Don’t be a Grinch this Christmas, make some easy Grinch Heart Raspberry Filled Sugar Cookies to celebrate the holiday season.
These Grinch Heart Raspberry Filled Sugar Cookies are perfect for Christmas and so easy to make. I love all the old 1970s Christmas TV specials and can’t wait to begin watching them each holiday season. Even before Thanksgiving, I start watching the classic “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” via YouTube to get me into the spirit.
This year, as I was watching the Grinch, I was thinking about what kind of Christmassy recipes I should do for the blog. Gingerbread men, snickerdoodles, and Mexican wedding cookies all came to mind, but I wanted something a little more unique so I came up with a Grinch sugar cookie with a raspberry filling. I used a Linzer cookie cutter set but you can use a round cookie cutter and then a small heart cookie cutter for the center or you could even use a small paring knife to make the heart.
Preserves, jam, or jelly can be used for the center of the cookies. The difference between the three has to do with the form that the fruit is in. Preserves have chunks of fruit, jam has crushed fruit, and jelly is made with the juice so it’s smooth. Just be sure to buy a good, all-natural kind, or make your own. You don’t want to go through all this hard work just to have your cookie ruined by some crappy tasting fruit spread.
How to make Grinch Heart Raspberry Filled Sugar Cookies
I made a homemade sugar cookie dough, but I’m sure these could be successfully made with store bought sugar cookie dough, if you are short on time. The baked cookies can be frozen too, before they are filled with the raspberry preserves/jam/jelly. Just put the unfilled cookies in a freezer proof plastic bag or container and store for up to 2 months.
This is after the butter/sugar mixture is all mixed up and fluffy. I used 3 drops of food coloring and this green color is definitely more “Grinch” looking, but I may use 4 drops next time to give the color a little more “pop”.
Rolling out the dough between two sheets of heavy duty plastic wrap or parchment paper makes it easier to handle. If it gets too sticky, just place back in refrigerator to firm up. My Linzer cookie cutter with the heart insert was perfect for making these!
I ate this whole stack of cookies after the photo was taken and I wasn’t even hungry. #notashamed
So sit back, put on a classic Christmas TV show, and eat a plate of Grinch Heart Raspberry Filled Sugar Cookies. And don’t forget to save some for Santa!
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-4 drops green food coloring
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2-3/4 cup all-natural seedless raspberry preserves jam, or jelly
- green sugar sprinkles
- powdered sugar optional
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Place butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using a stand-up mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, cream ingredients together at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes).
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Scrape down sides, add egg and vanilla, Beat for another 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides as necessary, until well combined. Add 3-4 drops of green food coloring and mix for another minute or until the green coloring is evenly distributed throughout dough (no streaks of color).
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Slowly add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Dough should be firm, not sticky, but still be soft. Divide dough in half and put each half between two pieces of heavy-duty freezer plastic wrap or parchment paper. Roll each piece of dough to 1/4" thick and place in refrigerator on flat surface for at least 30 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.
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Remove one prepared dough sheet at a time from refrigerator. Remove top layer of parchment paper or plastic wrap and cut out 30 cookies using a round shaped cutter with a heart insert. Place on baking sheet and coat the top of each cookie with green sprinkles, if using. Take out other cookie dough sheet and cut out 30 cookies using just a round shaped cutter. Place on baking sheet.
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Bake 8-10 minutes, or until lightly brown on edges. Let cool for minute or two on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool.
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When cookies are completely cooled, take the round cookies and spread a little of the raspberry preserves on each one. At this point, if you haven't use the green sprinkles, sift powdered sugar on top of each heart cut-out cookie. Lightly press it on top of jelled cookie. Store leftover cookies in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in tightly covered container.
Ha I just am loving the “grinch” take on these sugar cookies.. totally wish I had one to devour right now!
Thank you Thalia!
These look fantastic – I will bake then for the next school bake stall, I bet they will be sold in a flash
Thank you and let me know how they turn out for you
These look great. Trying them today. At the end of the recipe it says you can store leftovers for up to 5 days. Is that leftover cookies, or left over dough?
Thanks again!
Jenn
So excited you are trying these today Jenn! Please let me know how they turn out for you & the leftover cookies stay for up to 5 days in a covered container
They turned out great! This batch was a test run for an upcoming Cookie Exchange. I don’t yet have the right cutter (it’s in the mail) so I used a regular cutter then a small fondant cutter to cut out the heart. I put the cut off dough in the fridge and will make leftovers today. I was thinking of making the cookies ahead of time, and I bet they would freeze nicely without the jelly and could be defrosted/assembled on the day of the cookie exchange. I used white sugar with a few drops of green food colouring mixed in to make the sugar for the top of the cookies.
Really fun and different idea.
Thanks again!
That’s so wonderful Jenn! Happy you liked them. I froze the unfilled cookies in freezer proof wrap and bags for 2 months and they tasted fine. Great idea to make your own green colored sugar! I’m doing that next time
Do they freeze well? Thinking about a cookie exchange
Yes, the baked cookies can be frozen before they are filled with the raspberry preserves/jam/jelly. Just put the unfilled cookies in a freezer proof plastic bag or container and store for up to 2 months
It does look amazing, this light dusting of green sugar is so cute. Perfectly seasonal