Heart Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies

Heart shaped chocolate chip cookies are the perfect homemade treat for Valentine's Day. These soft cookies hold their shape beautifully when baked and are filled with plenty of mini chocolate chips and festive sprinkles.

Looking for a sweet homemade treat to surprise your valentine? Give these heart shaped chocolate chip cookies a try. They bake up soft, not too sweet, and make the perfect Valentine's day gift for any age.

I've combined my recipes for maple cut out cookies and chocolate chip cookies to make this new chocolate chip cut out cookie recipe. These cookies are the perfect combination - they are filled with mini chocolate chips, vanilla, and a bit of brown sugar. But, they hold their shape beautifully and don't spread out when baked.

Serve these valentine's day cookies to your coworkers, children, and family to celebrate the holiday. Package into decorative bags and give out as a gift!

Ingredients and substitutions

Since baking is an exact science, I don't have many substitutions to offer for this recipe. Each ingredient has a purpose. If you don't have the listed ingredients on hand, I highly recommend searching for a recipe that can be prepared as written.

Unsalted butter and salt can be substituted with salted butter (cut the listed salt in half).

I highly recommend using mini chocolate chips for this recipe. You'll be rolling out your dough to about ¼" thickness - larger chocolate chips are a bit too big for this style of cookie.

Sprinkles - I recommend using jimmies sprinkles in red, pink, and white. Nonpareils can work, but their color can bleed a little when mixed into dough. Sprinkles can also be omitted completely.

Tools for making cut out cookies

Other than the basics, like mixing bowls and measuring cups, you'll need a few specific tools to make cut out cookies.

• Rolling pin - a simple wooden rolling pin is all you need.
• Cookie sheets - half baking sheets easily hold about a dozen cookies each.
• Cooling rack - grab a cooling rack to cool your freshly baked cookies.
• Heart shaped cookie cutter- I recommend using a medium sized heart shaped cookie cutter, about 2 to 3 inches in length. I used a 2.75 inch cookie cutter (the middle size) from this set: 5 Pieces Heart Cookie Cutters
• Sprinkles - I used a combination of red, pink, and white jimmies.
• Parchment paper - It prevents cookies from sticking to your baking sheet. I don't suggest greasing your baking sheet - this will make your cookies spread more.

Cut out cookie tips and tricks

Ever struggled to make cut out cookies work for you? These are my favorite tips for cut out cookie success.

• Make sure you're using room temperature ingredients when specified, not melted or cold. Room temperature ingredients emulsify when mixed with the sugar, creating a creamy, even dough.
• Do not substitute ingredients. Baking is an exact science and there is a reason for each ingredient listed. If you don't have the proper ingredients on hand, try searching for a recipe that does include your ingredients.
• The most common mistake I see in baking is the improper measuring of flour. Too much flour will cause your dough to be dry, crumbly, and tough. The most accurate way to measure flour is with a kitchen scale. If you don't have a scale, spoon your flour into a measuring cup, then level off with a knife. When scooping directly from a bin with a measuring cup, this compacts the flour into the cup, adding up to 25% extra flour to your recipe.
• Chilling your dough is an important step that shouldn't be skipped. Chilled dough spreads less in the oven, ensuring that your cut out cookies keep their shape.
• Don't be afraid to dust everything with flour while you're rolling out your dough. Dust the counter top, your hands, your rolling pin, and your cookie cutters.
• Do not place dough onto a hot baking sheet. This will cause your dough to spread.
• Are your cookies still spreading in the oven? Once you've cut out your cookies and placed them on your baking sheet, refrigerate the entire baking sheet for 10 minutes before placing them in the oven. This will help them spread less.
• Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat instead of greasing your baking sheet. Added grease will cause your cookies to spread more.

Freezing leftover cookies

Have leftover cookies? Before they go stale, toss them in the freezer - they'll keep for up to 3 months!

• To freeze leftover dough - Form leftover dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, then wrap in foil. Or, wrap in plastic and store in a freezer-safe bag. Seal tightly, removing any excess air.
• To freeze baked cookies - First, allow your cookies to cool completely. Layer your cookies between sheets of wax paper in a freezer-safe bag or container. Seal tightly, removing any excess air.

Recommended