Easiest Valentine Cookies (Cut-Out Sugar Cookies!) | Foodiecrush.com (2024)

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These Valentine cookies get an extra boost of flavor from the almond extract in the dough. Top with your favorite royal icing or cream cheese frosting!

Cut-Out Valentine Cookies

When I was in 7th grade I was OBSESSED with hearts. Anything hearts. Everything hearts. Hearts, hearts, hearts. I’d draw fat bubble hearts over and over, making my mark on just about everything my magic markers could get close to. Oh, and rainbows and juicy red lips.

So its no surprise that my Smudge is now equally obsessed with the red pulsating symbols of happiness. She hasn’t quite hit the “love” obsession yet—she still has penguins and puppies inside of hearts on the brain—so in the voice of ex-NFL QB Kurt Warner, “Thank you Jesus!” that we have a few more years before teenage love-angst hits our doorstep.

So Smudge’s request for cut-out sugar cookies was no surprise. Of course she had to choose the ittiest, bittiest cookie cutter to create her love cookies and we broke out ALL of the decorating fixins. We made minis, maxis, and cookies on sticks. And then we ate. A lot. And then we made more Valentine sugar cookies that may or may not make it into our Valentine’s hands featuring these adorbs downloadable tagsin one of my fave Foodie Crush fonts from Emily at Tar-Tryin.

This almond sugar cookiesrecipe is seriously the bomb and like my other childhood fave—my mom’s fudge—is the one Miss P (my mom) broke out anytime a cookie cutter and rolling pin were involved.

Way more flavorful than other doughs I’ve tried, this is one that you’re lucky if you have any left to actually bake cookies with. Hello, beaters! Thanks to a dose of almond flavoring, these Valentines Day cookies are a bit more unique and subbing granular white sugar with powdered sugar gives them a more delicate bite that is far from cake-like that so many other sugar cookies recipes hold dear.

These babies are F-I-N-E! Come on, give ‘em a go.

What’s in These Valentine Cookies?

This Valentine cookie recipe is easy peasy and requires only a handful of ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make these cut-out sugar cookies:

  • Powdered sugar
  • Unsalted butter
  • Egg
  • Almond extract
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Cream of tartar
  • Icing of choice

How to Make Valentine’s Day Cookies

Simply cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg and extracts. Mix in the remaining ingredients.

Divide the almond sugar cookie dough in two, wrap each dough ball in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Once chilled, roll out the dough and cut using your favorite cookie cutters.

These Valentine cookies need to bake for roughly 7 to 8 minutes, or until just barely golden brown on the edges.

Easiest Valentine Cookies (Cut-Out Sugar Cookies!) | Foodiecrush.com (4)

Do I Have to Chill the Dough?

Yes, chilling the dough is crucial! It’s just a quick 15-minute chill though, so you won’t have to wait long to eat these cut-out sugar cookies!

Can I Prep the Cookie Dough in Advance?

Yes, the Valentine sugar cookie dough can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to three days before rolling it out.

Tips for Making the Best Sugar Cookies

I sometimes frost these sweeties with a cream cheese powdered sugar old fashioned down and dirty frosting, but have lately been giving them the royal icing treatment.Need tips on how to line and flood—yeah, that’s cookie speak, are you impressed? Check out the terrific video above from Marian at Sweetopia and her royal icing recipe.

If you’d like to bake these cut-out sugar cookies in advance and have them on hand for later, freeze them sans icing in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat the frozen cookies, set them on your counter to thaw and then frost them.

These almond sugar cookies can be enjoyed any time of year. To make these for other holidays, use different cookie cutters and choose different icing colors. Easy as that!

More Valentine’s Day Desserts You’ll Love

  • Rice Krispies Valentine Lollipops
  • Devil’s Food Bundt Cake with Chocolate Espresso Ganache
  • Classic Fat Witch Dark Chocolate Brownies
  • Quick and Easy Raspberry Fool
  • Classic Tiramisu

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagramwith #foodiecrusheats.

Easiest Valentine Cookies (Cut-Out Sugar Cookies!) | Foodiecrush.com (6)

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4.47 from 26 votes

55 Valentines Day Dessert and Drink Ideas | Valentine Cookies

Creative Valentines day sugar cookie recipe with delicious frosting on top.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cookies, sugar cookie

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Chill Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 33 minutes minutes

Servings 36

Calories 99kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup powdered sugar , sifted
  • 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.

  • With a hand or stand mixer, cream together powdered sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

  • Add egg, almond and vanilla and mix until combined.

  • Sift together flour, soda and cream of tartar and add to sugar mixture, mix until well combined.

  • Divide dough into two disc shapes, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

  • Once chilled, roll out dough to ⅛ to ¼ inch thick and cut into cookie shapes.

  • Place on lightly greased or silpat covered cookie sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes. Remove and cool on cookie sheet. Frost with royal icing.

Notes

  • The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 164IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

More Easy Cookie Recipes to Make Any Day

  • Milk Bar’s Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • The Best No-Bake Cookies with Coconut
  • Cranberry White Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut Cookies
  • Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Easiest Valentine Cookies (Cut-Out Sugar Cookies!) | Foodiecrush.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to cut out cookies? ›

In general, metal cookie cutters are sharper than plastic and will give you better results. Whichever type of cookie cutter you choose, flour it and then set it on the rolled-out dough and press straight down. Try not to jiggle or twist the cookie cutter as you use it.

What is the best thickness for cut-out cookies? ›

Most recipes suggest rolling the dough to ¼-inch thick because it's easy to work with (less breakage) and achieves a soft, tender cookie. Roll out a portion of dough at a time and keep the remaining dough in the refrigerator.

How to use store-bought sugar cookie dough for cutouts? ›

Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on work surface. Cut out desired shapes using floured 2- to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 11 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.

Is butter or shortening better for cut out cookies? ›

Which One Should I Use in Cookies? Basically, cookies made with butter spread more and are flatter and crisper if baked long enough. However, they are more flavorful than cookies made with shortening. Cookies made with shortening bake up taller and are more tender, but aren't as flavorful.

What is the trick to sugar cookies? ›

The very best sugar cookies are soft and tender. → Follow this tip: One of the keys to great sugar cookies is mixing the dry ingredients only until they're just incorporated, and not a second longer. Once the dry ingredients are added, less mixing equals more tender cookies.

Should you chill cookie dough before baking? ›

Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.

How to make cut out cookies keep their shape? ›

I can't wait to read through all of the great ideas posted there! To help cookies keep their shape, freeze them! I freeze each batch of cut-out cookies for 5 to 10 minutes before baking.

Why are my cutout cookies puffy? ›

Q: Why are my cookies so puffy and cakey? Whipping too much air into the dough. That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.

Can you use store bought sugar cookie dough for cut-out cookies? ›

Simple metal cookie cutters can transform store-bought slice-and-bake dough into the most festive holiday dessert. For these Christmas cut-outs, all you need is a 16.5-ounce roll of Pillsbury sugar-cookie dough, some flour, and an oven (elbow grease not included).

Should you refrigerate sugar cookie dough before cutting? ›

Refrigerating the dough allows the flour to fully hydrate and helps to make the cookie dough firmer. Firm dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much, which is why chilling the dough is a crucial step for cut-out and rolled cookies.

How do you keep sugar cookie cutouts from spreading? ›

  1. The Rules for Making Sure Your Sugar Cookies Don't Spread.
  2. Rule No. 1: Bake at the Right Temperature.
  3. Rule No. 2: Don't Over or Under Cream Your Butter.
  4. Rule No. 3: Don't Over-Soften Your Butter.
  5. Rule No. 4: Don't Overcrowd the Baking Sheet.
  6. Rule No. 5: Make Sure Your Ingredients Have Not Expired.
  7. Rule No.
Jan 19, 2022

What does baking powder do in cutout cookies? ›

Baking powder simply adds carbon dioxide to the equation, providing a more forceful pressure that encourages a dough to spread up and out.

How thick should cut out sugar cookies be? ›

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the sugar cookie dough to ¼-inch thick. Cut out shapes as desired, transfer to prepared baking sheets, and bake cookies until set but still pale, 10 to 12 minutes. Cook for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.

Why do my cut out sugar cookies spread? ›

And when it comes to baking cutout cookies, if your butter is too warm, your cookies will very likely spread. Try using more chilled butter. When I'm making cutout cookies, I use butter that has been out of the fridge for less than 30 minutes or simply zap in the microwave for 12 second on half-power.

How do you get cut out cookies to keep their shape? ›

I can't wait to read through all of the great ideas posted there! To help cookies keep their shape, freeze them! I freeze each batch of cut-out cookies for 5 to 10 minutes before baking.

How to keep cutout cookies from spreading? ›

1) Don't grease your baking pan — line it instead

“For the best results, choose a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to line your pan,” Dawn recommends. “Simply greasing your pan — basically adding fat to it — will encourage your cookies to spread.” (Check out our side-by-side test baking to see for yourself.)

What to use if you don't have a cookie cutter? ›

A standard drinking glass with about a 3-inch opening is a great stand-in for cookie cutters. Round cookies can be decorated in a variety of ways to add festive color to any cookie tray.

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