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Perfect Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

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A quick and easy recipe for tender, buttery heart-shaped sugar cookies decorated with smooth, hard royal icing—perfect for special occasions or everyday treats.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ¾ cups (345 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt
  • 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ¼ cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) almond extract (optional)
  • 4 cups (480 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons (30 grams) pasteurized egg whites or meringue powder
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • 3–5 tablespoons (45–75 ml) water
  • Food coloring (gel or paste, optional)

Instructions

  1. Mix dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Cream butter and sugar: Beat softened butter with granulated sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until pale and fluffy.
  3. Add egg and extracts: Beat in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using until combined.
  4. Combine wet and dry: Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture on low speed until just combined. If dough is too sticky, add flour tablespoon by tablespoon.
  5. Chill the dough: Divide dough in half, flatten into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  7. Roll and cut: Roll one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch (6 mm) thickness. Cut with heart-shaped cookie cutter and place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheet.
  8. Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges start to turn golden but centers remain slightly soft.
  9. Cool: Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before icing.
  10. Prepare royal icing: Beat powdered sugar, meringue powder, lemon juice, and water on high speed until stiff peaks form (5-7 minutes). Adjust water for piping consistency.
  11. Decorate: Outline cookies with thicker icing, flood centers with thinner icing. Use toothpicks or scribe tool to smooth or create patterns. Let icing dry at least 4 hours or overnight.

Notes

Chill dough for at least 1 hour to prevent spreading and keep heart shapes crisp. Use gel food coloring to avoid thinning royal icing. Let decorated cookies dry overnight for best results. Keep piping bags covered with a damp cloth to prevent icing from drying out. Chilling decorated cookies for 15 minutes before icing sets helps avoid smudges when stacking.

Nutrition

Keywords: heart-shaped sugar cookies, royal icing, sugar cookies recipe, easy sugar cookies, homemade cookies, cookie decorating, Valentine's Day cookies

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