valentine cookies

We've been wanting to make cut-out cookies for a while, and it just didn't happen during our hectic holidays. So we decided to bust out some heart shaped goodies and make up a platter to bring our wonderful library staff in the Young Adult department. We love them. A LOT.

We made the actual cookies the evening before, so these photos are in the morning when I had to drag the kids out of bed to get these done before it was time to head to the library. That's why they are in their jammies :)






It was great having Bea with us for this project. We haven't seen enough of her lately and we've missed her. And of course, these three made it lots of fun and wowed me with their creativity. They made some gorgeous cookies!






We had a lot of fun and made a big impression on the staff when we brought these in to them! We just wanted them to know how much we appreciate all they do for our teens, all year long. They are fabulous!


We used store bought black icing in a tube for our cookies, which really made them stand out. We also used red food coloring to dye some coarse sugar for the sprinkles, which worked really great. You just put the sugar and food coloring in a zip lock bag and squish it around until it is evenly absorbed. Oh and we used coconut to sprinkle on some of the cookies, which looked really pretty and tasted delicious.

I know some of you are going to ask, so here is the recipe we used. It's the one my mom used when we were kids, but I'm not sure where it came from before that. It's pretty basic but oh-so-good.


Cut-out Cookies

1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Cream together butter and sugar, then blend in eggs and liquid flavorings. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to sugar mixture a little at a time. The dough will be quite stiff and you'll have to make sure to work in all the flour. Chill for 2-3 hours (DON'T SKIP THIS PART!) and then roll out on well floured surface to about 1/8" thick. Cut with cookie cutters and then bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes or until cookies just start to brown slightly. Cool completely before frosting.




Frosting

1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 T. softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
TINY bit of hot water
food coloring

Blend ingredients together with electric mixer and beat until fluffy frosting consistency. Add more water as needed, but just a TINY bit at a time. Add more sugar if it gets it too runny. Frost cookies and enjoy!