Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies

Author & Photographer: Tiffany Zhao

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In my elementary school, Valentine’s Day was always exciting because everyone would decorate an empty shoebox which would later be crammed full of little notes from all your classmates and, of course, lots of candy. One staple among the candies in my box would always be Sweethearts, pastel conversation hearts in a classic pink paper box, arguably the most iconic candy of Valentine’s Day. In recent years, Sweethearts have been so popular that Necco actually produces them year-round, with 100,000 pounds of hearts being made per day leading up to February 14th -- totaling to 8 billion hearts per year.

The origin of Sweethearts traces back to 1866, when Necco developed a method of printing words with red vegetable coloring onto Necco wafers. These printed candies became known as ‘motto lozenges,’ and later, ‘conversation candies,’ when they were made into heart shapes in 1902. These candies were larger than they are today and had longer messages including, “HOW LONG SHALL I HAVE TO WAIT? PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE?” 

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Since then, the messages have gotten shorter and have acquired a modern tone, such as when “FAX ME” became “CALL ME.” But these aren’t the only changes that Sweethearts have experienced; Necco actually closed its factories in 2019, so they were entirely unavailable for Valentine’s Day last year. Although they are reportedly back in limited quantities this year, not all of the hearts have messages printed on them due to technical issues.

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Although I’ve always loved the fun messages printed on conversation hearts, I personally always thought the flavors were bland and the texture was a little too chalky. Instead, I decided to re-create them in the form of sugar cookies. These sugar cookies are soft with crisp edges and sweet without being overpowering. These sugar cookies come together quickly and make for the perfect present if you’re unable to find Sweethearts in stores this year or want to give an extra special Valentine this Friday. 

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Yields: 24 cookies

Prep time: 3 hours (including chilling the dough)

Cook time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

  • ½ tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 1 cup butter (room temperature)

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar

  • 1 large egg (room temperature)

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • ½ tsp almond extract

Instructions:

  1. Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.

  2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth for approximately 2 - 3 minutes.

  3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well-combined, scraping the bowl if necessary.

  4. Add the dry ingredients gradually on low speed until just combined. 

  5. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured silicone baking mat to approximately ¼ inch thickness. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or until very firm.

  6. Once chilled, cut out cookies into desired shapes. If necessary, re-chill scraps before re-rolling.

  7. Preheat the oven to 350F. 

  8. Arrange cookies on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

  9. Bake for about 11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. 

  10. Let cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before transferring to wire racks. Cool completely before decorating.

Recipe adapted from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020651-basic-sugar-cookies




Melanie WangComment