¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon red gel food coloring
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup powdered sugar
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, vanilla and red gel food coloring, and beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet to form a dough.
Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap up into a disk shape, and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Roll out the cookie dough on a floured work surface to be about 1/8-inch thick, then cut with heart-shaped cookie cutters.
Lay the cookies out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until set.
Let cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, heavy cream and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar, and beat until you reach a frosting consistency. Transfer the frosting to a plastic bag, and snip off one of the corners to create a piping bag for easy frosting.
Once cool, ice the cookies. Serve immediately.
