Shortbread and Sugar Valentine Cookies

Get your whole family involved in baking treats for loved ones and sweethearts this Valentine's Day. Kids love to make gifts and treats for teachers, grandparents, and neighbors to show they care.

Shortbread Valentines

Make your cutie pie's day with these special valentine shortbread cookies. You will need 2 cups butter, 1 cup brown sugar packed lightly, and 4 cups all-purpose flour. Make sure you have these utensils in your kitchen as well: mixing bowl, wooden spoon, wax paper, a rolling pin, heart-shaped cookie cutters, a spatula, a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and a cooling rack.

First, preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Cream together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl and add flour. Mix thoroughly.

Place dough on a sheet of wax paper and roll it out with the rolling pin to about ¼ inch thickness. Cut heart shapes with cookie cutters and use the spatula to transfer them to the baking sheet.

Bake 10-15 minutes until just brown. They should have a pale color.

Let the cookies cool or 5 minutes and then use the spatula to transfer them to the cooling rack to cool completely.

This should make about 5 dozen shortbread cookies. Ice the cookies with pink icing and put red cinnamon melts along the edges for an extra special touch.

Sugar cookie valentines

Make some sweet sugar cookies to say "You're the bestest" for your valentine. You will need 1 cup white sugar, ½ cup shortening, 1 egg, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, ¼ tsp. salt, 2 cups icing sugar, ¼ cup butter, and 3 tbsp. milk. For the decorations, you will need ½ tsp. vanilla, red food coloring and candies. Utensils needed are the same as above.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the sugar and shortening in the large bowl until creamy. Stir in the egg and the vanilla. Next, add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well.

Roll out the dough to a ¼ inch thickness with the rolling pin. Use the cookie cutters to cut out heart-shaped cookies. Transfer the cookies to the baking sheet with the spatula and keep the cookies about 1 ½ inch apart.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until light brown.

To make the icing, mix well the icing sugar, butter, mill and vanilla until creamy. Sitr in a few drops of red food coloring to make the icing pink. Spread the icing on and add some red candy melts .