The shortbread hearts filled with hazelnut cream are perfect for Valentine’s Day. Delicious heart-shaped cookies made from classic shortcrust pastry, colored red with plant-based powdered food coloring and filled with a luscious hazelnut cream. Created to celebrate Valentine’s Day, February 14, in a simple way, whether giving handmade cookies as gifts or preparing them together.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 11 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Bar
- Seasonality: Valentine's Day
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter (cold)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp red food coloring (powdered)
- 1 egg
- 2 pinches baking soda
- 1 packet vanillin
- 1 pinch fine salt
- as needed hazelnut cream
- as needed all-purpose flour (for the work surface)
Tools
- Kitchen scale
- Stand mixer
- Flat beater
- Cookie cutter
- Rolling pin
- Work surface
- Dough scraper
- Plastic wrap
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Oven
- Fork
- Teaspoon
- Knife
Steps
To prepare the shortbread hearts filled with hazelnut cream…
In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, add the cold butter cut into cubes and granulated sugar. Start the mixer until you obtain a sandy consistency.
Then add the egg and incorporate it using the mixer into the butter and sugar mixture.
Finally, add the all-purpose flour, red powdered food coloring, vanillin, two pinches of baking soda, and a pinch of fine salt. Start the mixer one last time, increasing the speed until the dough compacts and detaches from the bowl.
With the help of a dough scraper, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, quickly knead the dough with your hands and form a log about 3/4 inch high. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
After the dough has rested, roll it out to a thickness of about 1/5 inch with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 22 cookies.
Fill 11 cookies with hazelnut cream, placing the filling in the center of the heart. The amount is about a generous teaspoon.
Place the other half on top of these cookies, sealing the edges well with your hands to ensure they don’t open. You can seal them further with the tines of a fork or a cake designer tool in a dot shape.
Transfer the filled cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, bake them in a preheated oven at 355°F using the fan setting for 15 minutes. Once baked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
