The Cutest Valentine Cookies
This easy recipe for Valentine cookies makes the cutest heart-shaped sugar cookies decorated with royal icing for a sweet Valentine's Day treat or simple dessert. Perfect for sharing!
Servings: 24
Cost: $10
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until smooth
- Add in the granulated sugar and mix together until fully combined, light and fluffy. This step takes at least 5 minutes
- Mix in the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract
- Add the salt, baking powder and half of the flour. Mix well
- Add in the remaining flour and mix until fully combined. To avoid overworking the dough, I recommend finish mixing with a rubber spatula
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts
- Place each portion onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to approximately ⅜ inch thick
- Cover rolled out dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight, if possible
- After the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350℉
- Unwrap the chilled dough and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes
- Place cut out shapes 2 inches apart onto a prepared baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- Bake for 10-14 minutes or until cookies are no longer oily looking and have lightly browned edges
- Let cookies cool completely before decorating
Video
Notes
Make sure to use room temperature softened butter.
Don't skip chilling the dough. It's much easier to cut out and doesn't spread while baking.
Re-roll any remaining dough and cut into shapes until all dough is used. Or freeze any leftover dough.
Both the dough and baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To make the easy royal icing -- follow the directions on the package of meringue powder. This will vary between brands. Add 1 tsp each of vanilla and almond extracts and 1 tablespoon corn syrup.
You can also decorate with a simple glaze and sanding sugar or your favorite frosting.
Nutrition
Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 248IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
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