Raspberry Pink Ombre Heart Terraced Cookies

One of the ideas I regretfully did not get to explore this past holiday season was a terraced cookie. I’d seen different versions in German baking magazines and on the interwebs, including stacks of star shapes made to look like trees and also rectangles with pretty edges in gingerbread flavors. I simply ran out of time.

After pushing the concept to my December 2017 list, I reconsidered when I had the idea to carry the concept over to Valentine’s Day with these pink ombre heart terrace cookies.

I love how they came how. So pretty and festive for the occasion. 

These cookies are flavored with raspberry extract but you can choose your own favorite. I also used straight edge cutters to form the heart shapes. Fluted edge versions would look much better. I just could find three fluted ones that fit together. 

The color possibilities are endless as well. Use red, pink and plain. Or shades of purple and lavender would also look cool. To finish the cookies off Instead of going crazy with the disco dust like I usually do, I lightly dusted the top heart cookie with pale pink glitter for some subtle bling. 

Ingredients:

• Your favorite vanilla roll-out sugar cookie recipe. I used this one from Bake at 350 and swapped out the vanilla and almond extracts for the raspberry. This cookies recipe does not require any chill time. 
• Raspberry extract or flavoring
• Pink food coloring
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons water
• Pink glitter sugar 

You will also need a small paintbrush and three heart shaped cookies cutters that are the same shape but different sizes. 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Make the cookies dough and divide it into three parts; small, medium and large portions.*
• Use a drop of pink food coloring to tint the smallest dough portion a light pink, a few more drops to tint the medium portion a darker shade of pink and even more drops to tint the largest portion a more intense shade of pink.

• Roll out the large, darkest shade and use the largest heart cutter to cut out shapes. Repeat with the medium sized portion of dough with the medium sized cutter. Use the smallest heart cutter on the light pink shade. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
• Sprinkle the smallest hearts with the pink glitter before baking.
• When the cookies come out of the oven, transfer them to baking racks to cool completely.

• Mix the powdered sugar with the water to make a sugar “glue”.
• Use the paintbrush to apply a thick dab of the sugar glaze onto the middle of the largest heart cookies, adhere the medium sized heart cookie to the large one. Repeat and glue the small heart cookie on top of the medium sized one.
• Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
• Let the terraced heart cookies sit for 20-30 minutes until the glue sets before serving.