Creating delightful homemade shortbread cookies with a heart accent: An easy-to-follow recipe

Homemade treats are never excessive, especially when they can be made in no time from readily available ingredients. If they can be given an appealing touch, that's an added bonus, as we have in our recipe today.

Shortbread cookies with a heart accent are excellent for nearly any occasion. They can be made as a Valentine's day dessert, a welcome birthday gift, or a delightful treat at the end of a Sunday meal. Regardless of the occasion, these homemade cookies, enhanced with strawberry jam, won't linger long on the serving plate!

Ingredients:

• 240g of type 00 flour,
• 150g of butter,
• 2 egg yolks,
• 5 tablespoons of powdered sugar,
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract,
• 1 pinch of salt,
• a few tablespoons of strawberry jam.

Instructions:

Step 1. I begin making the cookies by preparing the dough. I mix together the flour, powdered sugar, butter, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt using a kitchen mixer.

Step 2. I wrap the smooth and evenly mixed dough in food-specific cling film, then refrigerate it for about half an hour to cool down.

Step 3. I divide the cooled dough into smaller pieces. Each piece is then rolled into a small ball. Then, I arrange the balls on a baking tray, after lining it with a sheet of baking parchment.

Step 4. I then compress each ball using the bottom of a small glass to form the basic shape of the cookies.

Step 5. Next, using a small spoon, I create a sweet heart shape on each cookie. This is achieved by gently pressing the tip of the spoon from both sides.

Step 6. The heart shapes created are then filled with strawberry jam. Finally, I bake them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.

Step 6. The finished cookies can be served either on their own or with extras such as powdered sugar, chocolate icing or homemade frosting. They also pair well with fresh strawberries, as one can never have too much fruit. Enjoy!