I don’t generally give Valentine’s Day too much thought. It’s a good day, especially if you’re in a relationship with a special someone. But I guess my philosophy has always been that we should show our loved ones that they’re loved every day. I don’t need a dang holiday for that!

Still, I’m not gonna lie: it’s fun to indulge in cute heart-shaped projects [HEART SHAPED ALL THE THINGS!]. I do love hearts, after all. So I made these chocolate sugar cookies, and cut them into heart shapes. Then I topped them with royal icing. The result is a soft chocolate cookie with vanilla-y royal icing. It’s kind of like a fancy Oreo!

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Chocolate Sugar Cookies.

Yield: This is a pretty small batch of cookie dough, but it’s hard to say how many it will yield. It all depends on the shapes and size of your cookie cutters.

Ingredients:
– 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
– 1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder [Note: You can use regular cocoa powder, but the Dutch process really makes these cookies dark and rich!]
– Pinch of salt
– 6 TBS. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 3/4 cup powdered sugar
– 1 large egg
– 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Whisk together the dry ingredients [flour, cocoa powder, and salt] in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until they’re light and fluffy; about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add in the egg and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, and mix {on low speed} until the batter is incorporated, and no flour or butter streaks remain.
5. Roll the dough into a disc shape, and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough until it’s firm – about 1-2 hours.
6. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.
7. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using cookie cutters, cut out your desired shapes. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or just until they’re set.
8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate them as desired with royal icing, or with a vanilla buttercream/chocolate buttercream frosting! Enjoy.

– Chocolate sugar cookie recipe from Annie’s Eats.
– Royal icing recipe from Bake at 350.

These mini hearts are my favorite!