Heart shaped pastry drizzled in frosting on a white plate with red hearts

Sourdough Cinnamon Heart Twists

The Perfect Valentine’s Day Treat

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to bake something sweet, and what’s more heartfelt (literally) than adorable sourdough cinnamon heart twists? These treats are buttery, sweet, and oh-so-charming, making them perfect for sharing with loved ones.

Just remember—they’re best enjoyed fresh, within the first 24 hours, before they lose their soft, pillowy texture.

Using our favorite sourdough cinnamon twist dough (prepared as usual)

1. Prepare the Dough: Follow our usual sourdough cinnamon twist recipe up until the shaping step. (Full recipe down below)

2. Fold and Cut: Instead of rolling the dough into a log, fold it in half and use a pizza cutter to slice it into 1-inch strips.

3. Shape the Hearts: Take each strip, gently open it up (yes, some cinnamon sugar will fall out—it’s okay!), twist it, and then shape it into a heart.

4. Dust with Love: Sprinkle the fallen cinnamon sugar mixture back over the shaped hearts for extra sweetness.

5. Bake: Place the hearts on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

Raw dough in the shape of a heart sprinkled in cinnamon sugar

Pro Tip: Do not overbake, or they’ll turn out hard as a rock instead of soft and chewy.

. Drizzle with frosting while they’re still warm. See our favorite easy frosting recipe here.

Enjoy Fresh!

These little heart-shaped treats are best enjoyed warm or within the first 24 hours. Serve them with a cup of coffee, hot cocoa, or milk.

Whether you’re baking for your sweetheart, your kids, or your besties, these Sourdough Cinnamon Heart Twists are sure to make everyone feel loved. Happy baking!

Sourdough Cinnamon Hearts

Ingredients

The Dough
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 TBS sugar
8 TBS softened salted butter
1 Cup of milk
1/2 cup of sourdough discard from the fridge.
The Filling
8 tbs of softened butter
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
*mix sugar, brown sugar, and
cinnamon into a separate bowl.

Instructions

Mix all dry ingredients together

Gently cut the softened butter in

Add milk and discard.

You should have nice soft dough. knead by hand or in a stand mixer for 5 minutes.

Cover with a warm tea towel and let rise for 1-6 hours

After you let the dough rise, preheat the oven to 375.

Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface as if you're making
cinnamon rolls.

Spread softened butter on rolled out dough

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture.

Instead of rolling the dough into a log, fold it in half and use a pizza cutter to slice it into 1-inch strips.

Shape the Hearts: Take each strip, gently open it up (yes, some cinnamon sugar will fall out—it’s okay!), twist it, and then shape it into a heart.

Sprinkle the fallen cinnamon sugar mixture back over the shaped hearts for extra sweetness.

Bake: Place the hearts on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

Notes

Quick Tips for This Discard Recipe

Use cold starter straight from the fridge; no need to activate it.

If you'd prefer, you could use an active starter and let the dough ferment overnight for a deeper flavor.

Keep in mind: when I tried overnight fermentation with fridge discard, the result was very dry—so I recommend sticking to a short rise.

The dough won’t double in size during the rise, and that’s completely normal for discard recipes.

For best results, let the dough rest for just 1 to 6 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

This method ensures a quick and easy process with great results!

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