Name: The Best Old Fashioned Sand Tarts Cookie Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 9 h 5 min
Yield: 60
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup butter (2 sticks) unsalted and softened; 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar; 2 large eggs at room temperature; 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour; 1 teaspoon cinnamon (for dusting dough balls); Additional 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (for dusting dough balls); Sliced almonds (optional)

Jump to Recipe

Sand tarts cookies are very thin delicious buttery crisp cookies with just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar that makes them hard to resist.

This classic cookie recipe is on the list of favorite cookies to make during the holiday because they taste so good and are the perfect sweet for a holiday cookie platter!

You don’t have to wait for the holidays to make these tasty tarts, they are perfect to enjoy anytime of the year.

If you’re looking for a cookie that you can dunk in coffee or tea, this is the one!

There is a white round decorative plate with six light brown cookies on it. There are slivered almonds on top of each cookie. Plate is on a white marbled surface.

About These Cookies

Amish sand tarts original recipe dates back to the Pennsylvania Mennonite population of the mid 1800’s.

It is believed that these Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts were originally called “Saint hearts”.

Many decades later and many different names, this once very regional cookie has become one of those favorite cookie recipes everyone loves during the holiday season across the United States!

Here are some more classic Christmas cookies that you often see at annual cookie swaps are: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Half Moon Cookies, Southern Tea Cakes, and Christmas Cookies.

Basic Ingredients For Sand Tarts

There are nine bowls of different sizes. The largest white bowl has white flour in it. There are 2 medium size white bowls. One has white sugar in it, the other has two brown eggs in it. There are two small clear bowls. One has white sugar in it, the other has sliced almonds in it. There are four small clear ramekins. One has white salt in it, one has white baking soda in it, one has brown ground cinnamon in it and the forth one has, vanilla extract. There are two sticks of butter laying in front of the bowls. Items are on a white marbled surface.

Needed Ingredients

Unsalted butter

White sugar

Eggs

Vanilla extract

All purpose flour

Baking soda

Salt

Cinnamon

Sliced almonds (optional)

Helpful Kitchen Equipment / Tools

Cookie Sheets – at least 2 (see Top Tips)
Large mixing bowl
Medium mixing bowl
Small bowl – for cinnamon sugar mixture
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
Rubber spatula
Electric mixer – either hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
Parchment paper
Plastic wrap
Oven mitts
Pancake flipper
Cooling rack

Light green oval platter with two rows of light brown cookies. One row of cookies has sliced almonds on it, the other row does not. There is a white cloth napkin next to the platter. Items are on a white marble surface.

Sand Tarts Recipe

Large white mixing bowl with cut up butter and white granulated sugar in it. The bowl is on a white marbled surface.

In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

There is a large white mixing bowl with creamed butter with sugar. There is some vanilla extract and 2 broken raw eggs on top of the cream mixture. There are 2 stainless steel mixer beaters resting inside the bowl. Items are on a white marbled surface.

Add vanilla extract and eggs.

Blend until smooth.

There is a large white bowl with white flour in it. There is a stainless steel cylinder with a handle on it sitting next to the bowl. There are two small clear glass ramekins in front of the bowl. There is white baking soda in one of the bowls and white salt in the other. Items are on a white marbled surface.

Sift dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.

There are 2 white mixing bowls sitting next to each other. The bowl on the left has a light yellow creamy mixture in it. The bowl on the right as a white flour mixture in it. The bowls are on a white marbled surface.

Slowly add the flour mixture into the creamed butter sugar mixture.

There is a large white mixing bowl with light yellow cookie dough in it. The bowl is on a white marbled surface.

Blend throughly until fully combined.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or over night for best results. (see Top Tips)

There is a small shallow white bowl with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar covering the bottom of it. There is a light yellow cookie dough ball sitting in the middle of the bowl. The bowl is on a white marbled surface.

When ready to make, shape a generous teaspoon of chilled dough into a ball.

Sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon sugar mixture over each small ball of dough.

There are twelve cookie dough balls on light brown parchment paper that is covering a cookie sheet. Cookie sheet is on a white marbled surface.

Place balls of cookie dough on prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

Use a flat bottom glass to lightly press down to slightly flatten the dough. (see Top Tips)

There are twelve flattened cookie dough balls with five pieces of sliced almonds on the top of each cookie. Cookies are on light brown parchment paper that is covering a cookie sheet. Cookie sheet is on a white marbled surface.

Optional – Before you bake the cookies, place five sliced almonds VERY close together to resemble sand dollars. The cookies spread out a lot.

There is a black rectangular wire baking cooling rack with nine light brown cookies on it. Cooling rack is on a white marbled surface.

Bake cookies in a pre-heated oven for 8 minutes or until light golden brown.

Use oven mitts and remove from oven.

Let these delicious cinnamon sugar cookies cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet.

Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

There is a stack of light brown cookies on a clear glass plate. There is one cookie leaning up against the stack of cookies. There is a red cloth napkin laying next to the plate. Items are on a white marbled surface.

Top Tips

This cookie dough is buttery and very soft. The longer you can let it chill the easier it will be to work with.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies, so refrigerate the dough in between baking batches to keep it chilled (firmer).

Use only a generous teaspoon of dough for each cookie. Trust me when I say they spread out to a perfect size!

If the bottom of the glass you use to press the dough ball down becomes sticky, press it in the cinnamon mixture before placing it on the dough.

Let the cookie sheets completely cool down before making the next batch of cookies. If you use a warm cookie sheet, the cookie dough will begin to melt and spread prior to baking them.

Storage

Baked sand tart cookies keep well in an airtight container for a week on the counter, a couple weeks in the fridge, or up to two months in the freezer.

If you love this recipe, you have to try more delicious sweets from Join Me In The Kitchen!

Mini Pecan Raisin Tarts – super easy and so delicious!

Classic Moon Pies

Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie With Caramel – Kids love this cookie!

Easy Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies – so fun to make!

White Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cheesecake With Raspberry Topping – no water bath!

Easy 5 ingredient Delicious Meltaway Cookies

Yield: 60 cookies

The Best Old Fashioned Sand Tarts Cookie Recipe

Sand tarts cookies are very thin delicious buttery crisp cookies with just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar that makes them hard to resist.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Additional Time 8 hours

Total Time 9 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup butter (2 sticks) unsalted and softened
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon (for dusting dough balls)
Additional 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (for dusting dough balls)
Sliced almonds (optional)

Instructions

Place softened butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Approximately 3 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract and eggs and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl which helps blend ingredients together.
Over a different mixing bowl, sift the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder) together.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add about 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time into the creamed butter sugar mixture.
Once all the flour mixture has been added, turn the mixer up to medium speed. Blend throughly until fully combined.
Cover the bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or over night for best results. (see Top Tips)
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar.
When ready to make, shape a generous teaspoon of chilled dough into a ball.
Place each ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture and sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon sugar mixture over each small ball of dough or roll the ball in the sugar mix.
Place balls of cookie dough on prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
Use a flat bottom glass to lightly press down to slightly flatten the dough. (see Top Tips).
Optional - Before you bake them, place five sliced almonds VERY close together to resemble the design that sand dollars have. (remember, the cookies spread out a lot)
Bake cookies for 8 minutes or until light golden brown.
Use oven mitts and remove cookie sheet from oven.
Let these delicious cinnamon sugar cookies cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet.
Use a pancake flipper and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

Helpful Kitchen Equipment / Tools

Cookie Sheets - at least 2 (see Top Tips)

Large mixing bowl

Medium mixing bowl

Small bowl - for cinnamon sugar mixture

Measuring spoons

Measuring cups

Rubber spatula

Electric mixer - either hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment

Parchment paper

Plastic wrap

Oven mitts

Pancake flipper

Cooling wire rack

Top Tips

This cookie dough is buttery and very soft. The longer you can let it chill the easier it will be to work with.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies, so refrigerate the dough in between baking batches to keep it chilled (firmer).

Use only a generous teaspoon of dough for each cookie. Trust me when I say they spread out to a perfect size.

If the bottom of the glass you use to press the dough ball down becomes sticky, press it in the cinnamon mixture before placing it on the dough.

Let the cookie sheets completely cool down before making the next batch of cookies. If you use a warm cookie sheet, the cookie dough will begin to melt and spread prior to baking them.

Storage