I always enjoyed the ritual of exchanging valentines as a kid. Opening up a box of 32 (plus two for the teachers!) brand-spanking-new valentines, preferably the Snoopy variety. Carefully addressing the envelopes in crayon for all the kids in my class. Even the boys. Dropping a few conversation heart candies into each envelope. Being careful not to include any too-lovey messages in the ones for the aforementioned boys. Eagerly opening the little cards from everyone else in the class. Hoping for chocolate.
{Hmm-hmm} years later, I still love Valentine’s Day. Our playgroup is having a little celebration this week for the kiddies so I thought I’d make some conversation heart-inspired cookies, with one subtle little twist – these are actually made with animal cracker dough. The difference? They’ve got a lot more crunch to them as well as a hint of spice from dashes of nutmeg and mace. For a treat that will be grabbed and tossed by two-year olds I tend to prefer these over traditional sugar cookies. Plus they’re so darned good.
There’s a bit of inactive chilling time involved with these cookies, so be sure not to wait till the last minute. As for the icing, it was actually a bit easier than I’d expected. The trick is to use only a small amount of icing while you’re piping – it’s much easier to control that way. Rather than make my own royal icing, as I did with the Butterfly Sugar Cookies, I used some Betty Crocker Cookie Icing tubes I saw in the baking aisle. They set up rather quickly just like royal icing and saved me from having to make several batches with the different colors. The decorating is the fun part anyway, right?
Valentine Heart Cookies
Adapted from the Animal-Cracker Cookies recipe on the back of the Williams-Sonoma Circus Cookie Cutters box
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon mace
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food coloring
Heart-shaped cookie cutters
Royal icing (see my Butterfly Sugar Cookies post for a recipe) or ready-made cookie icing
DIRECTIONS:
Over a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and mace. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, slowly add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, stopping the mixer once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Stop the mixer and add half of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until most of the flour has been absorbed. Add the remaining flour and beat until all of the flour has been absorbed and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 3 equal balls. Create a little well in each ball of dough and drop in food coloring to create your desired color (I added about 10 drops to each ball). Work the color into the dough until it’s evenly distributed (NOTE: You’ll likely have food coloring under your fingernails for a few days – a badge of honor!). Shape each ball into a disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Let the dough stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Place each dough disk between 2 clean, large pieces of plastic wrap. Roll out the dough to 1/8″ thickness. (If the dough cracks while you’re rolling, let it stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes more). Remove the plastic wrap and place the dough on a floured work surface. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour.
Preheat an oven to 350°F.
Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Dip the heart-shaped cookie cutters into flour just before using and cut out the shapes. Freeze the baking sheets for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for 30 minutes. Gather up the scraps, reroll and cut out more cookies.
Bake the cookies until very light golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer the sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool to room temperature. Once cooled, use icing to pipe on sweet phrases for your valentine!
FAQs
Heidi makes a cookie cutter out of a cleaned and recycled can, snipped and dented to make the perfect heart shape. If you don't have the tools for cutting down a can, a shallow can, like one from tuna fish (very well cleaned!) would work well. So simple and cute!
How far in advance can you make decorated sugar cookies? ›
Although I've tested them for longer and the batches I've tried seem fine for up to 4 weeks, my general rule of thumb is up to 2 weeks.
How long do sugar cookies last? ›
The best way to store sugar cookies is in an airtight container at room temperature, with a layer of parchment paper or wax paper between each layer of cookies. Sugar cookies can last for up to two weeks at room temperature, up to a month in the refrigerator, and up to three months in the freezer.
How to make heart shaped cookies without cookie cutter? ›
If you don't have a heart cookie cutter, you can use a sharp knife to cut the cookies into heart shapes by hand. This takes a bit longer, but still works well. It's best to cut the cookies while they are slightly warm in the pan rather than waiting until they are completely cool.
Can you leave decorated sugar cookies out overnight? ›
Room Temperature:
Baked and decorated cookies can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks. Make sure that your icing has hardened completely before stacking the cookies, and adding a layer of parchment paper between cookie layers is always a good idea for some additional protection.
Can you leave sugar cookies out overnight? ›
Curious how long cookies last at room temperature? Most homemade cookies will maintain their taste and texture for up to 3 days. If you leave them out for too long, the cookies begin to harden or dry out. To prevent cookies from becoming stale, cover them with plastic wrap or keep in an airtight container.
Is it better to use a cookie cutter before or after baking? ›
If you get a good recipe & you follow the instructions on keeping the cookie dough cold & use real butter, you shouldn't need to cut your cookies after they are baked.
Can you use store bought sugar cookie dough for cutouts? ›
Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens
If you're using the 21-ounce pouch of Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mix, make dough as directed on the pouch for cutout cookies. For frosting, use 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar, 3 to 5 tablespoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. The large pouch makes 32 cookies.
Do sugar cookies need to be refrigerated before baking? ›
Chilling the dough is a key step in making sugar cookies, especially when you're making cut-outs. Even if you're tight on time, make sure to get the dough in the fridge, or even the freezer, even if it's only for a little while. Skip this step, and the dough will be sticky, and much harder to work with.
Can you eat old sugar cookies? ›
“Homemade sugar cookies should ideally be consumed within two to three days, but can last up to one week at room temperature if stored properly in an air-tight container in a dry, cool place,” Mok says.
Another option is using a pastry bag or ziploc bag with a corner snipped off. A squeeze bottle works too, if you have one handy! When your pan is hot, just drip, pipe, or squeeze the outline of a heart, then fill in the outline as quick as you can with batter.
How do you shape cookies by hand? ›
Roll the balls of cookie dough between your palms
After you've used your scoop to form all your balls of dough, take each ball and smooth it out by rolling it between the palms of your hands. This ensures you don't end up with any craggly cookies.
Can you use cookie cutters on any type of cookie dough? ›
To ensure you consistently create intricately-shaped desserts, below is a step-by-step guide on how to properly use cookie cutters: Step 1: First thing's first: get your dough! You can use any cookie dough recipe you choose. But for best results, use one for soft cookies rather than crunchy ones.
How to make shamrock shaped cookies without a cookie cutter? ›
Don't worry if you don't have a cookie-cutter shaped like a shamrock. It's very easy to make them with just a stencil made from cardboard. All you need to do is to make the stencil in a shamrock shape. Then, using a sharp knife, trace around the edges of the cookie dough after you roll it out.
