Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies
Servings: 36 medium cookies
Yields: 3 dozen cookies
Calories: 110kcal
Make a batch of these stunning Valentine’s Day sugar cookies with bright red royal icing and crisp lines that don't bleed!
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Ingredients
For sugar cookies:
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) packed light brown sugar, Note 1
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 ½ (170 g) sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
For decorating:
- ½ batch of royal icing
- Americolor Super Red gel food coloring
- Brown gel food coloring
Equipment
Instructions
TO PREPARE THE DOUGH:
- In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, mix flour, sugars, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.3 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup packed light brown sugar, Note 1, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Add butter and mix on low speed until the mixture is evenly moistened, 1-2 minutes. The mixture should resemble wet sand.1 ½ sticks
- Add egg, vanilla, and almond extracts and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. The dough will be crumbly, but it should stick together when you squeeze it in your hand.1 large egg, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Knead it into smooth balls.
- At this point, you can move on to shaping and baking the cookies right away. Or you can put the dough into plastic bags and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
TO SHAPE AND BAKE COOKIES:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment papers, or silicone mats.
- Place each dough ball on a silicone mat and roll it out into ¼-inch-thick disc. (TIP: This adjustable rolling pin helps you roll out an even dough.)
- Using heart-shaped cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets.
- Gather the scraps of dough, roll the dough, and cut out more cookies. Repeat until all the dough is used.
- Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges start to turn light golden color.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
TO DECORATE THE COOKIES:
- Make the royal icing and divide it into 2 bowls. Cover white icing tightly with a plastic wrap. Add red food coloring into the other icing and mix until well combined. Add a couple small drops of brown food coloring to deepen the red.½ batch of royal icing, Americolor Super Red gel food coloring, Brown gel food coloring
- Place each colored royal icing into tipless piping bags and decorate the cookies.
Notes
Note 1: I love how brown sugar adds subtle flavor and softness to the cookies. I’ve made this recipe with both light and dark brown sugars. Dark brown sugar yields darker cookies, so I prefer light brown sugar.
Make Ahead Tips:
- Prepare the royal icing up to 2 weeks in advance, or freeze it for up to 2 months.
- Prepare the cookie dough up to 3 days in advance, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Store prepared cookie dough in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic. Thaw frozen cookie dough overnight in the refrigerator.
- To bake, let the chilled cookie dough come to room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling, shaping, and baking as the recipe instructions state.
- To decorate, let the icing come to room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring it to a piping bag. Storing Tips:
- Once cooled, leftover decorated cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- To prevent them from sticking together, place a piece of parchment paper between each layer.
- Freeze decorated cookies for up to 1 month.
- Thaw frozen cookies on the counter at room temperature for 8-12 hours without opening the lid. Keeping the lid closed will prevent condensation from forming.
- Prepare the royal icing up to 2 weeks in advance, or freeze it for up to 2 months.
- Prepare the cookie dough up to 3 days in advance, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Store prepared cookie dough in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic. Thaw frozen cookie dough overnight in the refrigerator.
- To bake, let the chilled cookie dough come to room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling, shaping, and baking as the recipe instructions state.
- To decorate, let the icing come to room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring it to a piping bag. Storing Tips:
- Once cooled, leftover decorated cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- To prevent them from sticking together, place a piece of parchment paper between each layer.
- Freeze decorated cookies for up to 1 month.
- Thaw frozen cookies on the counter at room temperature for 8-12 hours without opening the lid. Keeping the lid closed will prevent condensation from forming.
Nutrition
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 110kcal
Carbohydrates: 21g
Protein: 1g
Fat: 2g
Sugar: 12g
Sodium: 48mg