These beautiful sparkle sweetheart cookies are dressed up in Valentine’s Day sprinkles with a chocolate heart nestled on top. This is a simple cream cheese drop-style sugar cookie that only requires 30โ60 minutes of cookie dough chilling.
Valentine’s Day & Galentine’s Day! Whether you celebrate February 14th with your sweetheart or your friends, I have a perfectly festive cookie for you!
These are my Sparkle Sweetheart Cookies aka:
- The Valentine’s Day version of Christmas Cookie Sparkles
- The peanut-free version of Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
Dressed in sparkling sprinkles and sealed with a chocolate heart. Mwah!
Behind the Recipe: Sparkle Sweetheart Cookies
These are cream cheese sugar cookies. They’re extra thick and sweet with a lovely little tang. The cookie dough is made from simple sugar cookie ingredients like butter, sugar, egg, and flour. Cream cheese is a secret ingredient, transforming these soft sugar cookies into super soft and super creamy sugar cookies. For added flavor, I recommend a splash of almond extract. Almond extract pairs wonderfully with the chocolate heart on top!
The cookie dough needs to chill for 1 hour before rolling into balls. However, I successfully cut it down to only 30-45 minutes with success! If you’re in a rush this Valentine’s Day, these cookies are relatively quick.
There is NO rolling pin or cookie cutters required. Rather, this is a simple drop-style sugar cookie that bakes up perfectly round. Here is my cream cheese cut-out cookies with Nutella glaze recipe if you’re interested. Just as soft and creamy as today’s!
Here’s a tip: Notice how I’m pressing down the cookie dough balls? That’s an important step. These cream cheese cookies won’t really spread unless you give them a little nudge. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to slightly flatten down.
Glam it Up
Here are two little extras to glam up your sugar cookies:
- Sprinkles: Before baking, roll the cookie dough balls in sprinkles. Sprinkles give the cookies a light crunch, which is a lovely contrast to the creamy and soft centers. For a sparkling effect, I recommend “sanding sugar” or “coarse sugar sprinkles.” I found red and light pink in the seasonal section of my grocery, but I know red and a dark pink are available year round. You can also use regular jimmies or nonpareils if those are easier for you!
- Chocolate Hearts: Individually wrapped chocolate hearts are everywhere this time of year. I love Dove and Hershey’s brands. Hershey’s sells all different flavors, including white chocolate. I used solid milk chocolate for the pictured Sparkle Sweetheart Cookies. ๐
Let me know if you try these for Valentine’s Day, and if you need more inspiration, here are 36+ Valentine’s Day dessert recipes.
More Valentine’s Day Desserts
To round out your Valentine’s Day celebration:
- Valentine’s Day Cupcakes & decorated Valentine’s Day Cookies
- Creme Brรปlรฉe (only 6 ingredients)
- Chocolate Truffles
- Chocolate Lava Cakes (only 6 ingredients)
- Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies (you can’t go wrong with classic chocolate chip cookies, either!)
- Valentine’s Day Chocolate Bark (only 3 ingredients)
- White Chocolate Red Velvet Cookies
Sparkle Sweetheart Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 32 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These sparkle sweetheart cookies are dressed up in Valentine’s Day sprinkles and a chocolate heart on top! This is a simple cream cheese drop-style sugar cookie that only requires 30-60 minutes of cookie dough chilling.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 ounces (57g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract*
- 3/4 cup (150g) sanding sugar, pink and red or assorted colors*
- 32 chocolate hearts, unwrapped*
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together on high speed until relatively smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat until combined and creamy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. The dough will be thick. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 30-60 minutes and up to 3-4 days. If chilling for longer than 2-3 hours, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard and the cookies may not spread.
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC).ย Line twoย large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.ย (Always recommendedย for cookies.)ย Set aside.
- Pour sanding sugar in a bowl or, if using multiple colors, a few separate bowls.
- Roll balls of cookie dough, about 1 Tablespoon of dough per cookie, then roll each ball in the sanding sugar to coat. Place each dough ball 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Using the back of a measuring cup or drinking glass, gently press down on each dough ball to slightly flatten. Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes or until very lightly browned on the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.ย Press a chocolate heart into each cookie and quickly stick the baking sheet in the freezer or fridge so the warm cookie does not completely melt the chocolate heart. Let the chocolate set (about 15 minutes) on the cookies in the freezer/refrigerator.
- Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving. Unbaked cookie dough balls (without sanding sugar coating) will freeze well for up to 3 months. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, pre-heat the oven, then roll in sanding sugar. Bake as directed. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paperย | Valentine’s Day Sanding Sugars | Dove Chocolate Hearts (other brands like Hershey’s also have chocolate heart candies available around Valentine’s Day) | Cooling Rack
- Almond extract adds a wonderful flavor to the cookies, but you can leave it out if desired. No need to replace with anything.
- I find sanding sugar sprinkles at my regular grocery store. You can usually find them in the baking aisle. I like Wilton brand.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Could I make my own sanding sugar to use for this recipe?
Hi El, we have not tested that – would you just combine sugar and food coloring? We’re unsure how that would hold up during baking but let us know if you try!
The cookies tasted amazing. They are pillowy soft with that nice crunch of sugar on the outside. The taste with that hint of vanilla gives them that little bit of extra that is so good. It also makes the house smell so good when baking.
they were devoured! Will make them again.
Thank you for this great recipe.
The cookies were easy and fast to make! They look so pretty and there was not one left after I served them. Everyone wanted the recipe. They taste as good as they look. Thank you. This recipe is a keeper and will be repeated often.
Great cookie!! Crispy outside and soft, melt in your mouth center! Great reviews by everyone I gifted some. Next Christmas, I may use this recipe without the hearts to replace my usual butter cookies. These have more flavor and better texture!
Do I have to use cream cheese? I donโt want to substitute it with anything, just wondering if I can leave it out without effect the whole thing. Thank you!
Hi Amanda, You can replace the cream cheese with the same amount of softened unsalted butter.
They look yummy. Do you put the chocolate heart on before or after baking?
Hi Diana, you add the chocolate hearts after – see step #7.
Do you think I could add freeze dried raspberry powder to these?
Hi Mary, we haven’t tested it ourselves, but you could start by swapping some of the flour for freeze dried raspberry powder. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
This recipe is awesome. Thank you for sharing. These will be featured in my teacher valentines boxes. The taste is amazing.
Made these with my granddaughter this weekend and they were amazing and so pretty for Valentine’s Day!
I use your recipes all the time and they are great! This cookie recipe was just OK. Nothing special in the taste department. They are pretty when finished but I was truly hoping for something to knock my socks off….currently sock still on.
These were amazing Sally. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!!
Can I deduct 50% of the sugar?
Does it affect the texture of the cookies?
Hi Vienna, while you can certainly try reducing the sugar, it will change the overall taste, texture, and structure of the cookies. For best results, we recommend sticking with the recipe as written.
Wow these are the cutest things! My dough turned out perfect and the final product was even better. I did end up having to cook it for more like 19 minutes, but to be fair I stuck 2 cookie sheets with 12 each in there at the same time (24 total) and Sally mightโve only done one with 12 ๐ they were easy and going to be a hit for the office tomorrow. I made the recipe exactly as written, no subs. Thank you for sharing
I made these tonight and theyโre total perfection. Doubled the batch for valentines and left out almond extract (allergy). They were perfect to make with young kids and genuinely so tasty. I wish I splurged on Lindt chocolate hearts vs Hersheyโs, but thatโs my own issue. Thanks for a wonderful and simple recipe.
Just to clarify….its only a total of 2 oz of cream cheese ??? Not half block?
thanks!
Hi Jen, 2oz is correct – it’s a quarter of a standard block. Enjoy!