Box of Hearts (Be My Valentine)

These chocolate peppermint hearts are always a hit in my house :)

Step 1: Dough

1 1/4 cups margarine (or unsalted butter, softened)

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt (if using butter)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp peppermint extract

Gel red food coloring (no flavor, Wilton)

Cream margarine and icing sugar then beat in the egg and vanilla essence, on medium high speed

Beat in flour a cup at a time, on low-medium speed

Divide dough into two equal portions. Into one, add in cocoa powder and peppermint extract and into the other mix in a knife tip of gel food coloring (it's up to you if you'd like the cookies to be pink or red)

Cover each portions and let rest in fridge for 40 minutes

Step 2: Hearts

Roll the pink dough and with heart cookie cutter, make cookie cut-outs.

Roll chocolate dough and cut to strip(s) as shown on picture

Stack 3 hearts each time and with a knife, make a cut on the heart curve down to the middle, but not too long

Wrap chocolate dough strip on heart, and into the sliced/part.

Place these thick hearts in the freezer for half hour

Take out hearts and slice into cookies and back to the freezer

Preheat oven to 400 F, once beep, take out a cookie tray at a time, and bake cookies for 8-10 minutes

Let cool on rack completely

Enjoy :)