Valentine heart-shape sugar cookies

Method
Prep:20min  ›  Cook:10min  ›  Extra time:1hr chilling  ›  Ready in:1hr30min 

1. Cream the butter in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Add the sugar and continue to combine.
2. Add 500g of flour about 125g at a time, all the time combining the mixture. Add the salt.
3. Add the baking powder and remember, you must measure this one exactly for your cookie dough to rise and to taste great.
4. For the final 125g of flour, add it in slowly until the cookie dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.
5. Place a piece of baking parchment on your work surface and tip the mixture onto the parchment. Knead the cookie dough for a few minutes. Then wrap it up tightly and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
6. Preheat your oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Remove your dough from the fridge and add a generous heap of flour to your surface. Knead the dough until it's pliable like play-dough. If it's still sticky, keep adding flour until it feels ready to roll. Roll it out to about 3mm thick and cut into heart shapes and place on a baking tray.
7. Bake for about 10 minutes, until light and golden. I prefer my cookies to be undercooked and 'bendable' rather than jaw breakers!
8. While they bake, begin making the icing sugar topping. Beat together the icing sugar and water until smooth. Add a couple drops of the food colouring and continue to combine. When the cookies are ready, remove them from the baking tray and set aside to cool.
9. With a spoon, dollop on some icing sugar on each cookie and spread over evenly. Throw over some sprinkles and set aside to harden.

See it on my blog

Valentine's day dessert recipe from Meg Stone!