Last Updated July 16th, 2022 at 10:01 am by Lisa
The cute heart shape for these Valentine's day cookies is created by baking up a batch of palmiers. A flaky crisp French cookie made with store-bought puff pastry and sugar.
Easy recipes like these delicious heart cookies are great to decorate with melted white chocolate and gorgeous sparkling sugar and sprinkles.
You don't need to make sugar cookie dough, wait for chilled doughs to firm, or fuss over cutout cookies. Simply roll, bake, and decorate these homemade heart cookies...
Why This Recipe Works
- The basic palmier recipe needs just 2 ingredients. Well, this really isn't a recipe, to be honest!
- No measuring ingredients, and no hand-mixer like with sugar cookies.
- The best part is these are so easy, kids can help you.
- No sugar cookie recipe ingredients and dough to mix in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Easy cookies to bake in 20 minutes.
- No heart cookie cutter is needed.
- Sweet, crisp, and tasty, both kids and adults love these fun cookies.
- You can make these anytime and they pair perfectly with coffee or tea, as a sweet festive treat any time of day.
- Try to eat just one, impossible!
How to Make Heart Shaped Cookies
You Need...
- 1 box puff pastry Pepperidge Farm
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 10 oz white chocolate melting wafers
- Different color cookie decorations - heart candies, red and pink festive sprinkles, conversation hearts, red, white, and pink color sugars or chocolate chips.
Puff Pastry Tips
Puff pastry is available in the freezer section of your grocery store. The brand I use is Pepperidge Farm, but any brand will do just fine.
You can thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, or take it out of the box and paper wrapper and rest for 40 minutes on the kitchen counter.
And receive a free guide on How To Build A Charcuterie Board as our thank you!
You can make your own puff pastry at home. I made it in professional cooking school once with a French Chef's help, but it is a difficult and lengthy process. And exhausting!
So why would you make it when it's so easy to buy and tastes just as good?
Keep a box in the freezer for last-minute dessert baking or party appetizers. Try my Brie and Bacon Palmiers, they are always a huge hit at parties, with just 3 ingredients. By the way, the rolling pin above belonged to my Mother Corinne.
The sound of how it rolls reminds me of the countless times I heard her baking with it in our kitchen growing up.
She was a passionate home cook as well as a professional cooking instructor and had a definite influence on my culinary passion. Thanks, Mom!
Roll Out Cookies
PRO TIP: The granulated sugar pressed into the puff pastry sweetens the cookies, and gives a crunchy cookie texture.
- Thaw puff pastry sheet at room temperature 40 minutes or until it unfolds easily.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Sprinkle ½ cup of white granulated sugar evenly on the counter or wooden board.
- Open one sheet from the paper wrapper and lay flat it on the work surface. Evenly sprinkle ½ cup of sugar on top of puff pastry.
- Use a rolling pin, and roll the sheet until it's about 13 x 13 inches square
How To Create Beautiful Heart Shapes
Try different sugars, and mix different colors. Each beautiful heart cookie will be a special treat for your Valentine that they will...L-O-V-E!!!
- After you roll the puff pastry with white sugar, mix color sprinkles or sparkling sugars and press into the pastry.
- Roll or fold from the outside edge into the center from both sides and chill.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, this helps the pastry "puff".
- You can also add sprinkled colored sugar on one or both sides and gently roll the rolling pin to set it, before rolling up.
- Slice the dough into ½ inch slices, and place on a piece of parchment paper on a large baking sheet with the edges up.
- Slightly pinch the bottom of each palmier into a point on the baking sheet to get the HEART shape valentine's cookies.
Palmier Baking Tips
- Place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with Silpat mats or parchment paper.
- It is best to rechill the sliced dough before baking, this helps it puff as the butter resets.
- The baking time for the cookies is 20 minutes at 400 degrees until golden brown.
- Transfer to a wire rack or cooling rack.
- Palmiers will get crunchier as they cool, and are the best to eat the same day.
- Store them in an airtight container, but they will go soft in a couple of days.
Decorating
There is no one perfect way to decorate these cookies. You can work on a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap to make cleanup easier while you decorate.
- Melt white chocolate chips in a bowl over simmering water.
- Dip ½ of the cookie into the white melted chocolate.
- Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles or press on small heart-shaped candies.
- You can also dip them in melted milk or dark chocolate.
Puff pastry is made by the layering of dough and butter, rolled and folded over and over to create hundreds of flaky layers that "puff" in the hot oven.
When you look at the dough, it looks similar to pie dough, but it’s actually many thin layers of butter and dough.
Since puff pastry doesn't have yeast, baking soda, or baking powder, how does it rise and get flaky layers?
Puff pastry is made from flour, butter, and water. The water in the dough recipe combined with the water in the melting fat (butter or other solid fat) turns into steam in the hot oven. The pastry is pushed and lifted into airy flaky layers by that steam during the baking process and evaporates into the oven.
More Valentine's Day Recipes
Valentine's Day recipes include romantic dinners, drinks, and desserts. These heart-shaped recipes will especially wow your family and sweetheart!
S'more Cookie Dough TrufflesS'more Cookie Dough Truffles are an easy no-bake dessert candy. These have cookie dough studded with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.
A romantic delicious dinner idea is Baked Lobster Ravioli with Lemon Butter Cream Sauce. People ADORE this wildly popular recipe because it can be made ahead for date night, is heart-shaped, uses wonton wrappers (no pasta), plus no boiling pots of water or fuss.
Low carb, low sugar, low-calorie Strawberry Smash Cocktails are a healthy drink for date night or on a hot summer day for your sweetheart!
Make an elegant Beef Roast (aka Roast Beef) from tenderloin or New York steak. Wonderful to serve for dinner parties, special occasions, or the holidays with a rich red wine sauce.
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How To Make Heart Shaped Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box puff pastry Pepperidge Farm
- 2 cups sugar
- 10 oz white chocolate melting wafers
- Valentine's cookie decorating sprinkles Different color cookie decorations - heart candies, red and pink festive sprinkles, conversation hearts, and red, white, and pink color sugars.
Instructions
- Thaw puff pastry sheet at room temperature 40 minutes or until it unfolds easily.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll Out Pastry
- Sprinkle ½ cup of white granulated sugar evenly on the counter or wooden board.
- Open puff pastry sheet and lay flat on work surface. Evenly sprinkle ½ cup of sugar on top.
- Use a rolling pin, roll the pastry sheet until it's about 13 x 13 inches square.
Heart Shape Palmiers
- After you roll the puff pastry with white sugar, mix color sprinkles or sparkling sugars and press into the rolled out pastry.
- Roll or fold from the outside edge of puff pastry into the center from both sides and chill. Chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, this helps the pastry "puff" in the heat of the oven.
- You can also add sprinkle colored sugar on one or both sides and gently roll the rolling pin to set it, before rolling up.
- Slice the dough into ½ inch slices, and place on a piece of parchment paper on a large baking sheet with the edges up. Slightly pinch the bottom of each palmier into a point on the baking sheet to get the HEART shape.
Bake Palmiers
- Place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with Silpat mats or parchment paper. It is best to rechill the sliced dough before baking, this helps it puff as the butter resets.
- Baking time for the cookies is 20 minutes at 400 degrees until golden brown. Transfer to a wire baking rack to cool.
- Palmiers will get crunchier as they cool, and are the best to eat the same day. Store them in an airtight container, but they will go soft in a couple of days.
- Melt white chocolate chips in a bowl over simmering water.Dip ½ of the cookie into the melted white chocolate.Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles or press on small heart shaped candies.You can also dip them in melted milk or dark chocolate.
Notes
palmier baking tips
- It is best to rechill the sliced dough before baking, this helps it puff as the butter resets.
- Palmiers will get crunchier as they cool, and are the best to eat the same day.
- To get the classic folded Palmier shape, chill the puff pastry after rolling up, and slicing. This helps it keep its shape during baking. I use a small baking sheet and pop in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes just before baking.
- Press a lot of sugar into the pastry dough. The more sugar, the more crunchy and caramelized your palmier will bake.
decorating tips
- For a fun Valentine's Day idea, melt white chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl over simmering water.
- Dip in half the palmier and sprinkle with color sugars, sprinkles, or candies.
Lisa, these are so cute and so fun to make!! I made them for my sweetie on Valentine's Day and he loved them. (Okay, WE loved them!)
Lisa! This is my first time working with puff pastry and I am feeling pretty good about the results. These were actually kind of Zen to make and I think the reason is that you provided all those helpful, reassuring photos. What a treat these were to make. We had zero problem eating these within a day, so no problems with them getting soft! LOL