Shortbread cookies with a surprise “Valentines”

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of premium flour, plus extra for working with the dough
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 165 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar + extra for sprinkling
• 20 chocolates with caramel filling
• Pink gel food coloring

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the vanilla extract.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar with a mixer on low speed. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl and incorporate any butter mixture into the mixture.
3. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually pour in the egg mixture and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, increasing mixer speed as the batter thickens, keeping the beaters moving. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Once all the flour is incorporated into the dough, tint the dough to your desired shade by adding a few drops of food coloring and mixing. Then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is very smooth, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a clean work surface and form it into a ball. Divide into 2 equal parts. Form each half into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
6. While the dough is chilling, cut each chocolate candy into quarters and place in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
7. Once the dough has set, position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
8. Sprinkle a sheet of parchment paper with flour and place 1 piece of dough on top. Sprinkle it with flour and place another sheet of parchment paper on top. Roll the dough between sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of about 0.5 cm (approximately 27 x 22 cm) and place in the freezer to set slightly, about 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
9. Using a 3-3 inch (7-8 cm) heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out shapes from the dough and arrange 5 on each prepared baking sheet, 1.5 inches (4 cm) apart, for a total of 10 cookies. Mound 1 tablespoon of chopped caramel candies in the center of each heart, spreading them in a single layer, leaving the edges of the cookies clean.
10. Gather the dough scraps, roll them out, and cut out 10 more hearts (do not place candy on them). Top the 10 hearts on the baking sheet with clean hearts and gently press around the edges to seal. Freeze for about 20 minutes.
11. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges, 16-18 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets on a wire rack, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
    
    
    Note
    
    When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and remove any excess. Scooping flour directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact it, resulting in dry baked goods..