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These Valentine Sugar Cookies couldn’t be extra excellent for Valentine’s Day! They’re mushy, thick and chewy plus have a light-weight almond taste to them which is my all time FAVORITE style in a sugar cookie. Prime with sprinkles, as a result of EVERYONE loves sprinkles! Primarily based off of my Traditional Sugar Cookie Recipe and Sugar Cookie Bars, these festive Valentines Day Cookies are scrumptious with a easy glaze or my Vanilla Buttercream recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookie Recipe
This has been my go-to sugar cookies recipe as a result of it’s dependable and all the time seems completely. Whether or not it’s for the vacations, birthdays or simply getting a longing for actually good sugar cookies, this needs to be your go-to recipe. You don’t must plan forward to melt butter, you don’t must refrigerate the dough in a single day and so they all the time bake up mushy and chewy each time. This recipe makes a number of cut-out cookies, so that you may need to take into consideration giving some away. These can be so enjoyable to your child’s class events, or buddy or neighbor items. You may bag these up in cellophane luggage and a few ribbon. So cute and straightforward!
Need extra Valentine Deal with Concepts? Strive these recipes: Valentine’s Day Cake Pops, Valentine’s Day Brownies, Valentine’s Slice and Bake Cookies, Valentine’s Day Cream Puffs, Nutella Deviled Strawberries, Cheesecake Brownies.
Sugar Cookie Fundamentals
Listed below are just a few useful ideas and tips I do with this recipe to get probably the most excellent Valentine’s Day Cookies each time.
Use Chilly, Salted Butter
I do know this may increasingly appear to be slightly controversial, however I LOVE utilizing not solely chilly butter, however salted butter for these cookies. My recipe doesn’t name for salt, so I like utilizing salted butter. Additionally, utilizing a stand mixer to cream chilly butter with sugar helps the dough preserve its stability so you’ll be able to roll it out instantly with out having to refrigerate it first.
For those who solely have room temperature butter for this recipe, you’ll be able to undoubtedly make this as written, however you may need to refrigerate the sugar cookie dough earlier than rolling and reducing, simply to make your life slightly simpler.
Almond Extract: To Add or To not Add?
Whereas I’m a agency believer in all the time utilizing Almond extract for any and all sugar cookies, there are folks on the market who strongly disagree with me. In case you are one in every of these folks, merely change the almond extract with extra vanilla extract and full the recipe as written under.
Discovering Valentine-Formed Cookie Cutters
Yow will discover these at numerous locations, however Walmart or Michaels is usually a very good place to seek out these, particularly round February. Here’s a hyperlink for a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Here’s a hyperlink to the X&O cookie cutters. There are various adorning strategies on the market. I prefer to maintain it so simple as attainable with easy designs.
Do I Must Chill the Dough Earlier than Reducing and Baking?
Sure and No. The 2 most important causes to relax a cookie dough you’ll reduce out embody (1) serving to the cookies preserve their form in the course of the baking course of and (2) to make it simpler to chop out. Gingerbread cookies are an ideal instance of this. The dough is way wetter, so you’ll need to wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a very good hour earlier than rolling and reducing.
For these sugar cookies, best technique to work with the dough is true out of the bowl as a result of I take advantage of COLD butter. So, you’ll be able to reduce your Valentine shapes out instantly after which freeze for a couple of minutes earlier than baking. This can assist maintain their form.
Substances Wanted For Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
Just some easy components are wanted to make these mushy sugar cookies:
for the sugar cookies:
- all-purpose flour– I used unbleached, that is used to fill out the remainder of the cookie and assist carry all of the components collectively.
- salted butter– chilly & reduce into chunks
- baking powder– that is used for leavening.
- granulated sugar– to sweeten, this IS a sugar cookie recipe in spite of everything. You too can use vanilla sugar right here.
- egg– used for texture and construction
- pure vanilla extract– for flavoring
- pure almond extract– For those who’re not a fan, depart this ingredient out and take into account doubling up on the vanilla.
for the frosting:
- butter– softened
- vanilla extract– for flavoring
- confectioners’ sugar– aka powdered sugar, gives candy flavoring, construction and texture
- milk– helps bind all the pieces collectively
if utilizing a glaze:
- confectioners’ sugar– aka powdered sugar, gives candy flavoring, construction and texture.
- milk– helps bind all the pieces collectively
- vanilla extract– for flavoring
- liquid meals coloring– might divide up the glaze and use completely different colours too.
- valentine’s sprinkles and jimmies– non-obligatory
Tips on how to Make Valentine Sugar Cookies
For ingredient measurements and full instructions, scroll to the underside of this put up to view the printable recipe card. Right here is step-by step instructions for making this sugar cookie recipe:
Preheat + Prep
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it apart.
Make Dough
Within the bowl of a stand mixer or massive bowl, cream chilly butter and sugar collectively utilizing the paddle attachment or electrical hand mixer. Stir in egg and each extracts. In a small bowl, stir flour and baking powder collectively. Slowly incorporate dry components to the butter combination till a dough varieties.
Roll Out Dough + Reduce
Freeze + Bake
Place baking sheet with cut-out cookies within the freezer for 5-7 minutes. Subsequent, pull them out and bake 10-12 minutes, or till bottoms have frivolously browned however fringe of the cookie are nonetheless mild in coloration. Bake time can differ barely in each oven. Cool 3 minutes on the cookie sheet, then take away to wire racks.
Tips on how to Embellish Valentine Cookies
Embellished cookies is usually a labor of affection for positive. Don’t really feel like you must go above and past each time. After the cookies have been baked and cooled, you’ll be able to embellish them with glaze or frosting. I really like each methods, so I’ve included details about each.
Icing & Frosting: What’s the Distinction?
Frosting is a thick, pipe-able topping you should utilize for muffins and cookies. My Vanilla Frosting and Chocolate Frosting (generally referred to as buttercream) are merely powdered sugar blended with softened butter, vanilla extract and milk or cream. Typically completely different extracts or flavoring brokers, like cocoa, are added to make completely different varieties and flavors.
Icing is thinner in consistency and is constituted of powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk, cream and even water. You’ll be able to glaze these Valentine sugar cookies with an icing for a clean end that appears actually fairly. For those who’re accustomed to royal icing and like working with it, I’ve an ideal put up all about Royal Icing made with out meringue powder.
Making Icing
In a small bowl, stir powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and pink meals coloring collectively till glaze is clean and runny. Dip every cookie into the glaze, let it drip, then place onto a cooling rack to drip dry.
Making Frosting
I recommend heading over to my full put up about making frosting to get a full recipe and particulars. It is a nice useful resource. I clearly dyed half of the frosting pink and saved the opposite half white. Then used a disposable piping bag and piping ideas for a simple technique to embellish. I like to make use of the star or spherical tip for cookies. A zipper high bag with a nook snipped works simply as properly. Additionally be at liberty to unfold the frosting on with a butter knife.
Add Sprinkles and Jimmies (Non-obligatory)
As soon as every cookie is dipped in glaze or topped with frosting, you’ll want to add on colourful sprinkles instantly earlier than it has an opportunity to dry to make sure the sprinkles stick! If you wish to skip the sprinkles solely, the cookies look actually elegant; simply be certain to make use of a toothpick to pop the air bubbles on the icing. As a result of we have been including on a few of these enjoyable festive sprinkles, there was no must pop any air bubbles earlier than hand. Permit to dry 1-2 hours if utilizing the icing.
Storing Sugar Cookies
This recipe makes a number of sugar cookies. Excellent news is they’ll keep mushy and engaging for as much as 5 days when saved at room temperature, lined in an hermetic container. Topping the cookies with frosting or icing truly helps to seal within the moisture of the cookie, lengthening its shelf life. You too can cowl and refrigerate for as much as 10 days. The perimeters might get slightly crispy within the fridge, however it actually does assist maintain them contemporary.
Freezing Instructions
Contemplate freezing these cookies to make them forward of time (baked or unbaked)! Right here’s learn how to do each:
Freezing the Dough
Make the cut-out sugar cookie recipe as written under. Kind ready dough into one or two thick discs and place into a big meals storage bag or wrap properly in plastic wrap after which foil. So long as the dough is wrapped properly, it needs to be good within the freezer as much as two months. To defrost, place at room temperature for 2-3 hours or till mushy. Reduce out and bake cookies as desired.
Freezing Baked Sugar Cookies
Fully cool your baked cookies and switch to plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Containers will assist forestall baked sugar cookies from breaking. Freeze for as much as three months.To defrost, set out at room temperature for about an hour. Embellish as desired.
Love Sugar Cookies? Strive Some Variations:
There you may have it- excellent XO and heart-shaped sugar cookies to share with these you’re keen on! Manner higher than a field of dialog hearts, when you ask me. These are the right cookies for Valentine’s Day. Make just a few dozen now and anticipate the compliments to roll in trigger they actually will! The printable recipe is under. Have an ideal day, mates! 🙂
For those who make this recipe, I’d actually recognize it when you would give it a star score and depart your overview within the feedback! You probably have an image of your completed dish, put up it on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Valentine Sugar Cookie Recipe
What might be extra excellent for Valentine’s Day than these cute and yummy Valentine Sugar Cookies!
Substances
for the buttercream frosting:
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350° F.
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In a small bowl stir flour and baking powder collectively. Put aside. Cream butter and sugar collectively. Stir in egg and extracts. Slowly incorporate dry components.
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Roll dough out onto floured floor to be simply over 1/4″ thick. Reduce cookies out utilizing hearts and/or X and O cookie cutters and place onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.
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Freeze 5-7 minutes, then bake 10-12 minutes.
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Cool 3 minutes on baking sheet, then take away to cooling racks.
if utilizing buttercream frosting:
if utilizing glaze:
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In a small bowl, stir all glaze components collectively till clean and runny.
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Dip every cookie into the glaze and place onto cooling rack to let extra glaze drip down.
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Instantly high with desired sprinkles and dry 1-2 hours.
Vitamin
Energy: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 2g | Fats: 12g | Saturated Fats: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 3g | Trans Fats: 0.5g | Ldl cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 366IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg