These Vegan Marbled Rosewater Heart Cookies are so fun to make and are truly the prettiest heart-shaped cookies! Plus, we're using rosewater in the cookie dough and icing for a fun twist on this classic sugar cookie recipe.
To me, Valentine's Day is always the perfect excuse to bake all your favorite desserts and make them extra cute.
Last year I really leaned into red velvet and made my favorite Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes and Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies. However, this year I wanted to switch it up and make something even more festive. Enter in- the cutest red and pink marbled sugar cookies!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Food coloring: I used Ann Clark Gel Food Coloring in colors Super Red and Bubblegum Pink to decorate these marbled heart cookies. I highly recommend these because they work so well and are also vegan & gluten-free.
- Vegan butter: My favorite brands to bake cookies with are country crock plant butter with olive oil or earth balance buttery sticks. I highly suggest using these as other vegan butter brands can contain more moisture and the cookies may spread more.
- Rosewater: I used this Rose Water for this recipe- it's the best! I have also used it in my Cardamom Rose Cupcakes.
- Flax egg: Is super important to create structure in these vegan sugar cookies and is a mix of ground flaxseed and water. If you can't find ground flaxseed, chia seeds also work as a substitute but will change the look of the cookies.
How to make marbled heart sugar cookies
Make the rosewater cookie dough
First, make a classic shortbread cookie dough. It starts off by creaming vegan butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes which incorporates some air into these cookies and ensures they are not too dense.
Then, mix in the flax egg, vanilla bean paste, and rosewater. I prefer using vanilla bean paste over vanilla extract for its stronger flavor, but either will work.
Then, mix in the flour, salt, & baking powder. We are using very little baking powder as we don't want these cookies to rise too much.
Roll out the cookie dough
Once you have a firm cookie dough, place it between two layers of parchment paper and roll it out until it's about ⅓-inch thick. Remove the top layer of parchment paper and use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out cookies.
Continue rolling out the cookie dough scraps and cutting out heart cookies until you have used up all the dough.
Add to tray, freeze, & bake
Add the heart cookies to a parchment-lined tray and then pop them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350F. This helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking- so don't skip this step!
Add the tray of rose water cookies to the oven and then bake for 12-14 minutes until they are cooked through and only just beginning to brown.
Let cool & make the marbled icing
Move the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. It's VERY important not to ice them until they are cooled or the icing will just melt off.
To make the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar, rose water, and water until a thick glaze forms. Then, add 2-3 drops of red food coloring and 2-3 drops of pink food coloring. I recommend using gel food coloring for the best results.
Then, use a fork to gently swirl the coloring into the glaze to create a marbled pattern. Don't overdo this as you want to make sure some white icing still remains.
When the heart cookies are completely cool, hold the cookie face down and dip the surface of the cookie into the icing so that it covers the top of the cookie.
Lift the coated cookie over the bowl of glaze, shake slightly, and let any excess icing drip off.
Let icing set, then enjoy!
Add the cookies to a parchment-lined tray or back to the wire rack and let them rest for about an hour until the icing sets and hardens.
Once the icing sets, enjoy these delicious rosewater heart sugar cookies!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I use a different colored gel food coloring?
Of course! Feel free to use whatever colors you want. Just make sure not to use too much food coloring. You can even use a differently shaped cookie cutter for other Holidays (like snowflakes for Christmas!)
P.S.- for the best results you want to use a gel food coloring over one that is more watery.
How do I store marbled sugar cookies?
Glazed (or unglazed) heart sugar cookies can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 2 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 1 month. I highly recommend storing them between sheets of parchment paper so the cookies do not stick together.
Keep in mind, the best way to store them is in the freezer or else they lose some of their crisp texture over time.
I can't wait for you to try these pretty AND delicious Rosewater Marbled Heart Cookies! They come out stunning, yet are truly easier to make than most vegan iced cookies. Enjoy these pink & red Valentine's Day cookies!
-TSG
More cookie recipes you will love:
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Marbled Rosewater Heart Cookies
Ingredients
Rosewater Sugar Cookies
- ½ cup vegan butter room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 flax egg 1 Tablespoon (8 grams) ground flaxseed mixed with 3 Tablespoons water, left to sit 5 minutes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon rose water
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
Marbled Rose Water Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon rosewater
- 1-1 ½ Tablespoons water add gradually until you have a thick but smooth glaze
- 2-3 drops red food coloring
- 2-3 drops pink food coloring
Instructions
Making the cookies:
- Before starting, make the flax egg by mixing together the ground flaxseed and water and setting it aside for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Add the room-temperature vegan butter and sugar to a bowl and use an electric mixer to cream together for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Once creamed, mix in the vanilla bean paste, rose water, and flax egg.
- Next, add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl and mix everything into a thick cookie dough.
- Remove the cookie dough from the bowl and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the cookie dough between the two sheets of parchment paper into a rectangle that is about ⅓ inch thick in height.
- Once the dough is rolled out, use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. Take the cookie scraps and continue rolling them out and cutting out cookies until you have used all of the cookie dough.
- Add the heart-shaped cookies to a parchment-lined tray making sure to keep about 1 inch of space between each cookie. Add the tray of cookies to the freezer for 10-15 minutes to solidify a bit before baking
- While the tray of cookies is in the freezer, preheat the oven to 350F. Once the oven has preheated, remove the cookies and add them to the oven to bake for 12-14 minutes or until they are cooked through and just beginning to brown on the bottoms.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to continue cooling completely before making the icing (if they are not cooled, the icing will just melt off).
Icing the cookies:
- Once the cookies have cooled, make the icing by whisking the powdered sugar, rose water, and water together until you have a thick royal icing. The icing has to be thick to work, so if yours is too thin or runny, just add in a few Tablespoons of additional powdered sugar until it is thick.
- Add in 2-3 drops of the red food coloring and 2-3 drops of the pink food coloring. Then, use a fork to gently swirl the food coloring around in the bowl. Make sure not to overmix it so you still can see some white and get a marbling effect.
- Then, dunk the cookies into the glaze one at a time so that the entire top of the cookie is covered in icing. Lift the coated cookie over the bowl of glaze, shake slightly, and let any excess icing drip off. Flip each cookie over and add to a parchment-lined tray or back to the wire rack to set.
- Let the cookies sit for at least an hour until they are firm to the touch and the icing has set and hardened. Then, enjoy these heart cookies!
Notes
- I used Ann Clark Gel Food Coloring in colors Super Red and Bubblegum Pink to decorate these marbled heart cookies- it's vegan & gluten-free and works really well to create marbled icing.
- Glazed (or unglazed) heart sugar cookies can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 2 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- I highly recommend storing cookies between sheets of parchment paper so they do not stick together.
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