Valentine's Day Shortbread Hearts

Pretty sure my husband counts down every year to February in the hopes that a plate of these pretty little cookies will show up in our house! One of my personal favorite flavor combos is shortbread and raspberry, so these fun little cookies really hit the spot!

Buttery, flaky crust meets tart raspberries and hazelnut fudge (we couldn't choose just one filling!) for the perfect Valentine's Day treat!

No worries, friends, you can make these cookies in any shape with just about any filling to meet any of your holiday needs!

You will need:

4 cups of flour

4 sticks of butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

Your choice of fillings- we used raspberry jam and Nutella

a medium and a small heart cookie cutter

powdered sugar for the tops of the cookies

Cream butter and sugar on medium-high then add eggs and vanilla, mixing again to combine. Add salt, baking powder, flour and salt and mix until just combined (don't over-mix!). 

 Fun little tip here- crack your eggs in a separate bowl.

Trust me.

You definitely don't want to have to throw away a whole batch of something because of a wonky egg!

 Wrap your dough in plastic and let it hang out in the fridge for about a half hour.

Get to work rolling it out. 

I definitely recommend a silicone rolling pin or at least a non-stick version.

This is the one I have and I.LOVE.IT.

Cut out an equal number of hearts and cut-out hearts.

Look who joined the party! My Sweet Thing is usually off building things with Daddy (future engineer, I think...), so I was super excited when she was eager help!

A tip for the cutouts: I found that cutting out the top of the heart (with the cut-out) was a lot easier when I did it right on the baking sheet. 

I always line my cookie sheets with parchment- makes cleanup so easy!

Yes, that's our candy house in the background still hanging out in February. 

I'm owning it.

Sift your powdered sugar over the tops of the cookies BEFORE you make the sandwiches.

Lesson learned the hard way.

You're welcome, ha!

Gather your fillings...

And get to work spreading about a teaspoon to a tablespoon of filling on a cookie before closing it with a powdered heart top.

If you feel the need to lick your spoon mid-job DO IT.

Just make sure you go get a clean spoon for the next cookie!

Carefully assemble all of your cookies.

Then you have to do your due diligence and test the cookies.

It's only fair.

I just love the way these finished cookies look.

So pretty and perfect for any Valentine's Day celebration.

Extra yummy with a creamy glass of milk.

 Because milk always tastes better on a doily.

And one quick funny before you go-

Happy early Valentine's Day, sweet friends!