Sweet Baked Life

By: Sheila | Sweet Baked Life

Ingredients:

For the Cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Glaze

• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons milk 
• Pink gel food coloring

Instructions:

To make the cookies:

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until soft and fluffy (aprox. 3 minutes). Add the confectioners sugar and vanilla extract and beat until smooth, then slowly add the flour and salt and mix until just combined.
3. Dump dough onto a floured surface, shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes. 
4. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to approximately 1/4-inch thick. With a lightly floured heart cookie cutter, cut the cookies and place onto two non-stick baking sheets.
5. Bake for 16-19 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned at the edges. 
6. Cool cookies completely on a parchment lined wire rack before glazing.

To make the glaze:

1. Add confectioners sugar, vanilla, and 4 tablespoons of the milk in a low & wide bowl (such as a salad bowl). 
2. Whisk until fully incorporated, and the glaze is smooth and somewhat thick. If you need to, add additional milk until you get the consistency needed.
3. Using a toothpick, add a small amount of pink gel food coloring and gently stir using circular motions to form pink swirls.  
4. Dip each cookie, top down, into the glaze, then gently pull out (so you don’t break the cookie), shake off any access glaze, then put the cookie right side up on the rack.
5. Leave the cookies on the rack to set (this will take about one hour).
6. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container (if they last that long!).