Do doo do do do do DOOOOO!!!
Oh, the theme of The Legend of Zelda takes me back. It’s still one of my favorite games and game series of all time! I knew when I began filming episodes of Fantasy Food Show that I wanted to do a Zelda themed recipe. I went through so many ideas, from simple to “what the heck am I thinking?!”
Well, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and I’m seeing hearts all over the place and that gave me the idea to make something Heart related for my next creation. In most of the Zelda games, (excluding The Adventures of Link, divisive but I love it) Link’s health is measured in Hearts. So, I thought what a simple iconic image from the series and one that is perfect for the holiday.
So, I decided to make The Legend Zelda Slice and Bake Heart Cookies!
I owe this recipe to Eugenie at Eugenie’s Kitchen and Ann Reardon from How to Cook That. Ann’s recipe is just double the quantities of Eugenie’s and they’ve both created some really cool slice and bake cookies out of it.
This is a french sable butter cookie recipe that is easy to work with so long as you get the quantities correct. I’ve put them in grams as well as cups this time because I found it gave me a softer, easier to work with dough when I measured the ingredients on a kitchen scale vs. using cups. But feel free to do it how ever you want!
To make the Cookies you will need
- ¾ c. very soft unsalted butter (170g)
- 1 ¼ c. powdered sugar (155g)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- 3 egg yolks at room temperature (and save one egg white for later)
- 2 ½ c. cake flour (310g)
- Red and Black gel paste food color
- A small heart-shaped cookie cutter
- Some candy sprinkles of your choice (I used white non pareils)
Let me show you how it’s done!
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the softened butter until light and smooth.
- Add in all of the powdered sugar and whisk to combine.
- Whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla, and pinch of salt.
- Gently mix in all of the cake flour and use a wooden spoon or spatula. Keep mixing until you have a soft dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface covered with a silicone mat and tint about a third of the dough red, working the color in with the heel of your hand.
- Color the remainder of the dough black.
- Place the red dough between two sheets of wax paper or parchment paper and roll it out to an even thickness about ½ inch thick. I used two Wii game cases (DVD cases) on either side of the dough as a guide. However you measure just make sure the thickness is equal to or slightly less than your cookie cutter.
- Repeat with about a third of the black dough.
- Put both the red and black rolled out dough into the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up. Wrap the rest of the black dough in cling film keep out at room temperature.
- After the dough is chilled remove the wax paper and cut out hearts using the cookie cutter.
- Mix a little water with the egg white to create an egg wash (I just used the straight egg white in the episode, but it was a bit thick).
- To make Half-Depleted Hearts: Cut a red heart and black heart lengthwise using a sharp knife. Use a pastry brush with some of the egg wash to “glue” the red halves to the black halves. Repeat two or three times.
- To make Quarter-Depleted Hearts: Use a knife or the corner of a square cookie cutter and cut the top right quadrant of a red heart and the same on a black. Glue the black piece into the red heart. Repeat this two or three times.
- Glue 3-4 fully red hearts together with a little egg wash between each heart. Then add a few quarter depleted hearts and then a few half depleted hearts, making sure the black parts are all on the same side. Put this heart “log” into the freezer for an hour. (This helps the hearts keep their shape in the next step)
- When the log is frozen take some of the room temperature black dough and press it into the indent on the top of the hearts. Continue adding black dough all around the heart log. Then roll a thickness of black dough that is wide and long enough to wrap around the entire log. Trim off any big excess pieces.
- Wrap the whole log in cling film and roll a few times on your work surface to help smooth and round out the cookies.
- Freeze for another hour. (This will help the cookies keep their shape when slicing)
- Brush egg wash over the entire log and roll in sprinkles.
- Starting from the fully red end (just because it’s more fun that way) slice cookies about a quarter inch thick. Keep slicing to reveal all the different hearts!
- Place unbaked cookies on a lined baking tray, making sure the black sections of hearts are on the right side. TIP: If any cookies have gotten a little squished at the bottom from the pressure of the knife, use your fingers to gently press them back into shape.
- Bake at 335° F for 10-11 minutes. Immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool.
And there you go – The Legend of Zelda Heart Cookies!
You could make these cookies with any shape in the middle you’d like. So, experiment and have fun!
