Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies for the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the month of August

The month of August is known traditionally for honoring the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This coming Saturday is the First Saturday, which every month is dedicated to honoring Mary's Immaculate Heart. If you want to learn more about the First Saturday devotion, look for Thursday's blog post and email which shares more about the history and meaning of the personal devotion.

All of this being said, as I thought about ways that we can celebrate or honor Mary's Immaculate Heart in our homes, or with our community, I thought of these heart-shaped sugar cookies. If you have littles, this is a fun activity to bring them into and to discuss Mary's Immaculate Heart while making -- like while you decorate them with the different symbols or images related to her pierced Heart. Or if you have a small group or are hosting anyone this week, this could be an easy treat to set out and to use a small means of bringing this devotion up and sharing with one another about the significance or mysteries which surround it.

So here it is! If you don't have heart-shaped cookie cutters, you can find some on Amazon.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon almond extract, optional

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or by hand, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar until fully combined.

2. Then add in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and mix until fully combined and fluffy.

3. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt until the dough comes together into a ball. It should be very soft, but not sticky.

4. Divide in half and press the dough into discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or a minimum of at least 2 hours).

5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to your desired thickness (I like between ¼ and ½ inch thick). Then cut out the cookies into your desired shapes.

7. For these heart shaped sugar cookies, I used these heart cookie cutters. But you can use whatever cookie cutters you want! This recipe makes about 40 heart cookies in various sizes, but will make more or less depending on the cookie cutters you use.

8. Place the heart cookies 1-2 inches apart on your lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer for a minimum of 20 minutes before baking. This ensures the cookies keep their shape.

9. While the cookies are chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F.

10. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the edges are set. Bake on the middle rack of the oven and rotate the pan halfway through baking for the best results.

11. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove and let them finish cooling on a cooling rack.

12. Frost, if desired!