Black & White Heart Cookies

I love a good black & white cookie. They’re one of my favorites – the perfect combination of chocolate and vanilla, with a hint of lemon. But these black & white hearts aren’t authentic. If you’d like a recipe for an authentic B&W cookie, check out one of my previous posts! I had some extra cookie dough and decided to make a small batch of these cookies. With the other portion of the dough, I made conversation heart cookies — watch for that post at the end of this week!

Black and White Heart Cookies
Recipe source: Annie’s Eats (cookies and white royal icing)
Print Recipe

Almond Flavored Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1-1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups sifted flour

Directions:
Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm. Roll to ¼â€ thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with heart-shaped cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown. Frost and decorate when cool. Yield will depend on size of the cutter you use.

White Royal Icing
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons meringue powder
5 Tablespoons water

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes). Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container. This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated. Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping.

Chocolate Royal Icing
3-3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
7 Tablespoons water
3 Tablespoons meringue powder

Directions:
Mix all ingredients using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Transfer icing to an air-tight container. Add water, small amounts at a time, until you’ve reached a consistency appropriate for piping.

Assembly:

• Once you’ve made the cookies and they’ve cooled completely, outline half of the heart with white royal icing and half with chocolate. Let the outlines sit for a few hours so they dry thoroughly.
• Thin your white and chocolate icings to flooding consistency. Flood each side of the heart with the corresponding icing flavor. Allow to sit overnight to dry completely.
• If you missed my post about the football cookies and have never used royal icing before, this is a great tutorial from Annie’s Eats.