Here’s a fun parshah treat for this week!

There are many mitzvot in the Torah portion of Kedoshim, including “Love your fellow as yourself.” To represent loving our fellow, we are going to create these beautiful heart pops with cookie dough!

Here’s What You Will Need:

  • Basic cookie dough (recipe below)

  • Red-colored sugar

  • Heart-shaped cookie cutter

  • Rolling pin

  • Lollipop sticks

Sugar Cookie Recipe:

  • 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus more as needed for rolling)

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 3/4 cup margarine, softened

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 large egg, at room temperature

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.

  • 2-3 tablespoons water (as needed)

Directions:

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the margarine and sugar until smooth and creamy.

2. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. If the dough is crumbly, add tablespoons of water one at a time. If the dough seems too soft and sticky for rolling, add one more tablespoon of flour.

3. Divide the dough in half and roll out each half of the dough in between parchment paper to prevent sticking.

4. Sprinkle red sugar on one of the rolled-out dough circles. Then refrigerate both doughs for at least a half-hour.

5. Remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. Cut half-inch strips from each of the doughs.

7. Set down a piece of parchment paper and begin by placing a strip of white dough. Next, place a strip of red dough, right beside the white one. Gently push the dough together to ensure they are touching. Continue adding strips of dough, alternating between white and red.

8. Once the parchment paper is full, place a second piece of parchment paper on top and gently roll over the strips. This rolling should be light, just enough to join all of the seams, but not to make it flatter.

9. Use the heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts. If a heart-shaped cookie cutter is not available, you can use a knife and create your own heart shapes.

10. Pull the heart cookies from the scraps and place them on a lined baking sheet. Add lollipop sticks under the cookie, and press down to secure the stick in place.

11. Place them in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.

12. Remove from the oven and allow the cookie pops to cool completely before moving them off the cookie tray.