Love is in the air! So that means cookies are being made!
We love a good cookie in this house, especially ones the girls can decorate. What better kind than a sugar cookie. Easy to make, easy to bake, easy to decorate! Oh, and obviously easy to eat!
This is a super simple recipe – just mix, chill, cut and bake. The chilling is what takes the longest, but it means you can make the dough well in advance and it’s ready when you are! The trick to making sugar cookies is don’t let the brown. If you do, they’re overdone and become hard as a rock. They should be these same color going in as when they come out. While they cool, they’ll harden up and then you can ice and decorate. This is definitely the part to get your kids involved in. My girls just loved it!
What’s your favorite thing to make for Valentine’s Day? Let me know in the comments below! Happy heart day! ❤
Love Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Royal Icing or Easy Glaze Icing
Royal Icing
- 4 egg whites
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring
Directions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Dough will be relatively soft.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. Lightly dust one of the rolled-out doughs with flour. Place a piece of parchment on top. (This prevents sticking.) Place the 2nd rolled-out dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Carefully remove the top dough piece from the refrigerator. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into heart shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough.
- Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- To make the icing: in medium bowl, beat egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer until they begin to foam. Gently add in the sugar until completely incorporated. Then, stir in vanilla and beat on high until it becomes very thick (about 5-10 minutes). At this point, you can color your royal icing or separate it into individual bowls and stir in coloring you want. Ice your cookies quickly before the royal icing sets and enjoy!
Season Generously 