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    Home » Recipes » Valentine's Day

    Empire Cookie Hearts

    Modified: Mar 22, '25 · Published: Feb 7, '21 · By: Beth Klosterboer · Commission earned on paid or sponsored links.

    Jump to Recipe

    You'll fall in love with these classic shortbread cookies filled with raspberry preserves and topped with a sweet glaze and a candied cherry with one bite. These Empire Cookie Hearts make perfect Valentine's Day desserts but would also be fun to serve at a bridal shower, a birthday party, Mother's Day, or any day.

    heart-shaped empire cookies are filled with raspberry preserves and are topped with a sweet glaze

    If you love the combination of tart raspberry preserves and a buttery cookie, you need to make this Empire Cookie Recipe.

    The shortbread cookie is easy to make using just three ingredients: butter, sugar, and flour.

    The cookies are delicately crispy but soften once they are sandwiched with raspberry preserves (or jam) and are topped with an easy-to-make powdered sugar and milk glaze.

    Valentine's Day Empire Cookie hearts filled with raspberry jam and topped with a sweet glaze and a glacee cherry

    Recipe

    heart-shaped empire cookies are filled with raspberry preserves and are topped with a sweet glaze
    Print
    Empire Cookie Hearts
    Prep Time
    45 mins
    Cook Time
    10 mins
     
    Fall in love with a classic European cookie. These heart-shaped shortbread cookies are filled with tart raspberry preserves and are topped with a sweet glaze and a candied cherry. Bake them for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, for friends at a bridal shower, or for your family for dessert tonight.
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: cookie recipe, cookies, empire cookies,
    Servings: 18 cookies
    Calories: 212 kcal
    Author: Beth Klosterboer
    Ingredients
    Cookies -
    • 1 cup butter softened
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
    • ½ cup raspberry preserves
    Glaze & Topping -
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 4-5 teaspoons milk
    Optional Decoration
    • 18 small pieces of glazed cherries,
    Instructions
    Cookies
    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

    2. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.

    3. Add the flour and beat just until combined.

    4. Dust your work surface and a rolling pin lightly with flour.

    5. Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thickness.

    6. Cut the dough using 2 ½ inch heart-shaped cookie cutters, re-rolling the dough as needed to make 36 cookies.

    7. Place the hearts on parchment paper-lined baking sheets about one inch apart.

    8. Chill the trays of cookies for 10-20 minutes.

    9. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes just until the edges begin to turn light brown.

    10. Remove the cookies from the oven, and if air bubbles have formed on top, press down on the cookies using a flat spatula to remove the air bubbles.

    11. Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet.

    12. Flip half of the cookies over.

    13. Spread a heaping teaspoon (1 ⅓ teaspoon) of raspberry preserves over top of those cookies.

    14. Top with another heart-shaped cookie forming a total of 18 sandwich cookies.

    Glaze
    1. Sift the confectioners’ powdered sugar into a bowl.

    2. Add 4 teaspoons milk and stir.
    3. If needed, add more milk, a drop at a time, until you get a thick glaze that spreads slightly. Don’t make it too thin so that it becomes runny.

    4. Pipe the glaze into a heart shape on top of each cookie. Alternatively, you can spread the glaze over top.

    Optional Decoration
    1. Add one small piece of candied cherry in the middle of each cookie.

    Recipe Notes

    Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.

    Related Recipes

    Windmill cookies filled with sweetened cream cheese and blueberry preserves.

    Blueberry Pinwheel Cookies Recipe

    A variety of heart, daisy, and round shaped linzer cookies filled with raspberry preserves, lemon curd and Nutella are arranged on a cooling rack.

    Linzer Cookies filled with jam, curd, and more

    Sable Cookies plain and dipped in chocolate

    Sable Cookies (plain or dipped in chocolate)

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth Klosterboer
    Beth Klosterboer
    Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth Klosterboer
    Latest posts by Beth Klosterboer (see all)
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      Breakable Chocolate Conversation Hearts

    About Beth Klosterboer

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    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

    Read more about me →

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