3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup red hot candies, crushed
Frosting (optional)

In mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Stir together flour and baking powder.

Gradually stir in flour mixture until dough is very stiff. Cover and chill about 3 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out cookies using a large heart-shape cookie cutter or use a sharp knife and cut around a heart pattern. Transfer cookies to a foil-lined baking sheet.

Using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out and remove heart design from center of each cookie. Fill the cut out sections with crushed candy. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and the candy has melted. Slide foil off baking sheets.

When cool, carefully loosen cookies from foil. If desired, pipe decorative borders along edges.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Per serving: 3311 Calories (kcal); 150g Total Fat; (40% calories from fat); 51g Protein; 439g Carbohydrate; 747mg Cholesterol; 2012mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 18 1/2 Grain (Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 28 1/2 Fat; 10 Other Carbohydrates