heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies

These Heart Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies are just the sweetest treat for Valentine’s Day! They’re soft, chewy, and best of all, you don’t need to chill the dough—so you can whip up a batch in under 30 minutes. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter means every cookie turns out perfectly shaped, with zero stress about how they’ll look once baked!

These heart shaped chocolate chip cookies make that perfect little Valentine’s Day gift or a fun baking project with the kids. Soft and chewy with that classic homemade cookie vibe, they’re shaped like hearts to add an extra touch of love. And since the dough doesn’t need chilling, you can bake them up quick and still get that fresh-from-the-oven goodness.

I use a cookie cutter to shape these hearts — it keeps things super easy and consistent. After baking, you just press the cutter in to make nice heart shapes with no worries about cookies spreading too much. Sprinkle on some festive Valentine’s decorations and you’ve got yourself a batch of the cutest holiday cookies you’ll find anywhere.

If you’re looking for even more Valentine’s Day desserts, you have to check out my chocolate-covered graham crackers or my red velvet brownies with cream cheese frosting — both are crowd-pleasers!

Why You’ll Love Making Heart-Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies

• These cookies stay soft and gooey inside, loaded with extra chocolate chips so every bite is pure chocolate heaven.
• No chilling needed, so you can throw them together and bake in about 25 minutes—perfect for busy days!
• They’re ideal for Valentine’s Day — what could be better than sharing heart-shaped goodies with your loved ones?
• You can freeze the dough now and bake fresh cookies later, or freeze baked cookies to enjoy anytime.
• No cookie cutter? No worries! You can still shape hearts with a knife or just enjoy classic round cookies with Valentine’s sprinkles.

What You’ll Need: Ingredients

• All-purpose flour- Be sure to measure your flour correctly for the best texture—too much flour can make cookies dry and tough.
• Butter- Unsalted butter is my go-to for baking, but salted butter works too if that’s what you have handy (just skip the salt called for in the recipe).
• Granulated sugar & light brown sugar- Using both gives these cookies their classic sweet, rich flavor and chewy texture.
• Eggs Make sure they’re at room temperature to mix smoothly and give your cookies the best rise and texture.
• Pure vanilla extract- Trust me, pure vanilla really makes a difference in flavor!
• Baking soda For that perfect rise and a little lift in texture.
• Salt To balance the sweetness and enhance the flavors.
• Chocolate chips/chunks- I like mixing regular and mini semisweet chips for texture; plus, I cut a semisweet chocolate bar into chunks to press on top for extra melty chocolate pools.
• Sprinkles- I found some festive Valentine’s sprinkles that held up well during baking and added just the right pop of color.

About the Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter

I picked up my heart cookie cutter on Amazon — it’s roughly 3.5 by 3.25 inches, just the right size for these cookies. You can also find heart cookie cutters easily at Walmart, Target, or any craft store if you want to check out in person! Keep in mind, the size of your cookie cutter may mean you need to adjust how much dough you scoop for each cookie.

Keep in mind these aren’t like sugar cookies that hold shape perfectly after baking, so you need to cut out the hearts *after* they bake while they’re still warm. If you don’t have a cookie cutter, a sharp knife works fine for carefully cutting hearts. Or you can just bake them round and jazz them up with heart-shaped sprinkles — either way, you’ll have adorable cookies!

How to Make Heart Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookies

Step 1: Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper so nothing sticks and set it aside for now. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Put that mixture aside for a moment.

Step 2: Next, grab a large bowl and use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat these until light and fluffy—usually about one to two minutes. Then add in your eggs and vanilla extract, mixing just until it all comes together. Now, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until you don’t see any more streaks of flour. Finally, fold in all those delicious chocolate chips.

Step 3: Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie onto your prepared baking sheet. Leave around 3 to 4 inches between each one because these babies will spread a bit. If you want, press your chocolate chunks and festive sprinkles gently on top of each dough scoop for that extra special look.

Step 4: Bake in your preheated oven for 9 to 11 minutes. You’re looking for the edges to be just a touch golden, while the centers still seem a little soft. When they come out, quickly but carefully press your heart-shaped cookie cutter into each cookie to shape it. Be careful—they’ll be hot! Let them cool on the baking sheet for about five minutes to set the shape before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

My Favorite Tips and Tricks

• Measure your flour the right way- For soft and chewy cookies, measuring flour perfectly makes a big difference. I always recommend using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, scoop flour with a large spoon and then level it off with a flat edge, like the back of a butter knife.
• Use room temperature ingredients- Butter and eggs should be soft but not melted. I usually take my butter out an hour before baking so it creams easily and mixes nicely.
• Extra chocolate is always a good idea- For those pools of gooey chocolate on top, cut up a semisweet chocolate bar into chunks and press them onto your cookies before baking. It’s a game changer for chocolate lovers.
• Pick fun, festive sprinkles- I found some Valentine’s themed sprinkles that didn’t bleed or melt into the dough. They added a cute pop without making a mess – check your local grocery store for good options!

How to Store and Freeze Your Cookies

These heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies will hold their freshness for up to five days when you store them in an airtight container at room temperature. If you want to save some for later, no worries! Freeze the baked cookies for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat, just let them come to room temperature to thaw back to that perfect soft and chewy texture.

📖 Recipe