Description
Sweet Almond Heart Cookies melt hearts with their delicate crunch and romantic shape. Perfected with ground almonds and gentle love, these tender treats promise a delightful moment of pure indulgence you won’t forget.
Ingredients
Scale
Baking Essentials:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
Flavoring:
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a spacious mixing vessel, blend butter and sugar until airy and voluminous, creating a smooth, pale mixture.
- Incorporate almond extract and salt, ensuring thorough integration of flavors.
- Gradually fold in flour, gently mixing until a cohesive dough forms.
- Partition the dough into two equal segments, encase in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for minimally 60 minutes to firm up.
- Heat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare baking sheets with parchment or silicone mat.
- On a flour-dusted surface, roll chilled dough to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.
- Utilize a heart-shaped cutter to excise delicate cookie shapes from the rolled dough.
- Arrange cookie hearts on prepared sheets, maintaining 2-inch spacing between each.
- Tenderly create a central indentation in each heart using thumb or small spoon, preserving the romantic silhouette.
- Delicately fill each heart’s well with almond jam or fruit preserves.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until edges transform to a gentle golden hue.
- Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
- Once completely cooled, softly dust with powdered sugar for an ethereal finishing touch.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is crucial for preventing cookies from spreading and maintaining their heart shape during baking.
- Try different fruit preserves like raspberry, apricot, or homemade almond jam to create unique flavor variations.
- Use room temperature butter for smoother creaming and better cookie texture, ensuring even mixing and soft consistency.
- For gluten-free option, substitute all-purpose flour with almond flour or gluten-free flour blend to accommodate dietary restrictions.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 128 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 19 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 18 mg