Skinny Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies
Yields: 22 cookies
 
These cookies are so rich and buttery that no one will ever guess they’re low fat! They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day, or any occasion that you’d like to say, “I love you.” Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • for the cookies
  • 1 ¼ cups (150g) all-purpose flour (measured like this), plus more for rolling
  • ¾ tsp cornstarch
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp butter extract
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp (120g) granulated sugar
  • for the icing
  • 5 tbsp (40g) powdered (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp skim milk
  • 1 tiny drop red food coloring
  1. To prepare the cookies, whisk together the 1 ¼ cups of flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, vanilla extract, and butter extract. Stir in the sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Shape the dough into a 1”-thick rectangle. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. On a well-floured surface, roll out the chilled dough until ⅛” thick. Lightly flour a 3” tall heart-shaped cookie cutter and press into the dough, making sure each heart lays as close to its neighbors as possible to minimize unused dough. Peel the unused dough away from the hearts, and place the hearts onto the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the unused dough, and repeat.
  4. Bake the heart-shaped dough at 350°F for 10-13 minutes. (The rerolled dough generally requires a little less time.) Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. To prepare the icing, stir together the powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and food coloring in a small bowl. Spoon into a zip-topped bag, and snip off the corner. Pipe onto the cooled cookies.
Notes: I highly recommend using butter extract because it gives them the stereotypical buttery sugar cookie flavor without the excess fat and calories. An additional 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract may be substituted in its place.

The first round of cookies may bake slower (closer to 11-13 minutes), whereas the rerolled cookie dough seems to bake faster (9-10 minutes). Keep a close eye on your cookies because ovens do vary!

For a clean-eating version of these cookies, see this recipe of mine!

{low fat, low calorie}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2014/02/06/skinny-heart-shaped-sugar-cookies/