Chocolate Hearts

I wasn't planning on making anything for Valentine's Day, but I decided to try out a variation on my cutout cookie recipe this weekend.  Since we are only a few days away from February 14th, I thought why not use a heart shaped cookie cutter.

These cookies are an adaptation of my usual almond sugar cookie.  And hey there gluten free friends, you can totally eat these!  I swapped out the wheat flour in the original recipe for cocoa powder and my favorite GF flour (I like Bob's Red Mill).

Sadly, after the cookies came out of the oven, they were a little more crumbly than I wanted.  Solution?  Re-tool the recipe? Nah. Add buttercream! Make them sandwich cookies! After adding the buttercream, I set them in the fridge for a few hours to meld together. The formerly crumbly cookie was now a rich chocolate cookie sandwich!  Then I ate them all.  Happy Valentine's day to me.

One Year Ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie dough frozen yogurt pops
Two Years Ago: Poffertjes: Cheese Pancakes
Three Years Ago: Cranberry-walnut Celebration Bread

Gluten Free Cocoa Hearts

A Wilde Original

1 stick butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 /2 cup gluten free flour (use your favorite brand!)

Beat butter until smooth and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar and beat on medium-high until smooth. Scrape the sides of your mixing bowl. Add almond flour and salt, mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of your bowl once again. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add cocoa powder and flour all at once.  Mix until the ingredients are all combined and the dough comes together. It should take about 30-60 seconds.

Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter and pour cookie dough onto the plastic wrap.  Form dough into a disc and fold plastic wrap over the top.  Roll out cookie dough, between sheet plastic wrap, until it's about 3/8-inch thick.  Place on a baking sheet and set in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.  Take chilled dough out of the fridge and peel back top layer of the plastic wrap.  Stamp out cookies in your desired shape. Place cookies about 1 inch apart.  Bake for 9-10 minutes.  It will be tricky to tell when they are done.  The edges will be crisp and the centers will feel a little puffy and not quite set.  Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack.  Let cookies sit until completely cooled.  Remove from the cookie sheet and lay them out on the counter top.  Flip half of them over and make the buttercream.

Chocolate Buttercream

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma - Dessert

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt

In the bowl of a double boiler, melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate.  Stir until smooth.  Remove from the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.  Should be just warm to the touch.

In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl with your hand mixer at the ready!), beat butter for 30 seconds until fluffy.  Add powdered sugar and beat until combined.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and add corn syrup, vanilla and salt, beat until fluffy. Scrape sides of the bowl. Slowly add cooled chocolate and beat until smooth and chocolate is all combined.  Beat for 1 minute on medium-high until frosting is fluffy.  Transfer to a piping bag with a star tip.  Pipe frosting onto half of the cookies. (Alternatively, spread frosting onto cookies with a knife) Sandwich together and place in an air-tight container.  Put cookies in the fridge for at least 4 hours.  Enjoy!