Valentine's Day Cookies

Looking for something to do with your boyfriend, husband, kids or family for Valentine's Day? How about making Valentine's Day cookies and decorating them? This activity is fun for all and the best part is you get a yummy treat when you're finished!

To start off with this activity you'll need to make the cookies. Basic Sugar Cookies are the best to use because they are easy to make and also easy to make hearts out of. You will need heart shaped cookie cutters for these cookies.

You will need the following ingredients to make the Valentines Day cookies:

1 3/4 cups flour (sifted)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter (soften)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

Mix together the butter and sugar until they are well blended. By using butter that is soft this process will be faster. Once blended add egg, vanilla and milk to the mixture and blend together.

Once the sugar/butter combo is mixed in a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. You can mix it together and then sift it to make sure it's throughly mixed together. This is purely optional.

Blend in the flour mixture by slowly pouring the flour into the sugar/butter mixture. You do this to reduce the change of flour flying all over the place. Mix together until throughly blended.

You will then have to chill the dough. You can play it in the freezer for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 2 hours. You have to chill the dough so that it is easier to roll out and make the shapes.

Heat your over to 400 degrees when you're ready to start rolling out the dough and making the shapes.

Roll the dough to your desired thickness and cut into the shapes you want, in this case hearts would be the best option.

Cook for 8 to 12 minutes depending on thickness. With sugar cookies you have to be careful to not burn them, because they can burn easily. Once cookies are finished, let them cool for ten minutes.

While the cookies are cooking you'll want to make the frosting for the cookies. You can buy some at the store as well, but homemade frosting is much better, and adds into the fun.

To make the frosting you will need:

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon milk
Red food coloring

In a large bowl mix the confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and milk together. You may find you'll need to add more milk depending on how thick or thin you'd like the frosting.

Once blended divide in half and place into two bowls. In one bowl add food coloring to frosting, enough to make it red. Mix throughly.

Now you're almost ready to start the real fun, decorating! Gather any sprinkles, candies and sugars you'd like to put on the Valentine's Day cookies.

Lay the Valentine's Day cookies out on the table and decorate and have fun!

If decorating with a child, let them have a cookie and a choice of their favorite candies and help them decorate their cookies. Then take pictures of their cookies so they can show them off to others.

If decorating with a family, assign each member another member of the family and ask them to decorate a Valentine's Day cookie for that member to have. This way the entire family will have a Valentine's Day cookie to give and get.

If decorating with your boyfriend/husband as a romantic treat, turn down the lights and decorate your Valentine's Day cookies, "creatively".

Have fun this Valentine's Day and hopefully you have fun making your Valentine's Day Cookies.