Apple-and-cinnamon heart cookies with walnuts. They are small, delightful, melt in your mouth and with their irresistible cinnamon aroma are perfect to win everyone’s heart! I’ve always loved apple desserts; I remember my grandmother used to make fantastic cakes, but even more than apple cakes I adore desserts with apples and cinnamon, because these two ingredients together are the perfect match for me. Cinnamon, with its warm aroma, sparks my creativity in the kitchen and makes me want to get my hands into the dough at the first scent… A few days ago I wanted to tidy my spices, but as soon as I opened the cupboard the jar of cinnamon I had bought a couple of days before – still sealed – was right in front of me. So I instinctively opened it and, overwhelmed by that wonderful scent, changed my mind about tidying and decided to bake these indulgent cookies, which I made with a cinnamon shortcrust pastry and a filling of apples, walnuts and cinnamon. Want to try them too? Follow me into the kitchen, the recipe for these apple-heart cookies will make you fall in love, but before you rush to the kitchen, remember that if you want to stay updated on new recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 16
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring

Ingredients for Apple-Heart Cookies with Walnuts and Cinnamon

3 1/4 cups type 00 flour
3.5 oz powdered sugar
14 tbsp butter (best if Bavarian)
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg yolk
1 egg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
to taste lemon zest
to taste powdered sugar (for finishing)
3 medium apples apples
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (about 3 oz)

Tools

Pan
Baking sheet
Oven
Cookie cutter 3 1/8in
Rolling pin
Parchment paper

How to make the apple-heart cookies

To make the apple-heart cookies, start by preparing the filling so that it is cold when you use it. Wash and peel the apples, cut them into small pieces and place them in a pan,
add the sugar, the butter, the cinnamon, the grated zest of a lemon and the juice. Let them cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, then raise the heat to evaporate any remaining liquid,
they should remain well dry. Finally, blend them and collect them in a bowl, add a little more cinnamon, the walnuts chopped with a knife and the lemon zest. Let it cool; meanwhile, while the apples are cooking I suggest you prepare the shortcrust pastry.
Pour the flour onto a work surface, make a well and add the soft butter. Work until you obtain a sandy mixture, make another well and pour in the sugar, the egg and the yolk.
Blend the eggs with the sugar to dissolve as much of the sugar as possible. Add the ground cinnamon
the baking powder and the lemon zest and knead quickly until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.
Wrap the shortcrust pastry in cling film and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Then divide it into two equal parts.
Lightly dust a sheet of parchment paper with flour, place the dough on it, flatten it and cover with another sheet. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an even sheet about 3/16 in (5 mm) thick; do the same with the other half of the dough.
Place spoonfuls of filling on one sheet so that they are well spaced from each other by about 1 9/16 in (4 cm).
Lay the other sheet on top, seal the little mounds into the dough by pressing lightly with your hands and cut out the cookies with a cookie cutter.
Re-knead the scraps and proceed to form the remaining cookies.
Bake in a conventional oven at 392°F for 10 minutes, or in a fan-assisted oven at 356°F.
As soon as you see the cookies lightly coloring at the edges, remove from the oven and let cool.
Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with more cinnamon before serving; the cookies are ready to be enjoyed. Store the cookies at room temperature for 3-4 days, covered with a lid or cloche.