Preparation

Here comes a delicious recipe (one of my faves!) for the upcoming Valentine's Day.
I don't like Valentine's Day and that is why I like these cookies: they make me happy (:

Hope you like them!!

Ingredients (8 cookies [5 inch ones])

• 3 cups of flour, plus a bit to work with on the surface
  
• 3/4 tablespoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (soft)
  
• 1 egg (preferably big)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup canned lychees, drained
• 1 jar (+- 28g) raspberry jam (any jam you like, really, I just prefer this one myself)
• 1/2 cup prosecco
  
• Icing (ingredients are below)
  
• Sky-blue gel food coloring
  
• Pink-rose gel food coloring
  
• Non-stick vegetable cooking spray
• Pink pastel sanding sugar
• Raspberry-colored sanding sugar

Ingredients for the icing:

• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 7 1/2 teaspoons meringue powder
• 1/4 cup water

Les directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Set aside. In another bowl: eat 1 cup granulated sugar with butter until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer (paddle attachment) for about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and mix until well combined. With mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture. Mix until dough forms. Turn dough out onto work surface and divide into quarters. Form each quarter into a 5inch 'disk'. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and place refrigerator. Let chill until firm (should take about 2 hours).

1. Meanwhile, place lychees in the bowl of a food processor; process until very smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan along with the jam and prosecco. Cook, stirring regularly, over medium-high heat until jam mixture has reduced and thickened (+- 20 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer cooled jam mixture to a (disposable) pastry bag fitted with a medium petal decorating tip.
2. Line two baking sheets with non-stick baking mats and set aside. Place a piece of parchment paper over the heart-shaped template and trace; cut out heart shape. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 5-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 2 heart shapes; transfer to prepared baking sheet.
3. Place parchment paper template over one of the cut out hearts and, using the back of a knife, score lines to divide the heart into 7 sections (template). Using an offset spatula, carefully press on the sections of the cookie that are to be filled with jam).
4. Repeat process with remaining pieces of dough. Outline indented areas with jam mixture. Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. (If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly to cover area.) Transfer cookies to refrigerator and chill for about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer cookies to oven and bake until edges are golden brown (10 to 11 minutes). Transfer to a rack or a plate (preferably a rack) and let cool completely.
6. Divide the icing (description is below) evenly between two bowls. Using a toothpick, add two drops pink-rose gel colouring to one bowl of icing. Stir until well combined. If icing is not pink enough, add a few more drops of food coloring until you have created a light-pink color. In the remaining bowl of icing, add 3 or 4 drops of pink-rose gel food coloring using a toothpick; stir until well combined. Using a toothpick, add 1 drop of sky-blue gel food coloring; stir until well combined. Keep adding drops of blue food coloring until icing is a raspberry color. Transfer each bowl of icing to a (disposable) pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
7. Cut out pieces of parchment paper about the same size and shape as the jam-filled areas of the cookie, spray each piece with nonstick vegetable cooking spray and cover the jam areas. Using the light-pink royal icing, outline the pink areas of the cookie. Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. (If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly.) Sprinkle with pink pastel sanding sugar to cover.
8. Using the icing, outline the raspberry areas of the cookie. Draw several zigzags across entire surface of the outlined area. (If necessary, use a toothpick to spread evenly.) Sprinkle with raspberry sanding sugar to cover. Peel parchment off jam-filled areas and let cookies dry completely.

Instructions to make the icing:
Place confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and water into a bowl and beat on low speed for about 10 minutes, with an electric mixer (whisk attachment). Use immediately, or store in an airtight container up to 2 days (icing hardens quickly when exposed to air!). Beat well with a (preferably rubber) spatula before using.


Enjoy, my loves!