Heart's Delight Cookies
We serve these tender, pretty cookies for afternoon tea at the bed-and-breakfast my husband and I operate with my parents. The bows make them look very special!
We serve these tender, pretty cookies for afternoon tea at the bed-and-breakfast my husband and I operate with my parents. The bows make them look very special!
- Carbohydrate 17.0039697530726 g
- Cholesterol 28.7183950732303 mg
- Fat 7.29731191792163 g
- Fiber 0.468750008278423 g
- Protein 2.34642117287327 g
- Saturated Fat 4.46266808916924 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (48g)
- Sodium 3380.93582375713 mg
- Sugar 16.5352197447942 g
- Trans Fat 0.577163815118786 g
- Calories 143 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Beat in vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
- On a heavily floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness.
- Cut with a floured 4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter.
- Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.
- Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
- Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
- Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.
- While cookies are still warm, poke two holes into each cookie with a straw.
- When cookies are completely cooled, thread ribbon through holes and tie into a bow; trim ribbon if necessary.
Replacing the buttermilk with whole milk thins the acidity required to properly activate the baking soda, resulting in a denser and less tender crumb. Afternoon tea service calls for accompaniments that balance high sweetness without competing with the vanilla aromatics. Sharp lemon curd or unsweetened clotted cream provides the necessary dairy contrast to offset the heavy sugar content of these decorated cut-outs.
- Chilling the dough for a full hour solidifies the butterfat, which prevents the heart shapes from distorting during transfer to the ungreased baking sheets.
- Roll the dough to an even quarter-inch thickness to ensure the holes pierced with a straw remain structurally sound after baking.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for eight to ten minutes, removing them the moment the edges show a pale golden hue.
- Multiplying or dividing this formula requires careful scaling of the three eggs, which can be beaten and weighed for accuracy if reducing the yield from fifty-four servings.
