I can't get enough of heart-shaped cookies. Any size, any color - I'm here for them.
For the color of these, I was going for the color of Beautyberry. Have you seen that shrub? It grows wild here all over the walking paths, and the color is GORGEOUS. Well, I didn't quite get there, although once the icing dried, it came pretty close.
Oh! Before we start decorating, I should mention that these cookies are Chocolate Hazelnut Cut-Out Cookies. As in, NUTELLA CUT-OUT COOKIES! Hello, my love.
The recipe is in my first book, Decorating Cookies. It's (sadly) now out-of-print, so I'm sharing it with you here. Also, my publisher has let me know that they're down to their last copies of Decorating Cookies Party, so if you ever wanted one, now's your time.
So, I'm calling this shade "deep lilac." How do you achieve it? You mix a bunch of colors together aiming for something else. Ha. Here I used Americolor Sangria, Electric Purple, Violet, and CK Holiday Red. Yeah. Just mix a bunch of stuff together...and keep mixing until you get something pretty.
I LOVE the way this color looks on the dark cookies. I saw a lot of lilac in the Kate Spade latest collection, so let say these were on purpose and on trend, shall we?
I outlined the cookies with royal icing as usual, then thinned the icing with water and filled in the outline. To thin the icing, stir in water a bit at a time, until the icing disappears when a ribbon of it is dropped back into the bowl in a count of "one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two." A count of three is ok. If it's too thin, add some powdered sugar and try again.
Let the cookies dry uncovered overnight.
Once dry, use edible paint or luster dust mixed with vodka or Everclear to "paint" on the cookies. I used this Rose Gold edible paint. I didn't compare side-by-side, but I think the edible paint is slightly more sheer than a mixed luster dust.
To apply, I used three different paint brushes...
...a flat brush for classic brush strokes...
...a fan brush with some of the bristles snipped (it's a technique you can use for "wood grain")...
...and a kid's paintbrush for speckling.
I loved each technique and they look so cute packaged up two per bag.
You want that recipe now, right? You've got it. Unlike my go-to perfect cut-out cookie recipe, this one does require a bit of refrigeration prior to rolling (only 30 minutes). Just try not to eat all of the cookie dough while you wait.
Chocolate Hazelnut (Nutella) Cut-Out Cookies
{amount depends on size of cutter and thickness of cookie}
2 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup cold salted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Line cookie sheets with parchment. Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder together. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the Nutella and mix well, scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Add egg and vanilla and mix again.
In three additions, add the flour mixture on low speed. Mix just until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Divide the dough in half and form into discs. Wrap the discs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Stir together a bit of flour and cocoa powder. Use this to dust work surface, rolling pin, and cookie cutters. Roll the dough to 1/4-3/8" thick. Cut using cookie cutters.
Place on prepared sheet and freeze for 5-10 minutes prior to baking. This will help the cookies to hold their shape.
Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie. Do not overbake. The cookies should appear soft on the tops. Cool on the sheet for 1-2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Are you making cookies this Valentine's Day?
