Valentine’s Day Cookies – Sally’s Baking Habit

These embellished Valentine’s Day cookies resemble dialog coronary heart candies—so enjoyable for the vacation! My recipe for sugar cookies guarantees flavorful cookies with delicate and thick facilities, barely crisp edges, and flat tops for adorning with royal icing. The dough comes along with 7–8 easy substances, and the cookies maintain their cookie cutter form within the oven.

To not toot my very own horn, however… I’ve completely *zero expertise* in terms of piping writing on cookies and truffles. Zero zip zilch. LOL. Pen and paper, nice! Piping frosting on cupcakes and flooding icing on cookies, completely manageable! However mix writing + piping, and I utterly lose management of my hand.

Just lately, my gifted assistant Stephanie got here to my rescue, and helped me write on these dialog heart-inspired cookies. As a result of we simply can’t make Valentine’s Day cookies with out the enjoyable little sayings on high!

Dialog Coronary heart Candies

In the event you aren’t accustomed to dialog coronary heart candies, they’re a Valentine’s Day staple right here within the U.S. They’re like little edible love notes! Pastel-colored, slightly chalky-tasting, and completely iconic, dialog hearts have been round for over a century. Do you know the corporate that produces them comes up with a brand new theme every year, and creates new sayings to go together with that theme? The sayings are normally candy or humorous, however may even be sassy or sarcastic!

However you don’t want to purchase a bag of dialog hearts to make right this moment’s recipe. You simply want a rolling pin, a heart-shaped cookie cutter, and slightly inspiration for what to put in writing on high (I present some strategies beneath).

So A lot to Love About These Valentine’s Day Cookies

These lookalike (however tasteabetter) heart-shaped treats begin with my trusty recipe for sugar cookies. The cookies are delicate and buttery with crisp edges. The dough holds its form splendidly within the oven. Sharp and exact; no misshapen hearts!

• Mushy, thick facilities with barely crisp edges
• Irresistible buttery vanilla taste
• Comprised of easy substances
• Depart plain or taste with extracts
• Maintain form whereas baking
• Freeze superbly
• Straightforward-to-follow recipe utilized by newbie and knowledgeable bakers alike

Reader Sharon commented: “I’ve made this recipe in all probability 50 instances and I completely adore it! It’s not too candy so once you add royal icing it makes it simply excellent. ★★★★★”

We’re utilizing royal icing for right this moment’s Valentine’s Day sugar cookie ornament, however you may completely skip the writing and high them with buttercream like we do for these shamrock cookies, or this straightforward glaze cookie icing as an alternative.

Overview: Find out how to Make Valentine’s Day Cookies

1. Make cookie dough. You solely want 7–8 substances. With so few substances, it’s vital that you just comply with the recipe carefully. Creamed butter and sugar present the bottom of the cookie dough. Egg is the cookie’s construction and vanilla extract provides taste. I virtually all the time add a contact of almond extract for added taste and extremely advocate that you just attempt it too! Flour is an apparent addition, baking powder provides elevate, and salt balances the candy. By the way in which, you may create these Valentine’s Day cookies utilizing my chocolate sugar cookies too!
2. Divide in 2 items. Smaller sections of dough are simpler to roll out.
3. Roll out cookie dough. Roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness. When you’ve got issue evenly rolling out dough, do this adjustable rolling pin. Such a superb invention!
4. Chill rolled-out cookie dough. With out chilling, these cookie cutter sugar cookies received’t maintain their form. Chill the rolled-out cookie dough for not less than 2 hours and as much as 2 days.
5. Reduce into shapes. In the event you want strategies for cookie cutters, I really like Ann Clark brand. (Not sponsored, only a real fan!) For the cookies pictured right here, I used the three.5-inch measurement from this set. You simply want to verify your coronary heart cookie cutter is sufficiently big to present you loads of house to pipe the writing on—I take into consideration 3 inches is nice.
6. Bake & cool. Relying on measurement, the cookies take about 12 minutes.
7. Beautify. Extra on the icing beneath.

The Trick Is the Order of Steps

Discover how I roll out the dough BEFORE chilling it within the fridge? That’s my signature sugar cookie trick!

Let me clarify why I do that. Identical to once you’re making chocolate chip cookies, to forestall the cookies from over-spreading, the cookie dough should chill within the fridge. Roll out the dough proper after you put together it, then chill the rolled-out dough. (At this level the dough is simply too delicate to chop into shapes.) Don’t chill the cookie dough after which attempt to roll it out as a result of it will likely be too chilly and troublesome to work with. I divide the dough in half earlier than rolling it out and extremely advocate you do the identical. Smaller sections of dough are merely extra manageable.

Right here’s one other trick! Roll out the cookie dough straight on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper so you may simply switch it to the fridge. Decide it up, put it on a baking sheet, and place it within the fridge. In the event you don’t have sufficient room for two baking sheets in your fridge, you may stack the items of rolled-out dough on high of one another (with parchment or baking mat in between).

Royal Icing Is Greatest for Writing on Cookies

This royal icing is my most popular sugar cookie icing as a result of it’s straightforward to make use of, dries in a pair hours, and doesn’t have a texture corresponding to hardened cement. (It’s truly on the softer facet!)

I make the royal icing with meringue powder. Meringue powder takes the place of liquid uncooked egg whites, which is present in conventional royal icing recipes. It eliminates the necessity for contemporary eggs, however nonetheless offers the identical consistency. You could find meringue powder in some baking aisles, most craft shops with a baking part, or shop for meringue powder online.

The trickiest half is touchdown on the right royal icing consistency. My royal icing video is included within the written recipe beneath, so use that to assist information you.

Instruments You Want for Adorning These Coronary heart Sugar Cookies

1. Americolor Soft Gel Paste Color Kit: In my expertise, that is the BEST coloring for royal icing. The colour is wealthy and vivid. You solely want a teeny drip for the pastel colours in right this moment’s cookies. And for darker colours, 1 small drop. So these colours will final you a really very long time! I used the yellow, deep pink, violet, inexperienced, and orange; and crimson for the writing.
2. Disposable or reusable piping bags.
3. Coupler(s): In the event you solely have 1 piping tip and need to adorn with a number of colours of icing, maintain the tip on the skin of the bag by utilizing a coupler so you may simply switch the piping tip to different baggage of coloured icing.
4. Round Icing Tip #4: For piping the royal icing on high of every cookie (outlining and flooding).
5. Round Icing Tip #2: For piping the writing on high of the iced cookies.
6. You’ll additionally want silicone baking mats or parchment paper sheets, a rolling pin, and a heart-shaped cookie cutter that’s about 3 inches in measurement. You need to use the identical cookie cutter for these raspberry sugar cookies, too.

I caught with the shortest attainable sayings and phrases as a result of, nicely… my battle. Some *quick* dialog coronary heart textual content inspiration:

• BFF
• Love
• Kiss
• Hug
• XOXO
• Candy
• Wink
• Variety
• Me & U
• Cute

Have enjoyable with it, and don’t fear about making them look excellent. You may even skip the writing for plain pastel Valentine’s Day cookies. Your Valentine will recognize your efforts it doesn’t matter what. 😉

Extra Valentine’s Day Desserts

Print

Valentine’s Day Cookies

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  Writer: Sally
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  Prep Time: 2 hours
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  Cook dinner Time: 12 minutes
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  Whole Time: 6 hours (consists of icing setting)
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  Yield: 20 3.5-inch cookies
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  Class: Cookies
• 
  Technique: Baking
• 
  Delicacies: American

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Description

These embellished Valentine’s Day coronary heart sugar cookies resemble dialog coronary heart candies—so enjoyable for the vacation! I embody the total set of particular instruments and gear I exploit within the Notes beneath.

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Directions

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt collectively in a medium bowl. Put aside.
2. In a big bowl utilizing a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar collectively on excessive pace till utterly easy and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if utilizing) and beat on excessive pace till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the edges and up the underside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
3. Add the dry substances to the moist substances and blend on low till mixed. Dough shall be comparatively delicate. If the dough appears too delicate and sticky for rolling, add 1 extra Tablespoon of flour.
4. Divide the dough into 2 equal components. Place every portion onto a chunk of frivolously floured parchment paper or a frivolously floured silicone baking mat. With a frivolously floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use extra flour if the dough appears too sticky. The rolled-out dough may be any form, so long as it’s evenly 1/4-inch thick.
5. Frivolously mud one of many rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a chunk of parchment on high. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on high. Cowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for not less than 1-2 hours and as much as 2 days.
6. As soon as chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 massive baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Fastidiously take away the highest dough piece from the fridge. If it’s sticking to the underside, run your hand beneath it to assist take away it. Utilizing a heart cookie cutter (pictured cookies use the three.5 inch measurement), reduce the dough into hearts. Re-roll the remaining dough and proceed slicing till all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough. (Word: It doesn’t look like numerous dough, however you get numerous cookies from the dough scraps you re-roll.)
7. Prepare cookies on baking sheets 3 inches aside. Bake for 11-12 minutes or till frivolously browned across the edges. In case your oven has scorching spots, rotate the baking sheet midway via bake time. Permit cookies to chill on the baking sheet for five minutes then switch to a wire rack to chill utterly earlier than adorning.
8. Make the icing: I’ve a video for learn how to make royal icing beneath. Use that as your information for this step. Pour confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and 9 Tablespoons of water into a big bowl. Utilizing a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat icing substances collectively on excessive pace for 1.5 – 2 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing ought to drizzle down and easy out inside 5-10 seconds. If it’s too thick, beat in additional water 1 Tablespoon at a time. I normally want 10 Tablespoons however on significantly dry days, I exploit as much as 12-14 Tablespoons. Take into account that the longer you beat the royal icing, the thicker it turns into. In case your royal icing is simply too skinny, simply maintain beating it to introduce extra air OR you may add extra sifted confectioners’ sugar. Yields about 3 cups of icing.
9. Separate icing into 6 totally different bowls. (Or fewer bowls, relying what number of colours you need.) Stir in 1 tiny drop of the next colours into every bowl, 1 coloration per bowl: pink, violet, inexperienced, yellow, and orange. The sixth bowl is for the writing. For that, stir in 2–3 drops of crimson. You received’t use the crimson icing for a pair hours after the bottom icing units, so place a moist paper towel straight on the floor of it. This prevents it from hardening.
10. Spoon or pour the pastel icings into piping baggage (disposable or reusable) fitted with round icing tip #4. In the event you solely have 1 tip and need to adorn with a number of colours of icing, maintain the tip on the skin of the bag by utilizing a coupler so you may simply switch the piping tip to different baggage of coloured icing. Beautify cookies with coloured icing by piping a border across the edges after which filling it. Let the icing-covered cookies largely set for not less than 2 hours earlier than including writing. Don’t cowl cookies as icing units.
11. Spoon or pour the crimson icing right into a piping bag (disposable or reusable) fitted with round icing tip #2. Write desired phrases/messages on the cookies (concepts/strategies listed within the submit above!). Writing icing will set inside 2–3 hours.
12. Adorned or plain cookies keep contemporary coated at room temperature for five days or within the fridge for as much as 10 days.

Notes

1. Freezing Directions: Plain or embellished sugar cookies freeze nicely as much as 3 months. Watch for the icing to set utterly earlier than layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw within the fridge or at room temperature. You may as well freeze the cookie dough for as much as 3 months earlier than rolling it out. Put together the dough via step 3, divide in half, flatten each halves right into a disk as we do with pie crust, wrap every in plastic wrap, then freeze. To thaw, thaw the disks within the fridge, then carry to room temperature for about 1 hour. Roll out the dough as directed in step 4, then chill rolled out dough within the fridge for 45 minutes – 1 hour earlier than slicing into shapes and baking.
2. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin or this Adjustable Rolling Pin | Heart-Shaped Cookie Cutter | Americolor Soft Gel Paste Color Kit | Disposable or Reusable Piping Bags | Couplers | Meringue Powder | Wilton Tip #4 | Wilton Tip #2
3. Straightforward Glaze: As an alternative of this royal icing, you should use my straightforward cookie icing if that’s simpler for you. Nevertheless, I discover it almost inconceivable to put in writing with that icing as a result of it isn’t secure like royal icing.
4. You’ll want to try my high 5 cookie baking ideas AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.

Key phrases: valentine’s day cookies, coronary heart sugar cookies