Fun Heart Cookie Tutorial- great for kids!

My boys love to bake with me! So, I thought I would let them make some cookies as a tutorial for you. So they made these cookies for you (I helped with the oven and the mixer and melting the chocolate, anything a 5, 4, and 2 year old shouldn't do). This is great for kids to do for valentines treats, but lots of fun for adults as well.

We made the cookies from Chocolate Chip cookie dough, but they could easily be done with sugar cookie dough as well. If you are making it from chocolate chip cookie dough you need to add 1/4 cup of extra flour to the dough so it isn't so sticky.

Roll out your dough on a piece of parchement and cut out your hearts and remove the dough around them. It is best to have them spaced at least 1-2 inches apart, but my kids don't really understand that yet. If you need to move some cookies put a little flour on a thin bladed cookie spatula and slide it underneath and place them in a better spot. It is best not to move them becuase their shape can alter.

The cookies can spread a lot so immediately after you take them out of the oven recut with the cookie cutters. My boys only did the insides because they thought the outside looked great to them (but, I would have recut the outsides). To help them so they don't spread as much, put the cookies and cookie sheet in the freezer for a few minutes to chill them. Then they hold their shape a little more.

Put the cookies on a new piece of parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet.

Melt some chocolate. I normally like to use coating chocolate, but I had these chocolate chips on hand from making the cookies. Put a couple handfuls of chocolate in a microwaveable bowl (don't worry if you need more you can melt more chocolate). Stick the bowl in the microwave and cook on high for 30 seconds and stop and stir the chocolate. They will not really be melted at all, but it is important to stir each time so they get roatated and to reach too high of a temperature. Continue to microwave your chocolate for 15 second intervals and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

Once you fill all the centers of the cookies with chocolate, lift the cookie sheet and tap it gently on the counter so the chocolate will settle.

You can add sprinkles or really any kind of topping you want to the chocolate or leave them plain. Don't worry if there is excess on the cookies, after they chill then when you lift them off the excess will fall off. You can tell my 2 year old did the red sanding sugar! hehehe The mini cookies we just sandwhiched together with a little chocolate.

Place the cookie sheet in the fridge and chill until the chocolate hardens and then enjoy.

My three hungry bakers enjoying their creations!

My boys hope you enjoy trying out some chocolate centered chocolate chip cookies!