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Conversation Heart Cookies Recipe

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★★★★★

4.8 from 80 reviews

These delightful Conversation Heart Cookies are soft, creamy sugar cookies made with cream cheese for extra tenderness, baked to a perfect golden finish and decorated with colorful pastel royal icing. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any occasion requiring a sweet, charming treat with personalized messages.

Ingredients

Scale

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (170g)
  • 1/2 cup or 4 oz. full fat cream cheese, room temperature (113g)
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
  • 2 tsp almond extract, optional (8g)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (8g)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (390g)
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch (8g)
  • 1 tsp fine salt (6g)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder (2g)

Royal Icing (adapted from Wilton)

  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (454g or 1 lb. box)
  • 3 Tbsp meringue powder (28g)
  • 1/4 cup water, room temperature (60g)
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla or almond extract (24g)
  • Additional water, as needed to achieve flooding consistency
  • Yellow, Orange, Pink, Purple, Blue, and Green gel food coloring

Additional Supplies

  • Hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Parchment paper or 2 silicone baking mats
  • 2 large baking sheets
  • Small heart cookie cutter – approximately 3/4 inch
  • 7 small piping bags
  • Edible red marker

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add granulated sugar and beat on medium-high speed for a few minutes until the mixture lightens in color. Add egg, almond extract (if using), and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste and mix until combined.
  2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, fine salt, and baking powder.
  3. Combine Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture slowly on low speed, mixing just until incorporated. Scrape the bowl sides as needed. The dough will be thick and sticky.
  4. Chill Dough: Divide the dough in half, flatten each portion to about 1/2 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat Oven: About 30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  6. Roll and Cut: Remove one dough portion from fridge, let soften if frozen for 5-10 minutes. Roll dough (dusted with flour) between plastic wrap to 1/3 inch thickness. Use a small 3/4 inch heart cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets.
  7. Chill Cut Cookies: Chill cut-out cookies for 15 minutes in fridge or 5 minutes in freezer to maintain shape during baking.
  8. Bake Cookies: Bake one sheet at a time on the oven’s middle rack for about 10 minutes. Remove before edges brown to avoid overbaking.
  9. Cool Cookies: Let baked cookies cool on pan for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, knead together scraps, rewrap, and chill for additional cookie batches.
  10. Prepare Royal Icing: Whisk powdered sugar and meringue powder together. Add water and extract and mix on low then medium speed until stiff peaks form (about 2-3 minutes). Adjust consistency with small amounts of water to reach thick flooding texture.
  11. Color Icing: Divide icing into 7 portions (~3 oz each). Add tiny amounts of gel food coloring to create pastel shades in yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and green. Test consistency by piping on a cookie and adjust if needed.
  12. Decorate Cookies: Cut piping bag tips to 1-2 mm openings. Pipe a heart shape on each cookie in different colors. Use a scribe or toothpick to help icing settle smoothly.
  13. Add Messages: Allow icing to dry until firm (several hours), then use a fine-tipped edible red marker to write cute conversation heart phrases on top of each cookie.
  14. Store: Keep decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • Use a scale to measure flour accurately to ensure proper texture.
  • Rolling dough between plastic wrap makes cleanup easier and prevents sticking.
  • Chilling dough before rolling and baking helps cookies keep their shape and prevents spreading.
  • Test your royal icing consistency by piping and adjusting with small amounts of water or powdered sugar.
  • If you don’t have meringue powder, you can substitute it with egg whites, but adjust carefully for food safety.
  • Room temperature ingredients blend more smoothly for better texture.
  • Write messages only after icing is completely dry to prevent smudging.
  • Use a fine edible marker for neat, legible writing on cookies.

Keywords: conversation heart cookies, cream cheese sugar cookies, royal icing cookies, Valentine's Day cookies, decorated sugar cookies, heart shaped cookies, pastel icing cookies

Find it online: https://messykitchenmagic.com/conversation-heart-cookies-recipe/