Cookie Hearts with Sugar Windows

Ingredients

• 250 g butter
• 125 g sugar
• 275 g flour
• 100 g rice flour
• flour (for dusting)
• 300 g sugar
• food coloring red and green (heat‑resistant)
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• zuckerpulver perlen (for decoration)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Beat the butter with the sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add sifted flour and rice flour and knead into a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for about 2 hours.

2. 2.

   Preheat the oven to 160 °C fan‑forced.

3. 3.

   Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 5 mm thickness. Cut out hearts of about 6 cm diameter, then cut a smaller heart of about 3 cm from the center of each. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Punch holes for hanging. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes until light yellow. Remove carefully and let cool.

4. 4.

   Divide the sugar into two small pots, add 2 tbsp water to each, and melt over low heat without stirring. Color one pot green and the other red with food coloring. Transfer the cookie hearts onto parchment paper and fill the “heart windows” with the liquid sugar. Let set completely.

5. 5.

   Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice into a piping‑ready glaze. Form a small piping tip from parchment paper and pipe the glaze along the edges of the hearts. Decorate with sugar pearls and allow to harden.