Beetroot Heart Cookies

Valentine's is around the corner, and these sweet beetroot heart cookies make an easy-to-bake treat to share not only with your significant other, but also with loved ones, children, and as a gift to friends. What's more, they are naturally coloured with a little beetroot in the dough, to give a pretty pink hue without any unnecessary artificial food colouring. 

Last year my sister and I held a little Valentine's party for the whole family, and made these strawberry and watermelon fruit kabobs. So I kind of wanted to go down the same route again this year by making a Valentine's treat that somehow used a naturally red or pink shade. Don't worry if you aren't a fan of beetroot - you really won't be able to taste it in these cookies at all. (Unless of course you are die-hard beetroot fan like me and know what to taste-out for!) The whole recipe comes together within a mere few minutes, and the cookies only take about seven minutes to bake. The dough itself, once ready, is actually a much deeper pink in colour but as they bake the cookies turn into a lighter cherry blossom shade. 

This a great little recipe to make if you aren't a fan of the super bright kitschy Valentine's desserts that tend to be popular on Pinterest at this time of year (not to say I am not a fan of them either!). Rather its a more homely, comforting, and easy to bake Valentine's treat. Because really, as long as its pink and has hearts involved, what else is Valentine's about?!

Beetroot Heart Cookies

Makes 30

2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

2 tbsp raw beetroot, finely grated

Heart cookie cutter

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and grease and line a baking tray with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder and set aside. 

2. Cream together the butter and caster sugar in another bowl, until well combined. Add the egg and mix well, then add the grated beetroot and mix again. 

3. Gradually add the flour in half a cup at a time, mixing until a dough begins to form. The dough should be firm with only a slight stickiness. 

4. Chill dough in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Remove and on a lightly floured board or surface, roll out the dough to a quarter inch. Using cookie cutter, cut out hearts and place on lined tray, being careful not to stretch the shape.

5. Bake for 7-9 minutes, keeping an eye so as to not to let them brown. 

6. Leave to cool before eating, and store in an airtight container for upto a week.