Heart-Shaped Red Velvet Cut-Out Cookies

Soft, chocolatey, and bright red, these heart-shaped cookies are the kind of treat that feels extra special without turning into an all-day baking project.

Valentine’s baking always sounds like a cute idea until you’re staring at the clock and realizing the day is already half gone.

That’s why I love recipes like this, they feel special without turning into a whole thing.

These heart-shaped red velvet cookies are simple, pretty, and honestly hard to mess up.

The dough is easy to work with, which matters when kids are asking questions every five seconds.

I usually make these while juggling laundry and homework and somehow they still turn out yummy.

If you want something fun and festive that doesn’t wreck your afternoon, this is it!

Ingredients for Heart-Shaped Red Velvet Cookies

• All-purpose flour – This gives the cookies their structure and keeps them sturdy enough for cut-outs.
• Cornstarch – Helps make the cookies softer instead of crunchy, which is what you want here.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – Adds that subtle chocolate flavor that makes red velvet taste like red velvet.
• Baking powder – Gives the cookies a tiny bit of lift so they don’t bake up flat.
• Salt – Balances the sweetness and brings out the chocolate flavor.
• Unsalted butter – Makes the cookies rich and buttery, and it needs to be soft so it creams easily.
• Granulated sugar – Sweetens the dough and helps with that soft texture.
• Egg – Binds everything together and adds structure.
• Milk – Keeps the dough from feeling dry and helps it come together smoothly.
• Vanilla extract – Adds warmth and rounds out the flavor.
• Red food coloring – Gives the cookies that classic red velvet look everyone recognizes.

How to Make Heart-Shaped Red Velvet Cookies

1. Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside while you prep the rest.

2. Cream the Butter and Sugar

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until it’s light and creamy. This only takes a minute or two, and the kids love watching it fluff up.

3. Add the Egg, Vanilla, and Food Coloring

Scrape down the bowl, then mix in the egg, vanilla, and a little food coloring to get that pretty shade you want.

4. Bring the Dough Together

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until the dough forms and pulls away from the bowl.

5. Roll Out the Dough

Split the dough into two pieces. Place each piece between plastic wrap and roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick. Chill the dough for at least one hour so it firms up and is easier to cut.

6. Prep the Oven and Baking Sheets

Heat your oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

7. Cut Out the Cookies

Take out one dough sheet at a time. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut shapes. Press the scraps together and keep cutting until you’ve used all the dough. If it starts to stick, chill it again for a few minutes.

8. Bake the Cookies

Bake for 8–10 minutes, just until the edges feel firm. Let them cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely.

9. Decorate the Fun Part!

Once the cookies are cool, decorate them with chocolate drizzle, royal icing, or cream cheese frosting. This is always my kids’ favorite part.

Sweet Cookies Made With Love

These cookies are one of those things that look like you really went all out, even though they’re actually pretty doable.

And if they come out a little wonky or cracked, it’s fine, they still taste so good!

Heart-Shaped Red Velvet Cut-Out Cookies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 + 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweet­ened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bak­ing pow­der
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup 4 ounces or 8 tablespoons unsalted but­ter, room tem­per­a­ture
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• Melted chocolate for drizzling (optional if not using royal icing)

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sprinkles

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
• In a bigger bowl, beat the butter and sugar until it’s light and creamy. This takes about a minute or two.
• Scrape the bowl, then mix in the egg, vanilla, and food coloring.
• Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough comes together.
• Split the dough in two. Put each piece between plastic wrap and roll it out until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Chill for at least an hour so it firms up.
• Heat your oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheets with parchment if you want easy cleanup.
• Take one dough sheet out at a time. Use a floured cookie cutter to make your shapes. Press the scraps together and keep cutting. If the dough gets sticky, pop it back in the fridge. Do the same with the second dough sheet.
• Bake the cookies for 8–10 minutes, just until the edges feel set. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool all the way.
• Decorate with chocolate drizzle, royal icing, or cream cheese frosting — whatever your kids love.
• Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container for up to a week.

For Icing

• Mix powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla until smooth. It should be thick. If it’s too runny, add a little more powdered sugar until it firms up.