What would Valentine’s Day be without a cookie jar full of temptingly sweet morsels? These four Valentine’s Day cookie recipes are sure to disappear from the cookie jar faster than you can make them!
Start With A Cherry Kiss
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 6 drops red food coloring, optional
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
- 54 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt until blended. Beat in cherry juice, extract and, if desired, food coloring. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in cherries.
Shape dough into 1-in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into center of each cookie (cookie will crack around edges). Cool on pans 2 minutes.
Ultimate V-Day Cookies
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 1/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 drops red food color
Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk or half-and-half
Directions
Heat oven to 400°F. In large bowl, beat 1 cup powdered sugar, the butter and vinegar with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining cookie ingredients except food color. Divide dough in half. Mix food color into one half. (If dough is too dry, stir in milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
On lightly floured cloth-covered surface, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into heart shapes with various sizes of cookie cutters. Place smaller hearts on larger hearts of different color dough if desired. On ungreased cookie sheet, place shapes about 2 inches apart.
Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until set but not brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; carefully remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
In medium bowl, mix all frosting ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Tint with food color if desired. Spread frosting on cookies.
Walnut Gems
- ½ cup butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup very finely chopped Walnuts1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar
Directions
Cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Add salt and vanilla. Work in flour gradually. Stir in walnuts. Chill. Using a teaspoonful, form into shape of small walnut. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet, 350 degree oven 15-17 minutes. Cool 3 minutes, roll in powdered sugar. Cool on rack. Dust tops of cookies again with powdered sugar.
Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
For the cookies:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring
For the filling:
- 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Make the cookies: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in 2 additions. Add the food coloring and beat until combined. Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead a few times. Roll into a 10-inch-long, 1-inch-diameter log; wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Pulse the coconut, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, salt and vanilla in a food processor until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the freezer and unwrap. Slice the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and arrange about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are firm around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Spread about 1 teaspoon of the filling on the flat side of half of the cookies, then sandwich with the remaining cookies.
