Description
These Heart-Shaped Strawberry Shortbread Cookies combine buttery, tender shortbread with a sweet strawberry filling and a glossy strawberry glaze. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion, the cookies are cut into charming heart shapes and sandwiched with luscious strawberry jam and a fresh strawberry glaze, creating a delightful treat that’s both beautiful and delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Basic Shortbread:
- 125 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 60 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 180 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Strawberry Filling and Glaze:
- 110 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 2 tablespoon strawberry puree (2 large strawberries hulled and mashed with a fork)
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
- 30 ml milk
- 170 g strawberry jam
Instructions
- Make the shortbread dough: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the unsalted butter, caster sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until pale and light. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through to ensure even mixing.
- Add flour and salt: Sift the plain flour and fine salt together and add to the creamed butter mixture. Mix on low speed until combined and the dough starts to come together, clumping in the middle and cleaning the sides of the bowl. The dough may look ragged but should hold together when squeezed.
- Shape and roll out dough: Using your hands, squeeze the dough into a rough disc. On a lightly floured surface, roll it out to approximately ½ cm (¼ inch) thickness. If the dough feels too soft, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes until firm but pliable to avoid cracking.
- Cut out cookies and chill: Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to stamp out cookies from the rolled dough, placing them onto parchment-lined baking trays. Gather scraps gently, re-roll, and cut out more cookies as needed, avoiding overworking the dough. Refrigerate the cutouts for at least 30 minutes to firm up the butter and help the cookies hold their shape while baking.
- Bake the cookies: Preheat the oven to 170°C (335°F). Bake the chilled cookies for 10-12 minutes or until just golden around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the strawberry glaze: In a bowl, whisk together powdered icing sugar, strawberry puree, and melted butter until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, gently warm it in the microwave for a few seconds or add a small amount of milk to achieve a pourable consistency.
- Glaze the cookie tops: Separate the cookies into ‘top’ and ‘base’ halves. Dip the top heart cookies into the strawberry glaze, letting excess drip off. Place glazed tops onto a wire rack or back on the tray to set.
- Assemble the sandwich cookies: Spoon or pipe about one teaspoon of strawberry jam onto the underside of the base cookie halves. Sandwich with the glazed tops, gently pressing together. Serve immediately or allow to sit at room temperature for the glaze and jam to fully set.
Notes
- Step-by-Step Photos: Follow the blog post for helpful step-by-step photos to guide you through the recipe process.
- If you don’t have fresh strawberries for the glaze, substitute with 1 tablespoon of strawberry jam or 1-2 tablespoons of freeze-dried strawberries mixed in.
- For a simpler treat, dip each heart cookie individually in the strawberry glaze without sandwiching.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week to maintain freshness.
- Freeze undecorated shortbread cookies layered with parchment paper in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature before filling and decorating.
- Tip 1: Re-roll the dough scraps gently to maximize the number of cookies without overworking.
- Tip 2: Flour your cookie cutters lightly to prevent dough from sticking and ensure clean shapes.
- Tip 3: Refrigerate cookie dough before baking to avoid spreading and misshapen cookies.
- Tip 4: Monitor baking time closely as ovens vary; even a minute or two difference can affect texture and color.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 160 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 55 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
