Bake a batch of beautiful and delicious Clementine Butter Hearts to say I love you this Valentine’s Day! Tender and kissed with just the right touch of clementine sweetness, this cookie pairs with coffee, tea or chocolate. Rolling and cutting dough not your thing? Skip the chilling and use this soft dough in a cookie press!
My newer friends may not know this, but I am simply mad about clementines! The true Spanish clementines that come in the wooden box. There’s just something about their delicate, citrus sweetness, small size, and easy-to-eat qualities that I love. Plus, my Nanie adored clementines and every time I have one, I think of her. Since they are usually only available until about the end of February, I always try to make a clementine treat for Valentine’s Day. I adapted the Butter Cookie recipe from Wilton’s Gifts from the Kitchen for these light and lovely cookies!
The cookie dough comes together easily. First, butter and sugar is creamed until light and fluffy.
Once the eggs, clementine juice, rind and flour are added, you have a fragrant, soft dough.
Now, here’s where you get to make a decision. If you want to make cut-outs, divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight. This is perfect dough to use in a cookie press! If you’d rather make pressed cookies, you can just start pressing and baking.
Keep one section of dough in fridge while you work with the other. It warms up quickly and gets a little sticky, so keep your work surface and cutters lightly floured. I made two sizes of hears – 3 ½” and 2” This recipe made 20 large and one dozen smaller hearts.
You can absolutely leave this plain or add any kind of sprinkles before baking. Since this cookie is not too sweet, I though a clementine glaze would perfect! I added more clementine juice than I did, say for the Clementine Tea Loaf I made last year, for a thinner glaze.
I used the tines of a fork to drizzle the glaze across the cookies on a diagonal, and added Valentine sprinkles and candy hearts to the wet glaze.
I’m absolutely tickled pink with how pretty these turned out! This is really my kind of cookie – they’re tender, not too sweet and would be fantastic with a cup of tea or coffee. These are big cookies and would make a sweet little gift! Put one or two in a treat bag, add a pretty bow. Now, if clementines aren’t available, you could always use oranges, of course.
I’d love to hear about your clementine recipes!!
- 1 cup of unsalted buttered, softened
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated clementine rind
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed clementine juice
- ½ teaspoon butter vanilla bakery emulsion or vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour
- Icing Glaze
- 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated clementine rind
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5-7 tablespoons of freshly squeezed clementine juice
- A variety of Valentine sprinkles (optional)
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, clementine rind, juice and vanilla; mix well.
- Gradually add flour, mixing until blended.
- Dough will be soft; divide dough into two portions, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight. Is using cookies press, dough does not need to be chilled.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and cut with heart-shaped cookie cutters. Transfer hearts to ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until a light golden. Let cookies cool 2 minutes until moving cookies to cooling racks.
- Make icing glaze:
- Combine confectioners sugar, clementine rind, vanilla and enough fresh clementine juice to make a thin icing glaze.
- Use the tines of a fork to drizzle glass back and forth over cookies on a diagonal.
- Shake Valentine sprinkles over wet icing. Let icing set.
Thanks so much for stopping by today!
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These cookies look delicious. Any Valentine would love to have them.
Annamaria
Hi Annamaria! Thank you so much – they were a big hit at home and the office. I so appreciate your visit – have a happy Sunday and week!
I absolutely love cookies that aren’t too sweet. Hubs loves clementines and I’m learning to. Have bit of problem chewing them since no bottom teeth, (losing bone),
These look so good I’m almost salivating. Remind me great deal of some cookies my Mother made from scratch from family recipes (which got lost, terrible shame). My Mother used to make Kuchen from scratch and her own noodles, many old fashioned absolutely delicious baked goods. She was excellent cook but I seemed to have kept the baking part in my personality. Love to bake but cooking, – eeehhh. Hubs does all cooking in our house. I was decent cook years ago but he does it all now that it’s just us two. It was that or bean him one when he tried to grab my hand all the time, he’s bit of control freak, (alot actually, lol).
So glad you shared this recipe Cindy. Haven’t gotten a post from you in long time, glad to hear from you again. Your posts never disappoint.
I’m still recovering from shoulder replacement surgery on 12/7. Starting outpatient physical therapy on Friday this week. Shoulder being stubborn about loosening up so I can use right arm above my head, not just down motions.
Hope you and yours are doing wonderfully and you had spectacular holidays. Happy daze
Hi JaneEllen! It’s always wonderful to hear from you – I hope the therapy is going well and you get back to feeling great quickly! I’m sorry that you haven’t been receiving my posts and am so happy that you are seeing them again. Hope you have a happy Sunday!
We love clementines at our house! These cookies sound divine. Pinning for future use. Stopping by from Inspiration(2). Following on pinterest and facebook!
Hi Kathryn! Thank you so much for your sweet visit and comment – it’s lovely to meet you! Just followed you on Facebook and will on Pinterest, too. Hope you have a happy Sunday and a great week!
Oh my, these sound (and look) amazing! I love the idea of brightening up the cookies with clementine. I think only being able to get something for a limited amount of time each year makes them that much more special and fun!
Hi Carlee! Thank you so much! These cookies were delicious and now I’m thinking about my Clementine recipe for next year. ? Thanks for your kind visit and hope you have a happy Sunday!
Yum! Adding clementine to give the cookie an orange taste is a great idea. These wouldn’t last long at my house.
Hi Paula! They didn’t last long here, either! ? Hope you are managing through this unbelievable blizzard – we wound up with 29.2 inches of snow, which we have to start shoveling today. Sigh! Hope you have a happy Sunday!
Cindy! Thank you for sharing these cookies with us at Snickerdoodle Sunday! Pinned and tweeted to share!
Thanks for stopping by today. Always appreciate your comments ?
~Laurie
Laurie, thank you so much for party, pin, tweet and most of all, visit! Hope your week is off to a great start!
Mmm … these sound wonderful! I love clementine’s, too, and this is such a great way to use them!
Thanks, Ginnie – I wish clementines were available all year, but I guess they would seem less special. These cookies were delicious!
These look delicious!!
Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday!
Chris, thank you, for your visit and the party! Enjoy your week!
I was just thinking about how long women have been baking sugar cookies, has to be 100’s of years, there is nothing better and made in so man different ways. I love your Clementine Cookies, they look delicious, oh, did you see that bite, it was delicious!! Thanks for lining to Oh My Heartsie Girl!!
Pinned to share!!
Hope you stop by to share this wonderful recipe!!
Have a great week!
Karren
Oh My Heartsie Girl!!
These are super cute and I looooooove the addition of clementine. It make them unique