Description
Delight in these charming heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies, perfect for sharing with loved ones or enjoying as a sweet treat. Made from classic ingredients, this recipe guides you through creating soft, chewy cookies with melty chocolate chips, shaped into adorable hearts using a cookie cutter right after baking while still warm.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
Add-Ins
- 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips (mix of regular and mini chips)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside to ensure the cookies don’t stick during baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. This ensures that the leavening agents and seasoning are evenly distributed throughout the flour.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy – this usually takes about 1 to 2 minutes. This step incorporates air, which helps the cookies rise.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Mix until just combined to avoid overworking the dough.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Blend just until you no longer see any streaks of flour, taking care not to overmix which could make the cookies tough.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips: Gently fold in the semisweet chocolate chips, incorporating them evenly throughout the dough without breaking them up.
- Portion Dough: Using about 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, scoop onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2-3 inches between each to allow for spreading. Adjust the size of dough scoops depending on the size of your heart-shaped cookie cutter.
- Add Optional Toppings: If desired, press additional chocolate chunks or sprinkles onto the tops of each cookie for extra decoration.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to turn a very light golden brown, but the centers still look slightly underdone. This helps achieve that soft, chewy texture.
- Cut and Cool: Immediately after removing the tray from the oven, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter (about 3.5 x 3.25 inches) to cut each warm cookie into a heart shape. Be very careful, as the cookies and pan will be hot. Let the cut cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-7 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Cookie Cutter Size: The recommended heart cookie cutter is approximately 3.5 x 3.25 inches. Depending on your cutter’s size, adjust your cookie dough scoop size to ensure the shapes come out well.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before beginning to help with proper mixing and texture.
- Flour Measurement: Measure flour correctly by spooning into your measuring cup and leveling off with a knife to avoid dense cookies.
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- Freezing: Cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
