ideally overnight, for the icing to harden completely.

Sharing the Love: How to Serve & Gift

Okay, you’ve created these gorgeous, edible works of art. Now what? The presentation is half the fun! For serving, pile them high on a beautiful cake stand or a simple wooden board for a rustic, inviting look. They’re the perfect sweet ending to a cozy dinner party.

But where these cookies truly shine is in the gifting. They are the ultimate handmade present. Stack a few in a clear cellophane bag and tie it with a cute ribbon or a bit of baker’s twine. Tuck them into a small gift box lined with colorful tissue paper. Or, find some adorable mini gift boxes and place a single, beautifully iced cookie inside for a “just because” surprise on a coworker’s desk. However you choose to share them, you’re not just giving a cookie—you’re giving a moment of joy, a little piece of your heart (pun totally intended).

Mix It Up! Fun Recipe Variations

Once you’ve mastered the classic, feel free to get creative! Here are a few of my favorite twists on this versatile recipe.

• Lemon Zest Zing: Add the zest of one lemon to the dough for a bright, sunny flavor. Pair it with a simple lemon juice glaze instead of royal icing for a tangy twist.
• Chocolate-Dipped Dreams: Skip the royal icing altogether! Once the cookies are baked and cooled, simply dip half of each heart into melted dark, milk, or white chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt or crushed nuts before it sets.
• Funfetti Fun: For a birthday celebration, fold 2-3 tablespoons of rainbow sprinkles (jimmies, not nonpareils) into the dough at the end. Decorate with colorful icing for a full-on party vibe.
• Vegan-Friendly Version: Use plant-based butter and a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water, set for 5 mins). For the icing, look for a vegan meringue powder or use aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) as a substitute.
• “Galentine’s” Champagne Icing: For the adults, make a simple glaze with powdered sugar and a splash of champagne or prosecco instead of water for the royal icing. So chic!

Beau’s Kitchen Corner: A Few Parting Thoughts

This recipe has been a living, evolving thing in my kitchen. I remember one Valentine’s Day, I was in such a rush that I skipped the chill time. Let’s just say I ended up with a baking sheet of one giant, abstract “heart blob.” It was a delicious, buttery failure that taught me a valuable lesson: good things come to those who wait (and chill their dough)! Over time, I’ve learned that a tiny pinch of cinnamon in the dough adds a mysterious warmth, and that using a pizza cutter to trim excess dough around the cut-outs makes rerolling a breeze. Don’t be afraid to make this recipe your own. The best part of cooking is putting your own stamp on it and creating new stories in the process.

Your Questions, Answered!

I’ve been there, and I know questions pop up. Here are answers to the most common ones.

Q: My icing is too runny/thick! How do I fix it?
A: No panic! This is the most common hurdle. If it’s too runny, add a bit more sifted powdered sugar. If it’s too thick and isn’t smoothing out, add water literally a few drops at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition, until it reaches that perfect “10-second flood” consistency.

Q: Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?
A: Absolutely! This dough is a dream for make-ahead bakers. You can wrap the discs tightly and refrigerate them for up to 2 days, or even freeze them for up to 3 months. Just thaw in the fridge before rolling.

Q: Why did my cookies spread and lose their shape?
A: This almost always boils down to two things: 1) The dough wasn’t chilled long enough, or 2) The butter was too warm. Make sure your butter is cool room temp, not melty, and don’t skip that crucial fridge time!

Q: How long do these decorated cookies stay fresh?
A: Once the royal icing has fully set, these cookies keep beautifully! Store them in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay perfectly soft and delicious for up to a week.

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Final Thoughts: A Little Love Goes a Long Way

And there you have it, friends—your complete guide to creating these tiny, joyful tokens of affection. From that first creamy mix of butter and sugar to the final flourish of colorful icing, every step of this recipe is an act of love.

Remember, the true magic of these mini heart cookies isn’t in achieving flawless, bakery-perfect lines (though you totally might!). It’s in the flour-dusted fun of the process itself. It’s in the smile you’ll get when you gift a box to a friend who needs a lift. It’s in the memory of your kitchen filled with the warm, buttery scent of baking and the quiet satisfaction of creating something beautiful with your own hands.

So don’t stress over a wobbly outline or a cookie that’s a little more “rustic” than planned. Those are the signs of a homemade treat made with heart, and I promise you, that’s exactly what makes them so special. This recipe is a canvas for your creativity and a vehicle for connection.

Now, you’re armed with everything you need. Go forth, bake up a storm of little edible hugs, and share the sweetness. I can’t wait to see your beautiful creations! Tag me on social media with #FeasticalBakes so I can share in your cookie joy.