Now that we’re in February, pink cuteness is all around us. Heart-shaped chocolate box, fluffy teddy bears, it’s everywhere. Don’t get me wrong, hearts are cute, but most guys aren’t into fluffy stuff. So what do you do? Look no further. Today’s cookie project is the perfect way to wish a Happy Valentine’s Day to the gamer in your life. My 8-bit heart cookie is inspired by 80’s video games like Zelda and is super easy to make. Here is how to do it:

Let’s start with our cookie dough. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy:

Add one egg and vanilla extract:

Mix until combined. Add the flour:

Mix on low speed until the dough comes together.

 

Place one piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Form your dough into a ball and place it in the center of your plastic wrap. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap.

Roll out your dough to 1/4 or 1/8″ depending on the size of your cutters and how thick you like your cookies. The thinner the cookie, the crispier it will be.

Place the dough on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Using a heart cookie cutter, shape your cookies:

To pixelize the cookie, we will use the following template:

I created it using Excel and screenshots of 8-bit video games.

Print out the template, cut it out and place on top of your cookie:

Using a pairing knife, cut out the extra dough:

Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown:

Using red royal icing, cover each cookie with a shiny coat:

 That’s it. You could add white squares in one of the upper corners to look like a reflection but I liked them plain.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!