Here’s My Heart Cookies-Improv Challenge

The theme for this month’s Improv  Challenge hosted Kristen over at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker is hearts and flours (pun intended).
 
I decided to see if I could make a cookie using  jellied heart candies.  I adapted a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookie Book 2011, added almond extract and used a two-step baking method.  I tried putting the hearts on the cookies at the start of the baking time.  They held up OK, but the sugar on them melted.  Baking the cookies for a time and then adding the hearts worked better.

The recipe will make 48 to 54 cookies.  A bag of jellied hearts contains about 38 pieces of candy.  Buy two bags of candy and eat the excess or buy one bag of candy and make some plain cookies, depending on how many heart cookies are needed.

The people I tested these on liked them a lot and thought they were very cute.

I did find that I needed to chill the dough and keep it very cold so kept it in the refrigerator between baking the pans of cookies.

Here’s My Heart Cookies
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg at room temperature
1 t. almond extract
2 T. milk
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/8 t. baking soda
1 to 2 pkgs. jellied candy hearts

In a large mixing bowl combine shortening, butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Beat well.  Add egg, almond extract and milk, beating until well blended.  Combine flour, baking powder and soda.  Stir into liquid ingredients and mix until well blended.  Chill dough at least 1 hour.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheet.  (I used a cookie scoop.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.  Remove cookies from oven and quickly place a jellied heart in the center of each cookies.  Return to oven and bake an additional 3 to 4 minutes, just until edges begin to brown.  Remove from oven and let set about 1 minute before removing cookies from baking sheet.  Cool on a wire rack.  Makes 48 to 54 cookies.

The ingredients for next month's Improv Challenge are peas and carrots.  Now that should be an interesting one.  If you would like to join us, you can find all the necessary information on Kristen's Improv page.

Check what other bloggers did with hearts and flours in the links below.