Valentine’s Day Cookie Recipes

Valentine’s Day is a holiday filled with sweet things to eat, and cookies are one of the most popular treats. Below are two of our favorite Valentine’s Day cookie recipes—one light, colorful, and vanilla and one dark, decadent, and chocolate. Decide which one suits the mood of your Valentine’s Day celebration, or make both!

Classic Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons brandy, or milk
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer. Then add the egg, brandy, and vanilla.
3. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Divide into two sections, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or overnight).
4. Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is 1/8 inch thick. Use your favorite Valentine’s Day cookie cutters to cut out the shapes.
5. Bake on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
6. Allow to cool completely before decorating with icing, sprinkles, edible glitter, and candy.

Chocolate Shortbread Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup Dutched cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

• ½ to 2/3 cup granulated sugar (less for a more bittersweet cookie)

• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1 large egg yolk

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3½ ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped in a food processor

• Coarse sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Sift together the first three ingredients. Make sure there are no lumps in your mixture! Set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the salt, the egg yolk, and then the vanilla.
3. Combine with the dry ingredients.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for a half hour.
5. When it is just chilled, roll it out on a floured surface. Aim for 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness depending on how thin or thick you like your cookies. Use your favorite Valentine’s Day cookie cutters to cut out the shapes.
6. Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees. Thin cookies will take about 8 – 10 minutes while thicker cookies will need 10 – 12 minutes.
7. Allow to cool slightly on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
8. Sprinkle with coarse sugar as decoration.

Baking is a labor of love, so be sure to package up your delicious Valentine’s Day cookies to share with your friends and family. Enjoy!