Valentine Cookies
They take a bit of work but are so yummy, especially when filled with homemade strawberry jam. My favorite family memory of these cookies is one child, a toddler, managing to get a chair up against the kitchen counter where these cookies were cooling, climbing up and blissfully enjoying a tummy full of Valentine love.
Hmmm - wait a second, now that I think back on this little person climbing up to enjoy these cookies, it actually may have been the strawberry jam that was the drawing ingredient, given that this family member is a HUGE strawberry fan ;).
Whether it was the cookies or the strawberry jam, these have been a Valentine’s tradition for decades in our family.
Valentine Cookies
Special Note: Shape the dough into disks (easier to roll out from than ‘a ball’ shape) and allow time for the prepared dough to firm up in the fridge before trying to roll.
Ingredients:
3/4 lb unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4c icing sugar
1 egg
2c all-purpose flour, sifted
1 c cornstarch
2 c shelled walnuts, finely pulsed in a food processor
1/2 c strawberry jam (or more ;)!)
Instructions:
Start by prepping the ingredients.
Get butter out to soften it.
Pulse nuts in food processor until finely ground BUT NOT walnut butter :).
Sift together flour and cornstarch.
Cream butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add egg and mix well.
Add sifted flour and cornstarch to above and mix together.
Add walnuts and mix thoroughly.
Gather dough into a disc, about 2” thick, wrap and place in fridge for 4 - 6 hours…or overnight…or a day or two…until firm.
Roll dough to about 1/4” thickness, cut out hearts and place on cookie sheets…then cut smaller hearts out of center of half the cookies.
Chill for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Bake for about 10 minutes - until lightly browned.
Remove from oven and begin to cool on a rack.
While still a little warm, spread some strawberry jam on the heart cookie bases.
Sift icing sugar over the heart cookie tops, then place on jam covered bases.
