Simple Valentine's Day Cookie Recipe

On this Valentine's Day, if you're looking for creative cookie ideas to give your friends, family, or significant other, you've come to the right spot. In this article I will lay out 1 very simple sugar cookie recipe and several different ways of manipulating that recipe to make beautiful and delicious Valentine's Day cookies. These cookies can easily be made vegan or egg-less if desired.

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookie Recipe

makes around 30 cookies, depending which cookie presentation you choose

3 cups all purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter or vegan alternative

1 cup Turbinado or evaporated cane sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 egg or egg replacer

In a large bowl, beat together softened butter or vegan alternative with Turbinado sugar with hand mixer. Add milk, and egg or egg replacer and mix. Add flour and baking powder and stir until combined. Manipulate dough into a large ball and cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (can be refrigerated overnight if desired).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

After 1 hour, remove dough from refrigerator and roll out ½ of the dough (place remaining dough back in refrigerator). Using a cookie cutter of your choice (preferably heart shaped for Valentine's Day) cut cookies and place on a greased baking sheet. Once the first half of the dough is used, remove the second half from the fridge and begin cutting.

Valentine's Day Cookie Designs and Presentations

Strawberry Jam Valentine's Day Cookies

Using a circle cutter (or the top of a drinking glass) cut two round cookie shapes from the rolled out dough. From the second cookie, carve out a heart shape from the middle. Place strawberry jam on top of the first cookie shape and spread evenly. Then place the second cookie shape (the one with a heart shape removed) and place on top of the jam. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the cookies are slightly browned.

Red Frosted Valentine's Day Cookies

After you have cut out the desired shapes from your rolled out dough (heart shapes are preferred for Valentine's Day), bake for 8 minutes, remove, and cool. While cookies are cooling, mix together frosting:

2/3 cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)

2/3 tablespoon milk

1/3 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

several drops of red food coloring

Spread red Valentine's Day frosting on top of the heart shaped cookies.

Valentine's Day Red Sprinkle Heart Cookies

Follow jam cookie instructions but replace red sprinkles for the jam. Bake 8-12 minutes.

Valentine's Day Sprinkle Cookies

Mix a generous amount of sprinkles into the cookie dough, roll dough into a sheet and cut shapes as desired. Bake 8 minutes.

**A note on cookie cutters. If you do not have cookie cutters, a knife and a steady hand will work. As you may be able to tell by my photos, I did not have a heart shaped cookie cutter so I used a knife. You can use household shapes as cutters, such as the top of a drinking glass**

Present Valentine's Day cookies wrapped delicately in red or pink tissue paper inside of a nice bag. These cookies go well with flowers too, if you'd like to really make your sweetie feel special! Happy Valentine's Day!