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Heart Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft and chewy and full of chocolate. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or anytime you want to make something special for someone you love.
Heart-Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies
I wanted to make homemade heart-shaped cookies without the need for a cookie cutter.
You certainly could use a cookie cutter, but I wanted to form the dough into a shape of a heart before baking.
You know, for those times you get a last minute idea and don’t want to run to the store for the special cookie cutter.
My 8 year old took great pleasure in telling me these look like “bottoms” when you flip them over.
I’m standing firm that they are hearts 😄
Why you’ll love these chocolate chip heart cookies 💕
Perfect treat – These cookie hearts are perfect for valentine’s day cookies or just because.
Classic dessert – who doesn’t love a new chocolate chip cookie recipe?
New recipe – I usually opt for the classic Tollhouse recipe but this recipe has a few tweaks making for chewy cookies with a slightly crip edge.
Equipment you’ll need
- Baking Sheets – I like a lipped baking sheet but I keep coming back to my Airbake pans.
- Mixing Bowls – You’ll need a large bowl and a medium bowl.
- Electric Mixer – I opt for my hand mixer more often than not but a stand mixer could also be used.
- Cookie Scoop – I use a medium cookie scoop (#40) which is 1.5 tablespoons.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Butter – I personally like to use salted butter because I don’t like overly sweet cookies. You might prefer unsalted butter. Either way, make sure it is at room temperature.
- Sugars – This recipe calls for both brown sugar and white sugar.
- Eggs – You’ll need one full egg and one egg yolk.
- Vanilla – I always recommend pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. I buy it in bulk from Sam’s Club or Costco.
- Flour – I’ve only tested these with all purpose flour.
- Baking Soda – Using baking soda in cookies give you a soft, fluffy cookie.
- Salt – I recommend kosher salt over table salt.
- Chocolate – I use a mix of a chopped chocolate bar (the Trader Joe’s Pound Plus) and Ghirardelli baking chips. Mini semisweet chocolate chips could be used if you like the chips more evenly distributed. I like the larger chips for pools of melted chocolate.
- Sea Salt – Optional, but I like to sprinkle Maldon sea salt on top of the cookies when they come out of the oven.
How to make heart shaped chocolate chip cookies
- STEP ONE: First, to a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until combined.
- STEP TWO: Next, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt).
- STEP THREE: Then, gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients while mixing. I do it in three parts. Once fully mixed, stir in the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate until evenly distributed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let chill for approximately 20-30 minutes.
- STEP FOUR: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F and line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- STEP FIVE: Once the dough is chilled, use a medium cookie scoop to portion out the dough (to approximately 1.5 tablespoons). Break the dough in half, roll each piece into a log and form into a “v” shape. Place on the prepared baking sheet, making sure to give plenty of room because they will spread a bit.
- STEP SIX: Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, immediately sprinkle with salt or mini heart sprinkles and let cool on the pan for a few minutes before sliding them off to cool completely.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer
If you remember, for the last several years I have worked with Cookies for Kids’ Cancer to raise awareness and fight against pediatric cancer by sharing Valentine themed desserts (last year I did Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies, the year before that I did Double Chocolate M&M Cookies…).
Cancer is the #1 cause of death of children by disease in the U.S. There are 40,000 U.S. children actively battling cancer right now. The National Cancer Institute’s budget for childhood cancer is less than 4%, which is disheartening.
Our goal is to raise at least $3,000 because Mediavine has each pledged to match our donations raised through this campaign up to that amount. That means when we raise $1, it turns into $4!
You can help make a difference by donating to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer! We’re well on our way to the goal so even $1 will help.
Now, let’s be a good cookie and bake some cookies.
Tips & Suggestions 💕
To switch it up, try mini chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips. Press additional chips in as the warm cookies come out of the oven.
If you have a heart-shaped pan, you could make a giant heart cookie like my skillet cookie.
If you don’t want to form the hearts, you can bake a pan of cookies and then use an open heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies once they’re baked.
Another option is to make traditional, round chocolate chip cookies and then use a cookie cutter on them once they’re baked.
I tested freezing the cookie dough before baking them and didn’t find much difference in the heart shapes so I don’t think it’s necessary but it is an option.
If you’re short on time, you can use a chocolate chip cookie mix (Betty Crocker makes a decent one), but I haven’t tested to see how much they spread.
What to serve with them
If you’re sticking to a Valentine’s Day theme, you can serve the heart shaped cookies with strawberry cannoli cones, some white chocolate crockpot candy (with valentine sprinkles), and even some non-alcoholic jello shots.
How to store leftovers
Heart chocolate chip cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
If they start to dry out, add a slice of white bread to the container to soften them back up.
Can I freeze them?
Yes, cookie dough freezes beautifully. I always have a cookie dough stash in the freezer.
Scoop the dough onto a pan, cover with plastic wrap, flash freeze until solid, and then drop the frozen dough balls into a freezer bag.
Store up to three months in the freezer and bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
FAQs
Can you make heart shaped cookies without a cookie cutter?
Sure can! Shaping the dough into a large “v” bakes up into a heart.
I originally tried shaping the dough into a heart and then baking but ended up with blobs. Not a good look lol I got much better results from forming the “v”.
When the cookies were warm, straight out of the oven, I used a butter knife to help press some of the edges into place for a smoother look.
What is the secret to chewy cookies?
To make a softer, chewier cookie, this recipe uses more brown sugar than white sugar. The extra egg yolk also helps to increase the chewiness.
Finally, bake the cookies until they’re just golden around the edges. They may look a bit under-baked but they’ll finish baking on the hot pan once you take them out of the oven.
Need more cookie recipes? Try these:
Chocolate Frosted Valentine Cookies
Red Velvet M&M Cake Mix Cookies
Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
Click here for my entire collection of cookie recipes.
Heart Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped chocolate I use Trader Joe's Pound Bar
- Maldon sea salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix until combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In thirds, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients while mixing on low.
- Once fully mixed, stir in the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate until evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let chill for approximately 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Once the dough is chilled, use a medium cookie scoop to portion out the dough (approximately 1.5 tablespoons). Break the dough in half, roll each piece into a log and form into a "v" shape. Place on the prepared baking sheet, making sure to give plenty of room because they will spread a bit.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, immediately sprinkle sea salt on top, and let cool on the pan for a few minutes before sliding them off to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see!Be sure to visit the other creators participating in the event and check out their recipes!
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