We’re so excited about our super cute Valentine’s Cookies, that are meant for everyone to enjoy and not exclusive to couples. Our cut-out sugar cookie recipe is so simple and the cookies are topped with the most delicious and equally simple strawberry icing. The little faces we put on them are totally optional, but we think they add so much charm and character to them.
The icing drys hard, so there’s no need to worry about them smearing easily, making transporting them a breeze! These treats make lovely gifts for coworkers, neighbors, friends, family, anyone!
How to Make Our Valentine’s Cookies
Process
COOKIES
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- In a stand mixer (using a paddle attachment) or with a hand mixer, cream together butter. Scrape down sides of the bowl and add sugar and continue to cream together.
- Add milk, egg and vanilla extract.
- Continue to mix. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Pour some flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until evenly blended.
- Add part of the flour.
- Then mix.
- Divide dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Lightly flour a clean surface. Roll out 1 disc of dough to ⅛ inch thickness. Using a 4-inch heart shaped cookie cutter punch out about 9 heart cookies (or about 25 hearts if using a 2″ cutter).
- Transfer cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, 1 inch apart. (You will need multiple baking sheets or will need to bake cookies in batches). Repeat steps 7 and 8 with other half of dough. Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies barely begin to brown around the edges. Remove baking sheet from oven and allow cookies to rest for about 5 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack.
STRAWBERRY ICING
- In a food processor, combine powdered sugar and freeze dried strawberries.
- Blend until freeze-dried strawberries become a fine powder and evenly mixed with powdered sugar. Add remaining icing ingredients.
- Blend together until completely combined and smooth.
ASSEMBLY
- Once cookies have cooled completely, dip surface of valentine’s cookies into icing, shaking off any excess.
- Transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Add eyes to each cookie and allow icing to dry completely.
- Once icing has dried completely, transfer melted chocolate to a piping bag fitted with a #2 wilton tip (or Ziploc bag and snip a very small hole at the tip). Pipe smiles on each cookie. Allow chocolate to harden completely before serving.
Tools You Will Need
- mixing bowls
- measuring spoons
- dry measuring cups
- whisk
- stand mixer or electric mixer
- cookie sheet
- wire rack
- 4″ heart cookie cutter or 2″ heart cookie cutter
- piping bag
- #2 wilton piping tip
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions for Our Valentine’s Cookies
Make Ahead
The cookie dough can be made up to 5 days in advance. If chilling dough in refrigerator for over 4 hours, allow dough to sit out at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to (very) slightly soften.
The cookies can be baked, cooled and stored in an airtight container, in a cool dry place, for up to 5 days.
The icing can be made up to 1 week in advance. To store, transfer icing to an airtight container and place a layer of plastic wrap directly over the icing, before sealing with the container lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Allow icing to sit at room temperature for at least an hour before using. Stir and adjust consistency with more milk or powdered sugar, if needed.
The fully iced cookies can be made up to 5 day ahead of time. Store cookies in an airtight container and store in a cool dry place.
Freezing
The cookie dough disc can be frozen for up to 2 months. To freeze, tightly wrap dough disc in two layers plastic wrap, then place in a resealable freezer bag with as much air removed from it as possible. When ready to use, transfer dough to refrigerator and thaw overnight. Allow thawed dough to sit out at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before unwrapping and rolling.
The baked (unfrosted) valentine’s cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Place cookies onto a baking sheet, making sure they aren’t touching one another and freeze. Transfer frozen cookies to a resealable bag, remove as much air as possible and seal. Allow cookies to thaw in the refrigerator before icing.
The fully baked and iced cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month. Place cookies onto a baking sheet, making sure they aren’t touching one another and freeze. Transfer frozen cookies to a resealable bag, remove as much air as possible and seal. Cookies should be enjoyed frozen. Allowing cookies to thaw may result in wet, sticky icing that also moisten the cookies too much.
Tips and Tricks for Valentine’s Cookies Success
- Use an offset spatula (or small pancake turner) to transfer cut cookies to baking sheet. The dough is delicate and using your hands to transfer the cookies may result in them tearing or warping.
- Shake as much excess icing off cookies as possible, once dipped, to prevent icing from dripping down the sides.
- Iced cookies should be completely dry before transferring, plating, boxing, packaging to ensure no divots in the icing are made.
Why Use Freeze-Dried Strawberries?
- Freeze-dried strawberries are the best to use for this strawberry icing because you’re using real strawberries (no artificial flavors!) with a deliciously concentrated strawberry flavor.
- Since all the water has been removed from the freeze-dried strawberries, you only need to use a small amount to get a strong strawberry flavor and a nice pink color.
- It’s much more low maintenance than using fresh strawberries. All you need to do is blend and sift the freeze-dried strawberries and the powder is ready to be added to the icing!
- It can be blended up with powdered sugar (like we did for our valentine’s cookies) and stored in an airtight container and you’ll have strawberry flavored sugar on hand!
- In general, freeze-dried strawberries can be added to a wide range of desserts to easily boost the flavor and color, making them great to have stocked in the pantry!
More Delicious Cookie Recipes You Will Love
- Pink and White Cookies
- M&M Cookies
- Soft and Fluffy Sugar Cookies
- Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
Valentine’s Cookies
INGREDIENTS
cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
strawberry icing
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- .1 ounce freeze dried strawberries (about 1 1/2 tablespoons after blending to powder)
- 7 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- pinch salt
optional garnishes
- 36 candy eyes
- 2 ounces melted dark chocolate
INSTRUCTIONS
cookies
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer cream together butter and sugar.
- Add milk, egg and vanilla and continue to mix. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Pour flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until evenly blended and a dough forms.
- Divide dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Lightly flour a clean surface. Roll out 1 disc of dough to ⅛ inch thickness. Using a 4-inch heart shaped cookie cutter punch out about 9 heart cookies.
- Transfer cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, 1 inch apart. (You will need multiple baking sheets or will need to bake cookies in batches).
- Repeat steps 7 and 8 with other half of dough.
- Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies barely begin to brown around the edges.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and allow cookies to rest for about 5 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack.
strawberry icing
- In a food processor, combine powdered sugar and freeze dried strawberries. Blend until freeze-dried strawberries become a fine powder and evenly mixed with powdered sugar.
- Add remaining icing ingredients and blend together until completely combined and smooth.
assembly
- Once cookies have cooled completely, dip tops of cookies into icing, shaking off any excess.
- Transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Add eyes to each cookie and allow icing to dry completely.
- Once icing has dried, transfer melted chocolate to a piping bag fitted with a #2 wilton tip (or Ziploc bag and snip a very small hole at the tip). Pipe smiles on each cookie. Allow chocolate to harden before serving.
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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Is there anything you can sub the corn syrup with?