Heart Shaped Black and White Cookies

Adapted from Epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• Icing:
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 TBS light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 2 – 3 TBS water
• 1/4 cup dark dutch process cocoa powder (I use Hershey Special Dark)

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray or grease with butter.

2.  Combine buttermilk and vanilla in a measuring glass.  In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda.

3.  In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add egg and beat until combined.  With the mixer on low, add flour and milk mixture alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

4.  Spoon batter into a piping bag fitted with an Jumbo Round Piping Tip.  Pipe hearts that are roughly 2 inches in diameter,  (or alternately, spoon about 1/4 cup of dough on baking sheet for round cookies) two inches apart.  Bake for about 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown and tops spring back when lightly touched.  Remove to racks to cool completely.

5.  When cookies are cool, prepare frosting:  Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 TBS water.  Remove about 1/3 of icing to a separate bowl and add cocoa powder to it.  Add enough water to make it a thin, spreadable consistency.  Add lemon juice to the white portion of frosting.  Spread white frosting on one half of each cookie, then go back and spread chocolate on the other halves.  Add enough powdered sugar to the leftover white frosting to make it pipeable and add red food coloring — pipe red heart outlines on cookies with a #3 round tip  (this step is optional).

6.  Let icing set before serving.