Heart-Shaped Cookies with Raspberry Filling
These shortbread hearts with a clear raspberry center were dreamed up by the ‘KhlibSoli’ editorial team for February 14, inspired by scenes from films about love and food. The construction is simple and striking: a shortbread “frame” with a raised edge holds a bright berry jelly that sets right inside the cookie and gleams like stained glass.
The dough gets three aromatic accents at once: lemon zest, orange zest, and ground ginger. These are exactly what rescue the shortbread base from cloying sweetness and give it a wintery, holiday flavor. The gelatin filling is essential here: unlike ordinary jam, it holds its shape and doesn’t run.
What to Know
- Raspberries can be replaced with any berries, such as currants, strawberries, or cherries; tart berries set off the shortbread base especially well.
- Be sure to push the puree through a sieve: raspberry seeds will ruin the smooth surface of the jelly.
- Don’t bring the gelatin to a boil while dissolving it, or it will lose its setting power.
- The dough must be well chilled before cutting, because warm dough stretches and the hearts lose their shape.
Keep the cookies in the refrigerator until the jelly sets completely, then serve them at room temperature so the aroma of the zest comes through. They make a lovely edible “valentine” in place of a card.
Part of French cuisine — 22 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Dough and shaping
For the dough, grate the butter on the large holes of a box grater. Beat the egg with the sugar until the sugar fully dissolves. Add the butter and the rest of the ingredients and knead into a smooth dough. Wrap it in plastic and let it rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a sheet 4 mm thick. Take two heart-shaped cutters, one larger and one smaller. First cut out the larger hearts. Set half of them aside, and lay the other half back out on the surface. Use the smaller cutter to cut centers out of those. Place the resulting "frames" onto the set-aside hearts and press lightly to fix them in place; this gives you cookie bases with raised edges.
Filling
Soak the gelatin in cold water. Meanwhile, put the raspberries in a saucepan, add the sugar and water, and bring to a boil. Take off the heat, blend into a puree, and push through a fine sieve.Squeeze the excess moisture from the gelatin and add it to the warm puree. Heat, stirring, until the gelatin fully dissolves. Take off the heat and cool to room temperature.
Spoon the cooled raspberry filling into the wells of the cookie bases. Refrigerate until fully set.
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