Heart-Shaped Shortbread Cookies
I love celebrating the seasons and the holidays that go with them, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. I want to make as many days as I can special for my daughter, and so I decided this year was a good year to start a new simple but fun holiday tradition: baking heart-shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day.
I’ve always loved shortbread cookies at Christmas time, especially the ones with that are sandwiched together with jam in the middle. Know the ones I’m talking about?
Anyway, I wanted to make a heart-shaped version for Valentine’s Day this year (even though I can’t even eat them right now because I recently cut out sugar!) Still, I wanted to make them with and for my daughter Evelyn,
- because she loves baking with me and I want to nurture that
- because even though it’s a sugary treat, it’s homemade and I know what’s in it (ie. no palm oil or other garbage!), and
- because now we have a special Valentine’s Day tradition to look forward to each year <3
So I looked up a basic shortbread recipe, broke out a jar of strawberry jam and my heart-shaped cookie cutters for the first time and Mini-Me and I got to work in the kitchen:)
Related: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie Recipe
First we made our dough and rolled it out to about ¼-inch thick.
Then we (I) cut out a whole bunch of large hearts, half of which would form the base of our cookies and half of which would form the top. I popped the bottoms on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and popped them in the freezer for a few minutes to harden them up a bit.
In the meantime, I took the other half of the hearts (the tops) and I cut little hearts out of the centre of each one.
Then I pulled the cookie bottoms out of the freezer, preheated the oven to 350ºF and we spread some homemade strawberry-vanilla jam over the bottom layer of hearts.
I carefully placed the top layer of hearts on and popped them in the oven to bake for about 12 minutes.
When they came out of the oven, I let them cool and then dusted a little bit of icing sugar over them to finish them off.
They baked up perfectly and disappeared pretty quickly between my daughter and my husband (and the half a dozen cookies I put in the freezer for later… Because yes, these freeze well too!)
I rolled out any leftover dough and used the smallest cookie cutter to cut out a bunch of mini heart cookies, but I baked them a couple minutes too long (I should have shortened the cook time because they were smaller). Shortbread in general can easily be over-baked because of the high butter content, so keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t start to brown.
These were definitely a hit in our house, and even though I couldn’t eat any, spending time with my littlest love in the kitchen made it well worth it. (Plus, I may have snuck a couple tastes from around the edge;)
What about you? Do you have any Valentine’s Day traditions or treats you make? Let me know in the comments below:)
Heart-Shaped Shortbread Cookies With Strawberry Jam Filling
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Strawberry Jam (for filling)*
- * You can use any type of jam or jelly you like, although my personal favourite is this homemade Strawberry-Vanilla Jam.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the flour and mix until well combined.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thick. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Cut out 24 large hearts with a heart-shaped cookie cutter and place 12 of them on the baking tray. Place baking tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes. These will be the bottom layer of the cookies.
- Using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut small hearts out of the centres of the other 12 large hearts and set aside. These will be the top layer of the cookies.
- Take the large hearts out of the freezer and spread the strawberry jam over them. Carefully place the hearts with the cutouts (the top layer) on top of the jam-covered bottoms.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, checking them every so often to make sure they don't begin to brown.
- Let cool completely. Then sift some icing sugar overtop to finish them. Serve and enjoy!
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness 🙂
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To me, homesteading is about so much more than the act of growing and preparing food, or DIY-ing your own soap or candles or toothpaste. Quite honestly, it's a way for everyday people to take back control over their own lives and throw a proverbial middle finger to "the system" and the status quo.
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Roughly one year ago, the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer brought the issue of systemic racism to the forefront of so many conversations. I, like many others, released a statement that I wanted to do more to combat racism, and to showcase more diversity in the world of modern homesteading, and you, my dear readers, stepped up with some excellent resources to get me started.
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This month's issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine is all about Food Justice.
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I don’t like radishes. But I love to grow them, which has created quite a dilemma in the past. That is, until I discovered ROASTED RADISHES!
Talk about a game changer! Roasting radishes completely takes the bite out of radishes (ya know, that spiciness that fresh radishes are known for). Plus, the addition of honey butter elevates even the most boring side dish of radishes to a dish you’re gonna wanna lick clean! Not that I’ve done that or anything 😳
My favourite radishes to grow are an heirloom variety called French Breakfast radishes (pictured here). They’re long and cylindrical rather than round and they’re an absolute beauty in the garden and on a plate!
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I’ve gone from disliking radishes to literally salivating over this dish, so much so that I had to share the recipe!
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Recipe link in bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/roasted-radishes-with-honey-butter/
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In the fall I love watching orb spiders spin their webs that capture the last of the summer rays and the first of the fall raindrops on their silky threads.
Even in the bathroom (why do spiders gravitate to the bathroom??) I always try not to kill the spiders that I find, but relocate them to the garden instead. A healthy garden is teeming with spiders and worms and butterflies and bees. A healthy garden is full of healthy life, and just like good bacteria helps ward off bad bacteria in our bodies, so too do the “good bugs” help to control the bad bugs in the garden, and spiders are one of the most beneficial bugs when it comes to that!
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As much as it may seem like we have nothing in common, if you take a moment to just observe nature or sit in stillness by your garden gate, you’re sure to realize we all have more in common than most people might think.
Some people want an ocean view or a high-rise apartment with a bird’s eye view of the city. Me? I’ll never get tired of waking up to this (weeds and all!) 😍
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My mom and dad divorced when I was just 9 months old. I have no memory of them ever being together, and remain my mother’s only child.
It was definitely a struggle at times. When I was a kid I was constantly reminded that money didn’t grow on trees and that, while we lived comfortably, there was never any extra for the “fun stuff.”
I watched my mom cry many times because of how hard it was to be a single mother on a tight income. Sometimes I would pull whatever money I had in my piggy bank and offer it to her to help pay for groceries. She always refused, but I know it was hard on her to want to give me the world while simultaneously having to use coupons just to get by, and it was hard on me watching how hard it was on her.
But while I didn’t grow up wearing name-brand clothes or getting whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it, my mom was determined to put whatever extra money she could save toward giving me some of the best experiences life had to offer and making memories together that will last our lifetimes.
When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to go on a discounted school trip to Europe. My mom encouraged me to go and told me she would help pay for it. So I signed myself up and when I found out they were looking for parents to help chaperone the trip, I immediately asked my mom to come along. I promised her that I would work hard and save up enough money to pay for my own trip so she could afford to come too.
We made it happen, and it marked the beginning of roughly a decade of adventures together travelling all over the world.
In the end, the experiences we had have helped shape me and my appreciation for all that this beautiful world has to offer, and the memories we made together will forever remain some of my most cherished.
Yes, there were times we struggled, but thanks to my mom, I can truly say that I’ve had a blessed life, and am grateful every day for all of the sacrifices she made in order to literally give me the world. She didn’t just teach me the value of a dollar, she taught me that time spent together is worth more than anything else we could possibly spend our money on.
Thanks mom. I love you as big as the world 🗺 ❤️
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Herbs have always been an integral part of both good food and good health, often at the same time!
The great emperor Charlemagne famously said that "Herbs are the friend of the physician and the pride of cooks."
Indeed, both physicians and cooks would be nothing without herbs, and so you can see how useful having an herb garden can be for us modern homesteaders who often aim to cook most of our meals from scratch with ingredients grown on our own property AND be our family's own primary health care provider.
First up we're showcasing 10 less common herbs that are totally worthy of a place in your garden. From culinary herbs like lovage and chervil to medicinal herbs like comfrey and marshmallow and dual purpose herbs in between, if you're looking to expand your herb garden beyond the standard culinary herbs you're familiar with, this guide breaks down everything you need to know about growing and using these lesser known herbs at home.
Our guest interview this month is with CeAnne Kosel, founder of @farmhouseteas. CeAnne's journey into herbalism began with a discounted pack of calendula seeds and led her to starting what has become a successful business mixing and selling herbal teas and other all-natural herbal products. She's here sharing her story, her advice for anyone wanting to break into the business side of selling herbal products and her formula for crafting herbal teas that are as healing as they are delicious!
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To read the May issue, subscribe for FREE via the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/magazine.
Happy herb gardening!
Hey Anna, thanks for sharing the cookies recipe. It really looks tasty.