Love Letter Butter Cookies
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These Love Letter Butter Cookies are a sweet way to speak the language of love - buttery, tender cookies shaped like little envelopes and filled with jewel-toned jam. They're perfect for Valentine's Day, anniversaries, afternoon tea, or any moment when you want to let someone know they're cherished.
This recipe is featured in The Sunday Edit | No. 3: The Language of Love, which explores thoughtful gestures, handwritten notes, and the quiet beauty of doing something with care.
What I Love About These Cookies
There's something deeply personal about a handwritten note, and these cookies capture that same sentiment in edible form. Simple, thoughtful, and made to be shared.
These butter cookies combine two classic favorites: sugar cookies and Linzer cookies. They're ideal for Valentine's Day, anniversaries, birthdays, or when you want to show someone how special they are.
Here are some reasons why I love these cookies:
- A classic butter cookie dough that's easy to work with and bakes up tender and light
- Whimsical love-letter shapes that feel special without being fussy
- A bright jam center that adds color, flavor, and just the right amount of sweetness
- Perfect for gifting, teatime, or a quiet moment with a cup of tea
These cookies are more about intention than perfection - which makes them especially lovely.
Love Letter Inspiration
Throughout history, love letters have endured as one of the most personal expressions of affection - from the poetic language of the Song of Solomon to the private correspondence of historic figures like Beethoven and Napoleon, whose letters still echo with longing centuries later.
It was during the Age of Chivalry that love letters began to resemble those we recognize today: thoughtful, restrained, and deeply personal. These early correspondences spoke in the language of courtly love, offering admiration and devotion through carefully chosen words.
By the eighteenth century, love letters became even more intimate - no longer bound by formality alone, but shaped by individual voice, emotion, and desire.
When was the last time you wrote a love letter?
As one famous exchange reminds us, "What cannot letters inspire? They have souls."
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Pantry Ingredients
These cookies are made from simple pantry ingredients. Specific measurements are in the recipe card below, but here is a quick look at what you need:
- Unsalted butter: If you want to use salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
- All-purpose flour: I have not yet tested this using alternative flour.
- Granulated sugar: This is used in the recipe and for sprinkling the cookies before baking. If you want to use sparkling sugar for dusting, that works too!
- Large egg for structure.
- Salt to elevate the vanilla flavoring.
- Vanilla extract
- Jam filling: I'm using strawberry jam, but raspberry or lingonberry jam is also a beautiful red. Use your favorite, though.
How to Make Love Letter Butter Cookies
Step-by-step instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Step 1: Make the dough: Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and salt, then gradually mix in the flour until a soft dough forms. Then, roll the dough between sheets of parchment paper to about ⅛-¼ inch thickness. Chill for 20-30 minutes to make shaping easier.
- Step 2: Cut the chilled dough into squares. Use a sharp knife or square pastry cutter and cut the dough into 4-inch squares (or diamond shapes).
- Step 3: Spoon a small amount of jam into the center, then fold the corners inward to resemble an envelope. Press gently to seal and add a small heart cutout if desired. Sprinkle with sugar.
- Step 4: Bake: Chill the shaped cookies briefly while the oven preheats to 350°F. Bake until the edges are just beginning to turn golden, about 15-17 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
Baking Tips
While these cookies are very simple to make, a few helpful tips will ensure they turn out just right.
- The dough is soft: This dough is intentionally softer than a classic sugar cookie dough, so it can be folded into envelope shapes. Chilling the dough for 20-30 minutes makes it much easier to work with.
- Shaping the cookies: The cookies are cut into squares. I use a 4-inch square cutter, but a sharp knife works just as well.
- Adjusting the size: A 4-inch square creates a generous, giftable cookie, but smaller squares work beautifully too - simply adjust the amount of jam.
- Heart-shaped seals: The heart "letter seal" is made using a mini heart-shaped cookie cutter, but this step is optional and easy to personalize.
Tips & Variations
- Jam choices: Strawberry and raspberry give a classic Valentine's look, but apricot, cherry, or even marmalade are lovely.
- Make ahead: The dough can be made a day ahead and chilled until ready to roll.
- Storage: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer storage.
A Little Note on Love Letters
Love letters - whether written on paper or baked into cookies - are about slowing down and saying something meaningful. These cookies don't shout; they whisper. And sometimes, that's exactly what love sounds like.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. The dough can be made a day in advance and kept refrigerated until you're ready to roll and shape the cookies. Baked cookies also keep well and are perfect for planning ahead.
Strawberry and raspberry are classic choices and give the cookies their romantic, jewel-toned centers. That said, any smooth jam you love will work beautifully - apricot, cherry, or even marmalade.
They do. Once baked and completely cooled, the cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. For best texture, avoid refrigerating after baking.
Not at all. The heart seal is a sweet detail, but these cookies are just as lovely without it - or with a shape that feels meaningful to you.
More Recipes You May Also Love
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- The Sunday Edit | No. 7: The Season Begins
- The Sunday Edit | No. 6: The First Green
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Butter Cookie Love Letters
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar for sprinkling
- strawberry jam
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla, and egg; continue to beat until combined. Gradually add the flour until just combined with no flour streaks. The dough will be on the softer side.
- Between 2 sheets of parchment paper, roll the dough to ¼ - ⅛ inch thick. The dough mustn't be too thick for the best-shaped cookies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill the dough.
- Once chilled, remove from the refrigerator and remove the parchment paper. Use a sharp knife or square pastry cutter and cut the dough into 4-inch squares (or diamond shapes). Transfer shapes to parchment lined baking sheets. With the remaining dough, cut heart shapes using a mini heart-shaped cookie cutter.
- Rotate the cookies into a diamond shape. Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of jam into the middle of each cookie square. Fold the two sides and bottom corners into the center to form an open envelope. Press the corners into the jam to seal and top with the mini heart shape and sprinkle with sugar.
- Chill the shaped cookies in the refrigerator as you preheat the oven to 350℉. Then, bake, one sheet at a tme, until the cookies are light and golden, about 15-17 minutes. Let cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- Soft dough: This dough is intentionally softer than a classic sugar cookie dough so it can be folded into envelope shapes. Chilling the dough for 20-30 minutes makes it easier to roll and shape.
- Rolling the dough: Roll the dough between sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking and to make transferring to the refrigerator simple.
- Shaping the cookies: I use a 4-inch square cutter for generously sized cookies, but you can easily make them smaller. Just adjust the amount of jam so it doesn't overflow.
- Jam filling: A small spoonful is all you need. Too much jam can seep out during baking.
- Decorative seal: The heart-shaped seal is made with a mini cookie cutter, but it's optional. These cookies are just as lovely without it.
- Make ahead: The dough can be prepared a day in advance and kept refrigerated until ready to use. Baked cookies freeze well for longer storage.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Is it possible to email the Love Letters Sugar Cookie receipt to me?
Ginny Brown
stongi47@yahoo.com
Thank you
Hi Ginny, absolutely— I’ll send it over now.