These soft heart-shaped cookies are made with farmer's cheese-based dough, giving them the most tender texture. They are very easy to make with just a few simple ingredients, and are the perfect Valentine's Day cookies to bake with the whole family.
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Why you will love these heart cookies?
- Easy to make dough: you will need just a bowl and a fork to make the dough, no mixers or special equipment needed.
- Perfect texture: Farmer's cheese makes these cookies very soft and tender inside with slightly crispy edges.
- Great as a dessert or a sweet snack: These cookies are not overly sweet and farmer's cheese makes them filling and satisfying. Perfect for grab and go snack when in a rush.
- No artificial coloring: I used freeze dried strawberries to make them look pink.
- Easy to make with kids: the dough is very easy to roll, and kids will enjoy rolling the cut-out cookies in freeze-dried strawberries. They cookies will look fun, festive without over complicating it.
Ingredients needed
You can find all the ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the end.
- Farmer's Cheese: I used low fat Farmer's cheese.
- Butter: You will need softened butter.
- Flour: I used all-purpose four
- Baking powder: for texture and rise.
- Sugar: I used granulates sugar
- Vanilla extract: It adds a nice, warm flavor to the cookies.
- Freeze dried strawberries (optional): I like how they add a little pink color without any artificial coloring.
What is farmer's cheese and where to find it
Farmer's cheese (also known as tvorog) is a mild, soft cheese with with a slightly crumbly texture. The best way to describe it as a cross between ricotta and cottage cheese. It is dryer than ricotta and less salty than cottage cheese. It can be enjoyed as a snack or breakfast in place of yogurt, and it works great in both sweet or savory recipes.
If you are familiar with Syrnyky, the classic Eastern European cheese pancakes, farmer's cheese is the main ingredient used to make them. As you see from this recipe, you can bake with it or use it in many recipes as substitute for ricotta or cottage cheese.
In recent years, I have noticed that farmer's cheese has become more popular, making it easier to find at grocery stores. I usually buy it at Whole Foods, Walmart or Eastern European market.
How to make these soft heart cut-out cookies
Before you start, gather all measured ingredients and bring the butter to a room temperature, it should be soft. If you want, you can also microwave for 30-40 minutes, it is OK if it melts little bit. Melted butter will also work here, that's how forgiving this recipe is.
Step 1. Mix farmer's cheese with softened butter using a fork. Add sugar and vanilla and mix again.
Quick tip: for even softer texture, you can mix these ingredients with the immersion blender.
Step 2: Add flour mixed with baking powder and mix again. The cookie dough should be only slightly sticky. You can add more flour if needed.
Step 3. Cover and let it chill in the freezer for about 30-60 minutes.
Step 4. Take the cookie dough from the fridge and cut in in half. Keep the other half covered in the fridge for now. Roll the other half thinly, about ½ inch thin. Cut out the heart shape cookies. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Note: I used a few different sized heart shape cookies cutters.
Step 5. (optional). Crush freeze dried strawberries in a food processor. In a shallow dish, mix crushed strawberries and a little bit of sugar.Roll each cookie in a freeze dried strawberries, pressing them gently to they stick.
Step 6. Place the cookies on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Arrange the cookies, leaving some space in between. Bake for about 12-14 minutes at 350F or until the puff up and become slightly golden. Bake them in batches if needed.
Note: I had to bake them in 2 batches, as they did not fit on one baking pan.
Recipe tips
- These cookies are less sweet than your typical cookies. I love them as it is, they perfectly satisfy my sugar cravings. But i you want them sweeter, you can use ½ cup of sugar.
- Always chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, so it rolls out easier.
- Roll them gently to about ½ inch thick. Too thin cookies will burn, and too thick will puff up too much.
- You can use other shapes besides the hearts. These sough is also great for making animal cookies.
- Storage tip: Store them in air-tight container for up to 4 days or freeze them for up 2 months.
More Valentine's Day dessert ideas
- Red velvet crepe cake
- Easy chocolate and pear cake
- Chocolate cake with jam filling
- Crepe roll-ups with Nutella and banana
📖 Recipe
Soft Heart Shaped Cookies (With Farmer's Cheese)
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- heart cookie cutters I used large, medium, and small.
- mixing bowl
- Baking pan
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (200 g.) farmer's cheese
- 7 tablespoons (100 g.) softened butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1⅔ cup (210 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Freeze Dried Strawberry Sugar Coating (optional)
- ¼ cup freeze dried strawberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine farmer's cheese and softened butter using a fork. Add sugar and vanilla, and mix until smooth.¾ cup (200 g.) farmer's cheese , 7 tablespoons (100 g.) softened butter.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Stir in the flour until the dough is slightly sticky. Add a little more flour if needed. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. 1⅔ cup (210 grams) all-purpose flour
- Optional strawberry coating: Crush freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor. In a shallow dish, mix with a little sugar.¼ cup freeze dried strawberries , 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line the baking pan with parchment paper.
- Remove about ¼ amount of the dough from the fridge (keep the rest covered in the fridge). On a lightly floured surface, roll it out to about ½ inch thickness Use a cookie cutter to cut out heart-shaped cookies. Repeat the process with remaining dough. Note: You may need to bake in 2 batches if they don't fit on one pan.
- Roll each cookie in the crushed freeze-dried strawberries, pressing gently so they stick. Transfer the cookies on a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake cookies for about 12-14 minutes in the preheated to 350℉ oven. Once they cool completely, store them in the fridge in air-tight container for up to 5 days.
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