I Need a Very Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe for Valetimes

There's no need to order from a bakery when you can make easy Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies that are beautifully decorated right at home.

My classic sugar cookie recipe but heart-shaped. Easily decorated with a white or semisweet chocolate dip or drizzle. Sprinkles of your choice. No need to spend hours tediously decorating these cookies.

Yep, I think your kids, co-workers, friends, significant other, etc. will LOVE these easy sugar cookies for Valentine's Day.

How to Make Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

Ingredients for Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies:

• Butter – make sure to use unsalted butter that is at a COOL room temperature, about 67°F. Butter at the proper temperature should give just slightly when pressed with a finger and not appear greasy at all. It also shouldn't be so cold that it's brittle.
• Granulated sugar – the star ingredient!
• Eggs – these are essential to forming a beautifully pliable dough and cookies that stay soft for days.
• Vanilla extract and (optional) almond extract – no sugar cookie is complete without vanilla extract. A dash of almond extract helps give these cookies an extra depth of flavor but is totally optional.
• All-purpose flour – measured correctly.
• Baking powder – gives the cookies a slight lift without adding too much spread so the cookies keep their shape.

Tools for Valentine's Heart Cookies:

• Parchment paper
• Rolling pin
• Baking sheets
• Heart shaped cookie cutter (2 1/2 to 3-inches is what I used)
• Ziptop bag or piping bag
• Food coloring and sprinkles for decorating, if desired

PRO TIP: Make sure to cream your butter properly!

Have you ever ended up with dense cookies? Or cookies that spread into sad, flat puddles? You may have accidentally under-creamed or over-creamed your butter and sugar mixture.

There are a few important factors to know when creaming butter and sugar so that you end up with cookies that are perfectly light and fluffy.

Check out my How to Cream Butter & Sugar article for the full breakdown, side-by-side comparisons so you can see exactly how your mixture should look, and lots more of the sweet science behind this critical step.

Tips for getting perfect heart cut-out shapes:

Roll your un-chilled dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to make it quick and easy. Honestly, it's almost like rolling out Play-Doh it's so easy! Run your hands across the top of the parchment to feel for areas that may be thicker or thinner than others. Aim for as even of thickness as possible.

(Note: I recommend using parchment for this step versus plastic wrap, as the dough will stick to plastic wrap)

The key to perfect sugar cookie shapes is allowing the rolled out dough to chill completely before stamping out shapes. This allows for crisp, clean cuts and easy maneuvering of the shaped dough onto the baking pan. If your dough starts to feel too soft to shape cleanly, simply return it to the fridge until it's chilled again.

How to decorate sugar cookies for Valentine's Day:

• Dip half the cookies into melted chocolate
• Use a ziptop bag or piping bag to drizzle cookies with melted chocolate
• Easy cookie icing
• Royal icing

Can you make sugar cookies ahead of time?

Yes! The baked cookies store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, you can store the decorated cookies at room temperature for up to 2 days. In this case, make sure the chocolate has fully set, then layer between sheets of parchment to protect it from smudging onto other cookies when stored.

Can I refrigerate sugar cookie dough?

Unlike most drop-style cookie dough recipes (with the exception of oatmeal cookies) which actually benefit from chilling in the fridge, this cut-out sugar cookie dough can only be stored in the fridge for up to 1 day. It's crucial for this dough to stay soft and not dry out.

How to freeze cut out sugar cookies:

These sugar cookies freeze particularly well after baking. Simply store the baked cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost to room temperature before decorating or serving.

More Valentine's Day Dessert Recipes:

• Valentine's Day Cake
• Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Cookie Dough Hearts
• Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
• Chocolate Lava Cakes

Want even more Valentine's Day recipe ideas? Check out our entire list of recipes your whole family will love HERE.

For the cookies:

• 3 sticks (339 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 4 1/2 cups (572 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

For the chocolate dip or drizzle:

• 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet or white chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons refined coconut oil or shortening
• Food coloring, if using white chocolate, if desired
• Sprinkles, for decorating, if desired

Make the cookies:

1. In a large bowl, use an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using) and beat until combined. Slowly add in the flour and baking powder and beat until incorporated.

2. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Place one dough portion between two sheets of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Place the two sheets of dough on a baking sheet and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. You can also freeze for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut into heart shapes with a 2 1/2 to 3-inch cookie cutter, gently rerolling any scraps and cutting more shapes. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets. If the dough shapes are too warm to maneuver, freeze for 15 minutes or until firm again.

5. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and very lightly golden at the edges. Be careful not to over bake. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Baked, un-iced sugar cookies can be sealed and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

For the chocolate dip:

1. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate and oil. Microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until melted and smooth. If using white chocolate, add a couple drops of red, pink, or purple gel food coloring if desired and stir.

2. Dip in half of each cookie to the chocolate mixture. Or, place the melted chocolate in a small ziptop bag and cut a tiny hole in one corner (a piping bag works great too). Drizzle over cookies.

3. Garnish with sprinkles while the chocolate is still warm. Let set slightly before serving. If not serving immediately, make sure the chocolate is completely set before layering rows of decorated cookies between sheets of parchment to protect the chocolate, in an airtight container for up to 2 days .

Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on

scammellchapted.blogspot.com

Source: https://handletheheat.com/valentines-day-sugar-cookies/

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