Heart‑shaped cookies have become a staple of Valentine's Day in the United States, symbolizing love and affection. The tradition grew in the mid‑20th century alongside mass‑produced candy hearts, encouraging home bakers to create personalized sweet treats for loved ones.

In the Midwest, bakers often use a sugar‑cookie base with royal icing, while the South favors soft, buttery shortbread hearts. West Coast versions may incorporate gluten‑free flours or vegan butter, reflecting local dietary trends.

They are typically arranged on a decorative platter, sometimes drizzled with melted chocolate or sprinkled with colored sugar. Many families give them as part of a Valentine’s Day gift bag or serve them alongside hot cocoa.

Besides Valentine’s Day, these cookies appear at school classroom exchanges, bridal showers, and as sweet additions to romantic picnics or dinner dates.

It follows the classic American sugar‑cookie method—creaming butter and sugar, adding egg and vanilla, then folding in flour—while adding festive coloring, a hallmark of holiday‑specific baking like Christmas or Halloween cookies.

Traditional ingredients include unsalted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, egg, all‑purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Substitutes can be margarine for butter, brown sugar for granulated sugar, flax egg for egg, and gluten‑free flour blends for wheat flour.

They pair nicely with hot chocolate, strawberry milkshakes, or a light vanilla latte. For a full dessert spread, serve them alongside red velvet cupcakes or a raspberry mousse.

The use of two contrasting colored doughs creates a visual surprise—red and pink hearts embedded in a neutral base—adding a playful twist to the classic sugar cookie while keeping the recipe quick and accessible.

Common errors include over‑mixing the dough, which makes cookies tough; not chilling the dough long enough, causing the hearts to lose shape; and baking at too low a temperature, resulting in pale, under‑cooked cookies.

The edges should be lightly golden and the centers set. The cookies will still look slightly soft; they firm up as they cool on the rack. If they brown too quickly, reduce the oven temperature by 10‑15°F.

The YouTube channel Brooke Ervin focuses on approachable home baking tutorials, seasonal treats, and quick dessert ideas for everyday cooks, often incorporating fun twists and giveaways to engage viewers.

Brooke Ervin emphasizes simplicity and real‑life kitchen constraints—using minimal equipment and improvising when tools are missing—while still delivering festive, visually appealing results, setting her apart from more production‑heavy channels.