Easy Conversation Heart Cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day parties at school or home. Crunchy and colorful, these are super fun to make!
These adorable Rolled Sugar Cookies are perfect for parties, bake sales, or simply indulging your sweet tooth. If you’re in the mood for more Valentine-themed dessert ideas, consider trying out our Valentine’s Day Red Velvet Cupcakes or Valentine’s Day Iced Strawberry Brownies for a fun and festive Dessert.
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Sabrina’s Conversation Heart Cookies Recipe
These Conversation Heart Cookies not only taste amazing but are great to make with the whole family! Inspired by the classic conversation heart candies we used to give and receive as kids, the recipe starts with a straightforward process using common pantry staples to create buttery sugar cookies.
After cutting them into charming heart shapes for that festive touch, bake them until they’re delightfully crisp without being overly hard. The crowning glory of these cookies is the royal icing, which adds a burst of vibrant color and an extra layer of sweetness. What’s especially wonderful about royal icing is that it sets and hardens as it dries, making it ideal for drawing and writing notes because the colors stay precisely where you want them on these iced cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Unsalted Butter: Begin with softened, unsalted butter to ensure a smooth creaming process with the granulated sugar. However, for the ideal cookie texture, it’s advisable to bake the cookies with chilled butter. To achieve this, it’s recommended to let the dough rest and chill for a couple of hours before baking, allowing the fat in the butter to firm up before it goes into the oven.
- 3 cups Sugar: Sugar adds sweetness to the cookies, creating that perfect balance between sweet and buttery.
- 4 large Eggs: Large eggs provide structure and moisture to the cookie dough, helping bind the ingredients together.
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract enhances the flavor of the cookies, giving them a delightful aroma.
- 5 cups Flour: Flour forms the main structure of the cookie dough. You can use all-purpose or pastry flour, but avoid self-rising flour.
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the cookies rise and become slightly fluffy.
- 1 teaspoon Salt: Salt enhances the flavor of the cookies and balances the sweetness.
Royal Icing Recipe:
- ¼ cup Meringue Powder: Meringue powder is essential for creating a stable and firm icing that can be piped and holds its shape well.
- 2/3 cup Water: Water is used to dissolve the meringue powder and thin the icing to the desired consistency.
- 5 cups Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is the primary sweetener and thickening agent for the icing. Sift it to avoid lumps.
- Assorted Food Coloring (4-6 drops per color): Use gel or liquid food coloring based on your preference, adjusting the quantity for the desired color intensity.
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- Bowls: Essential for combining ingredients, choose various sizes to accommodate different steps of the recipe. Use glass or stainless steel bowls for easy cleaning and temperature control. Use medium bowls to hold the various colors of icing.
- Rolling Pin: Required for rolling out the cookie dough to a uniform thickness. A wooden rolling pin works well, and you can dust it with powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
- Cookie Cutters: Heart-shaped cookie cutters are central to this recipe. Ensure you have a variety of sizes for creative options.
- Parchment Paper: Line your baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent cookies from sticking and make cleanup a breeze. You can also use a silicone baking mat if preferred.
- Piping Bag and Tips: A piping bag with a #5 tip for outlining and larger tips for filling with icing is handy for decorating the cookies. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a resealable plastic bag with a corner snipped off as an alternative.
- Stand Mixer: While not absolutely necessary, a stand mixer (electric mixer) can greatly simplify the mixing process, especially for the cookie dough. It ensures thorough and consistent mixing. If using a stand mixer, be sure to use the appropriate attachments for creaming the butter and sugar, as well as for preparing the royal icing.
How to Make Conversation Heart Cookies
Time needed: 1 hour and 21 minutes.
- Step 1: Prepare the Cookie Dough
Start with the wet ingredients. Beat butter with sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well. Stir in the other dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) until fully combined and the dough forms. Chill the flour mixture for at least an hour.
- Step 2: Shape and Bake the Cookies
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out the chilled dough on a powdered sugar-dusted surface (avoid a floured surface). Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to create your desired shapes. Carefully transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets or waxed paper. Bake for 6-8 minutes until edges are lightly golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Step 3: Prepare the Royal Icing
While the cookies cook, in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine meringue powder and water until well-mixed. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until stiff peaks form. Reserve a portion for piping and add food coloring to the rest for filling. Add your chosen colors to each bowl of icing making sure to reserve one as all white.
- Step 4: Decorate the Cookies
Use a #5 tip on a piping bag to outline the cookies with icing colors. Fill in the shapes with colored icing, leaving a border. Allow the first layer to dry for 2 hours if layering colors. Use white royal icing for writing or additional decorations. Add any desired sprinkles or edible decorations before icing sets.
- Step 5: Share and Enjoy
Once the icing has fully set, share your homemade Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies with loved ones or package them beautifully for gifting. Enjoy baked cookies!
Can This Be Made Ahead?
Yes, these Conversation Heart Cookies can be made ahead of time. You can prepare the cookie dough and chill it overnight in the refrigerator. Additionally, you can bake the cookies and store them in an airtight container for 2 days before decorating with royal icing to maintain freshness and flavor.
Nutritional Facts
Tips for Conversation Heart Cookies
Family Baking Activity
Conversation Heart Cookies Recipe are a delightful baking project that the whole family can enjoy. Let your kids help prepare the classic sugar cookie dough, blending butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a stand mixer or you do it with beaters. Kids can sift the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt, then you add it in to keep it mess free for a perfect cookie base. Kids of all ages will love shaping the dough into heart shapes and bake. Once you mix the icing, divide into bowls and let others add the food coloring for a fun, playful touch.
Have a Cookie Decorating Station
This activity is a fun and engaging way for kids and adults alike to get creative at your Valentine’s Day party. Use piping to outline the cookies beforehand. Prepare the icing in different colors in bags and set out cookie decorations like candies, heart shaped decorations and edible glitter. Let guests fill in the cookie outline with their chosen colors and top them off with heart-shaped decorations. If you want to add decorative elements like a touch of glitter, do it before the icing sets. For edible decorations, use the icing as glue.
Gift the Cookies
After baking and decorating, share these homemade treats at Valentine’s Day parties or package the decorated sugar cookies beautifully in plastic bags with ribbons to give as fun gifts.
How to Store Heart Cookies
Storing
To keep your Conversation Heart Cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Layer parchment paper between the cookies to prevent sticking and maintain their texture. They’ll stay good in the fridge for about 7 days.
Freezing
To freeze leftover cookies, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then, transfer them to an airtight container with parchment paper between layers. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. When ready to enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours.
Frequent Questions
Yes, you can use salted butter, but remember to eliminate the additional salt in the recipe.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer or even whisk the royal icing by hand. It might take a bit more effort, but it’s doable.
To prevent cookies from sticking together, place parchment paper between the layers when storing them in an airtight container.
Yes, you can experiment with different extract flavors (e.g., almond, lemon, or orange) to customize the taste of the royal icing. Just be cautious with the quantity to avoid overwhelming the cookies with flavor. It’s recommended to start with 7-10 drops of flavoring fore each cup of icing before adding more if desired.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Rolled Sugar Cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter , softened
- 3 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Royal Icing:
- 1/4 cup meringue powder
- 2/3 cup water
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- assorted food coloring 4-6 drops per color
Instructions
Sugar Cookies:
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cover, and chill dough for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Roll out dough, using powdered sugar on the surface and rolling pin ¼ to ½ inch thick.
- Using assorted cookie cutters, stamp out the shapes you'd like to ice. (We used heart shape cookie cutters.)
- Carefully, with a spatula, place cookies 1 inch apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
Royal Icing:
- To a stand mixer add the meringue powder and water on medium speed for 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the powdered sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
- Set aside ⅓ of the icing for piping.
- Add gel colors of your choosing and if you need to thin for thin piping add small amounts of water at a time.
- Using a #5 tip on your piping bag, pipe a border first then fill in with the desired color with a larger tip, leaving a 1/2″ border around the cookies.
- If layering colors allow the first layer to dry for 2 hours.
- Add white royal icing to piping bag and use to add writing on the cooking.
Notes
- Click on the yield amount to slide and change the number of servings and the recipe will automatically update!
- Click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
- To convert measurements to grams, click on the Metric option next to Ingredients in the recipe card.
Nutrition
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Variations on Heart Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Conversation Heart Cookies: Add chocolate chips to the cookie dough for a delightful twist on the classic recipe. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips into the dough before chilling. Adjust the baking time, as the cookies may need an extra minute or two due to the added moisture from the chocolate.
- Gluten-Free Conversation Heart Cookies: For a gluten-free option, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend. Be sure to check the blend’s instructions for any necessary adjustments or additional binding agents, like xanthan gum.
- Vegan Conversation Heart Cookies: Make these cookies vegan by replacing the eggs with flaxseed eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 2.5 tablespoons water per egg). Use vegan butter and ensure your chocolate chips and food coloring are dairy-free. The rest of the recipe remains the same.
- Lemon-Flavored Royal Icing: Add a refreshing twist to the royal icing by incorporating lemon zest or a few drops of lemon extract. This variation adds a bright citrus flavor that pairs well with the sweet cookies. Adjust the quantity to your taste preference. Be sure to use Lemon Yellow food coloring for this icing!
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