Sweetheart Heart Shaped Cookies for Valentines Day Gifts or Anytime
By Peggy W
Heart shaped pepper cookies
Cookies from home
Are you struggling with what to give your sweetheart as a Valentines Day Gifts idea? Of course you could give your sweetheart sparkling diamonds or heart shaped chocolates and dozens of long-stemmed roses...but if your budget is not large and you would like to show him or her that you spent some personal time and effort into making this gift and not just selecting it why not create some home baked heart shaped cookies this year?
These cookies are not just for Valentine's Day but could be used in the mix of holiday cookies such as I have been doing since discovering them.
These Pepper Cookies have been a part of our Christmas Cookie assortment that we give as gifts each year since we discovered them among my mother's recipe cards.
Everybody seems to really like them and they can be cut into any shape desired.
Cookie cutters
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Cookies for gifts
Tins of all types of holiday cookies are sold each year and baking cookies during special seasons of the year is traditional for many people.
My mother always had homemade cookies available in the cookie jar when I was growing up and most often they made it into our school lunch boxes as a sweet treat along with our sandwich, piece of fruit and thermos of milk.
For many years now and with my mother's help (when she was alive) I have baked many different batches of cookies to be given away as gifts during the Christmas season.
My mother and I also baked homemade cookies for various occasions for the people at Ronald McDonald House in Houston. For those of you who may not know, families of ill children undergoing treatment for grave diseases (most often but not inclusive of cancer) get to stay in this homey atmosphere for extended periods of time.
The heart shaped cookie cutters that I possess were purchased to create a platter of cookies for an art gallery during Valentine's Day one year that featured my art as well as other artist's work.
Ever since that Valentine's Day and since discovering this Pepper Cookies recipe, I have used these particular cookie cutters for other gift giving occasions as well. They are pretty mixed in with an assortment of homemade cookies.
Heart shaped cookies can be a sweet gift idea for any time of year for the sweetheart that makes your heart go "pitter-patter" or other friends and acquaintances.
Swans forming a heart shape
Heart shaped pepper cookies
Cookie jars
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PEPPER COOKIES
OK...are you ready for the recipe?
What we particularly like about this Pepper Cookie recipe is that they are delectable and spicy but not overly sweet. They can be made well ahead of time and are thin and crisp. They also freeze well. The black pepper just seems to accentuate the other spices.
~ INGREDIENTS ~
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup ( light corn syrup works as well but the color of the cookie becomes darker if using the dark corn syrup )
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar ( I use plain old apple cider vinegar )
1 beaten egg
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
~ DIRECTIONS ~
Melt the butter in a small saucepan adding the sugar, corn syrup and vinegar. Bring just to a boil and remove the mixture from the heat and cool to room temperature after which you stir in the egg.
Combine all the dry ingredients and stir into the wet mixture until it is well combined. At this point cover it and chill it for several hours in the refrigerator or even overnight.
Divide this chilled dough into at least 4 portions and keep the portions chilled until ready to roll out.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough making it very thin...1/8 of an inch or even less! Cut into whatever shape you wish with cookie cutters and put them onto a greased cookie sheet. ( Here is the perfect time to use those heart shaped cookie cutters! I use Pam spray on the cookie sheets and it seems to work well. )
Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 or 5 minutes watching carefully until the cookies are barely brown around the edges. Transfer them to a rack until cooled after which they can be stored in covered containers.
This recipe makes about 120 two inch cookies.
Enjoy!
Great tip for rolling out thin cookie dough from The Test Kitchen at Gourmet Magazine
Heart shaped flowers
Valentine cookies
OK...so how about it? Will you try making these simple and pleasing homemade cookies for your sweetheart this year?
Heart shaped cookies for Valentines Day Gifts are sure to please on that special day or anytime of year for that matter. And who knew that black pepper could be a great cookie ingredient? Now you know!
Does this Pepper Cookie Recipe sound like something you might enjoy making and eating or giving as a gift?
See results without voting
Shih Tzu doggies and Valentines
Cookie baking sheets
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Cookie recipes
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Love is in the air!
Your kids or grandkids could help you make special cut out cookies for your sweetheart! Perhaps it is their sweetheart as well? Their mom? Their dad?
More Food Related hubs...
- Old Fashioned Cookies from My Grandma ~ Chocolate Cookies for Chocolate Lovers
- Applesauce Cookies ~ Old Fashioned Cookie Recipe from My Grandma
Hand-written delicious cookie recipe dating back to my Grandma's time. - Scrumptious Cookies for the Holidays, Birthdays or Anytime ~ Photos and Instructions
2 buttery cookie recipes in this hub + a video. Pecan Fingers & M-M-M Good Cookies. Enjoy! - Cookie Gifts ~ How to Make Delicious Cookies with Photos and Instructions
These Cherry Winks are so pretty & good tasting as well. Enjoy the step by step instructions & photos. - Oatmeal Bar Cookie with Dates and Nuts ~ Family Memories plus Photos
This bar cookie recipe is an old family one. Enjoy some background photos as well as step by step instructions. - Photos and Instructions of Easy to Make Homemade Cookies using Chocolate
Chocolate Crinkle cookies are delicious & pretty. - Raisin Molasses Sugar Cookies ~ Family Recipe with Photos and Instructions
What do old manual typewriters have to do with this delicious cookie recipe? Read to discover... - Ice Box Cookies ~ Family Recipe with Step by Step Photos
- More Old Timey Sweet Recipes from my Grandmother's Journal
- Homemade Cookies ~ Cookie Gifts ~ Easy to Make Cookies with Step by Step Photos
Wheaties plus other simple ingredients.
Comments
Hi Peggy. Well, I tried the recipe. I expected it to be spicy when I was mixing them in the flour. But they were very mild tasting. A good cookie, I especially think I'd like them in the fall. The spices remind me of Halloween and Christmas.
Good!
Hi again Rochelle,
That would be quite a difference because with the corn syrup these pepper cookies turn out to be quite crisp and seem to stay that way. I figured that was a typo on your part...that, or I did not know what a "heat" cutter was...possibly some new fangled kitchen appliance. Ha!
They are probably a little softer in texture than the corn syrup ones-- and I DID mean to say "heart" cutter-- not heat.
Hi Rochelle,
Thanks for letting me know how the substitution of the molasses for corn syrup worked out in making these cookies for Valentine's Day. Wishing you a very Happy Valentine's Day! I just may try some molasses the next time.
Ok it's Valentine's Day, and since I do have a nice old heat cutter I made some of these and did use molasses instead of corn syrup. It does make the cookies darker, which in turn made it a little harder to see if they are done. It took about 7 oven minutes for me, which may have had something to do with the molasses. (Also I am at 3200 ft altitude, so everything baked is usually at the max length of time recommended.)
I'm sure the ingredient change made them taste a little different than yours, but they are very good. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi Ann,
I think that the pepper just intensifies the overall spicyness of the cookies without being too intense. Hope you enjoy and looking forward to your report after baking and tasting them. Thanks!
Hi Just Ask Susan,
Hope that these cookies are similar to the ones you remember from your grandmother. That would be so nice! Thanks for your comment and looking forward to your response after baking them.
Pepper just sounds funny. But out of curiosity, I'm baking them. Then I'll be in touch.
Hi Peggy! Happy Valentines.
Hi Jessi10,
Enjoy these sweatheart shaped cookies (assuming you have a heart shaped cookie cutter) on Valentines Day and then cut them any other shape year round. Thanks for your comment and share.
Hi Rochelle,
If you used molasses instead of corn syrup it would probably be a different flavored cookie entirely since molasses is much stronger flavored than corn syrup. But it might be good! The cookie would also be much darker in color. If you do try it, please let me know how it turned out. Molasses would be a healthier alternative to the corn syrup. Thanks for your comment.
This sounds really familiar to a cookie that my grandmother used to make. I've been searching for the recipe and have never found it. I look forward to making these cookies and if they're close to the one's that I'm looking for I'll come back to let you know. Thanks for sharing this.
I loved those cookies. So great. I have such a sweet tooth and this is the perfect thing to share on Valentines day! Voted up and sharing!
Hi AliciaC,
I think that you will be pleased with these tasty cookies for Valentine's Day and all year long. Just cut them into any shape desired. Thanks for your comment.
These sound really good. I usually don't use corn syrup-- do you think molasses would work, or would it overwhelm the spices?
I love ginger and spice cookies. I've never made cookies with pepper in them, but your recipe sounds intriguing and I'm going to try it! The cookies would be a great Valentine's Day gift, or a lovely treat for any time.
Hi SanneL,
These pepper cookies would be great on a year round basis. The only cookie cutters that I had were heart shaped....thus the Valentines Day theme. Ha! They are thin cookies, spicy and not too sweet. Would be great with your cups of tea! Thanks for your comment.
I love this lovely hub and I love cookies. I think the pepper makes an interesting addition to the other spices. I'll definitely have to try these out.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us. However, I think I'll enjoy them all year round.
Hello acaetnna,
Hope you enjoy these sweetheart heart shaped (or any other shape you desire) cookies. They are good anytime of year. Let me know if you like them after baking them, OK? Thanks for the comment.
I love cookies and will try this recipe. Great hub.
Hi Glemoh101,
I'd be happy to give you a sweetheart heart shaped cookie for Valentines Day if you are ever in the neighborhood. Would have to bake more, however, as they were all given out as gifts with the Christmas cookie assortment. :-)
I like this , can you give me piece of it!!!
Hello ariasnote,
Are you going to make your own sweetheart heart shaped cookies for Valentine's Day this year? If you do, I am fairly certain that you will want to keep this recipe for year round baking. Thanks for the comment.
Cool, I love cookies and Valentines Day! : ) Thanks for the recipe too! You've really done your homework and put a lot of effort into this one.
Hello sirrot,
The pepper just adds a punch to the other spices in this sweetheart heart shaped pepper cookie recipe for valentines day or anytime one wishes to bake a special gift. Happy to be able to share this recipe.
I love the sound of this recipe...the pepper would be a perfect addition! Thank you for sharing.
b
Hi Hello, hello,
You are most welcome. Hope that you give these sweetheart heart shaped cookies a try when Valentines Day gifts are being considered. Or...bake them for yourself! You are a sweetheart! :-)
A real lovely idea and thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Cheryl,
Happy to hear that you enjoyed these heart shaped pepper cookies. They are good as you now know after having tasted them. Thanks for the comment.
Hi susannah42,
Give these Sweetheart heart shaped cookies a try for Valentines day gifts and I am sure you will be pleased. After you taste them I am sure you will include them into your year long baking efforts whether for Christmas or other occasions. Thanks for your comment.
Hello SteveoMc,
Sounds like you would have great fun making these heart shaped cookies for Valentines Day gifts for your granddaughter's classmates. Decorating them would add another dimension in color and flair to these Valentine cookies. Good luck and let me know how it turns out. At the least your granddaughter and you will have some fun. :-)
Peggy,
I adore your beautiful hubpage on Sweetheart Cookies for Valentine's Day. The cookies are wonderful and delicious.
I agree heart shaped cookies for Valentines Day gifts are welcomed anytime. A beautiful hubpage.
Looks like a good idea for valentines day! Thanks
My granddaughter and I are always looking for things to do and some of them are riotous affairs of the kitchen, we now have another one. We could make one for each of her classmates, decorate them, and then wrap them in colored cello and give them as gifts. Great ideas, thanks.
Hello SUSIE DUZY,
Hope that you will be able to share these heart shaped cookies with a sweetheart on Valentine's day. There are all kinds of sweethearts...sweetheart teachers, nurses, neighbors, etc. The list is long. Thanks for the comment.
Looks like some good recipes, I think I will try them for Valentines day.
Hi Springboard,
Well...consider this an early warning signal for Valentines Day gifts. Do you think your sweetheart would like these heart shaped cookies? My husband does and he is not even a great sweet lover if that gives you any encouragement to give them a try. Heart shaped cookie cutters are inexpensive. Might be a real surprise for her if you baked these pepper cookies! :-)
With this right around the corner, perfect timing for such an article...especially for us guys who CONTSTANTLY need to be reminded of this very important date. :)
Hi Jeff,
I had to laugh over your comment. Still smiling! If you could bake these heart shaped cookies for your sweetheart of a wife for Valentine's Day...not only would your home smell heavenly, but she just might rethink the gifts of the past. What do you think? Haha!
Hello drpastorcarlotta,
Thanks for commenting on this sweetheart heart shaped cookies for Valentines day gifts or anytime hub. Heading on over to read one of your hubs now.
Hi dahoglund,
With the amount of flour to sugar, these pepper cookies don't taste overly sweet. I found a link that might help you convert some of the sugar to sugar substitute if you wish to present your sweetheart with some heart shaped cookies for Valentine's Day or some other occasion. Here is the link: http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/bl0105
Hello katrinasui,
If you love cookies, I hope that you will give these heart shaped pepper cookies a try. Doesn't have to be heart shaped, but that shape would be nice to present to your sweetheart anytime of year. Thanks for leaving a comment.
Hi Prasetio,
These heart shaped cookies are good anytime...not just for Valentine's Day. Thanks for the visit and comment.
Hmm, good stuff; however, as I read I kept thinking about all the times I've struggled with Valentine's Day and my wife now expects me to do something stupid. I'd hate to disappoint her with something as loving, kind, and considerate as baking her heart-shaped cookies.
I agree, anytime of the year these cookies are GREAT and romantic! Thank you for the receipe! Looking forward in seeing you on my Hubs! Voted-up!
I remember cookie cutters but if any baking is done in our household I would have to dot it.Is the sugar in this recipe for sweetening or bulk? I ask this because I was wondering if sugar substitutes could be used for diabetics. With both con syrup and sugar it is a lot of carbs. If you could It might be good if you presented substitute information in your recipes.
Hi Peggy, This is a wonderful hub about cookies. I love cookies. Thanks for sharing the recipe and taking out time to compile this hub.
Peggy, this is the most beautiful cookies I've ever knew. With "heart shape" this cookies was looks cute and must be delicious. Thank you very much. Vote as always. Merry Christmas.
Prasetio:)
Hello Happyboomernurse,
Good economic times or bad I think that most people appreciate homemade gifts for their sweetheart and other loved ones. These heart shaped cookies (or any shape you wish to make) are tasty treats for Valentines Day gifts and gifts anytime of year. They were included in our Christmas cookie assortment this year and many of the past years as well. Thanks for the comment and greeting.
Hi Peggy,
This is a great idea, especially during tough economic times. There's nothing more thoughtful than something that's homemade. I also love the photos and your unique ideas of how to "package" the cookies. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Hope you're having a wonderful holiday.
Peggy W 3 months ago
Hi Ann,
If you mean spicy because of the black pepper, they are not that. I think that the pepper just accentuates the other spices such as the cinnamon, ginger and cloves in this cookie. Glad that you liked them. Thanks for your comment. (The first time I saw the recipe, I also thought that the pepper would make more of a statement).