Big Valentine Hearts
These oversized heart-shaped cut-outs are made with a slightly sweeter sugar cookie dough than the usual cut-outs, with a dusting of colored sugar before they go in the oven.
Ingredients
- 4 sticks butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 5 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Colored sugar, for sprinkling
Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and beat until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until the flour is just incorporated.
Divide the dough into four portions. Flatten each portion into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Lightly flour your working surface and rolling pin and roll out the dough to quarter-inch thickness (dough will be very stiff at first, but will soften as you work with it). Cut out the cookies with large cookie cutters and sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake until light golden, 15-17 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie cutters. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
