It’s not too soon to start thinking about Valentine’s Day. And there’s no better treat to make for the holiday than these yummy love bug decorated frosted sugar cookies. These ladybug cookies are actually made with heart shaped cookie cutters which you may already have. Any size will do! I like to make up a plate with a variety of cookie sizes, but the larger cookies (approximately 3.75″) make adorable individual place settings for a party. And they are perfect take-home goodie bag treats.
Love Bug Valentine Frosted Sugar Cookies
To make these treats, I start with my all-time favorite sugar cookie recipe with gluten-free flour. These delectable treats are decorated with both vanilla and chocolate frosting.
Sugar Cookie Frosting
I simply use a ready-made vanilla frosting and mix it with hot pink food coloring for the ladybug body (or you can use red food coloring). Next I use a rich and delicious chocolate frosting recipe to make a circle shape for the ladybug face.
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Decorated Sugar Cookies
To decorate the cookies, I add two small candy eyes to each ladybug face. Then I place mini chocolate chips (tip side down) to make up the dots for the wings. And last, I melt some of the chocolate chips, transfer them into baggie and snip off the end to pipe on the chocolate antennae.
These cookies are really not difficult to make and are fun to decorate with your family. Even the youngest of children can participate by placing the candy eyes on the face and chocolate chip polka dots on the ladybug wings. You will end up with the cutest and most delicious Valentine cookies that kids of all ages will love.
Here’s how to make Love Bug Valentine Frosted Sugar Cookies.
Love Bug Valentine Frosted Sugar Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Prepare the heart shaped sugar cookies: Add sugar and softened butter to a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix on medium speed until combined.
Add egg yolks and vanilla to the bowl. Mix again until incorporated.
Add flour to the bowl. Start mixer on low speed and increase to medium speed, mixing until fully combined.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface. Sprinkle with flour and add half of the cookie dough, placing the remaining cookie dough in the fridge. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Add parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ¼” thickness.
Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out cookies.
Use a metal spatula to carefully transfer the cookies to an ungreased baking sheet, leaving at least 1” in between cookies.
Place baking sheet in preheated oven and bake for 8-12 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Allow cookies to remain on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
While cookies are cooling, prepare the chocolate frosting: Add butter to a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted.
Add cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and ½ tablespoon milk to the bowl. Stir until combined and smooth. Add an extra splash of milk to the frosting if it is too thick.
Transfer chocolate frosting to a sandwich bag and snip off a corner. Set aside.
Add food coloring to the vanilla frosting. Stir in additional food coloring until desired color is achieved. Transfer the frosting to a sandwich bag and snip off a corner.
Melt 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips in the microwave. Transfer melted chocolate to a sandwich bag. Snip off a very small corner of the bag and set aside.
Decorate the cookies, starting with the chocolate frosting. Pipe a circle of chocolate frosting onto the bottom of a heart shaped cookie. Use the colored vanilla frosting to pipe the ladybug wings. Create an outline around the remaining edges of the top of the heart all the way back down to the head. Fill in the wings with frosting.
Add two candy eyes to the chocolate frosted circle to create the ladybug face.
Use the melted chocolate to pipe two small antennae onto the cookie.
Place mini chocolate chips tip side down onto the wings to complete the ladybug valentine cookie.
Repeat this process until all cookies are decorated. Enjoy!
These adorable love bug decorated sugar cookies are gluten-free. They are made with heart shaoe cookie cutters and both vanilla and chocolate frostings.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour10 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 egg yolks (discard whites)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups gluten-free all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
16 oz. tub of vanilla frosting
Chocolate frosting (recipe below)
½ cup mini chocolate chips
Pink or red food coloring
Candy eyes
Chocolate frosting:
1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ tablespoon milk
Additional Materials
Heart shaped cookie cutters
Instructions
Prepare the heart sugar cookies: Add sugar and softened butter to a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix on medium speed until combined.
Add egg yolks and vanilla to the bowl. Mix again until incorporated.
Add flour to the bowl. Start mixer on low speed and increase to medium speed, mixing until fully combined.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface. Sprinkle with flour and add half of the cookie dough, placing the remaining cookie dough in the fridge. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Add parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ¼” thickness.
Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out cookies.
Use a metal spatula to carefully transfer the cookies to an ungreased baking sheet, leaving at least 1” in between cookies.
Place baking sheet in preheated oven and bake for 8-12 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Allow cookies to remain on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
While cookies are cooling, prepare the chocolate frosting: Add butter to a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted.
Add cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and ½ tablespoon milk to the bowl. Stir until combined and smooth. Add an extra splash of milk to the frosting if it is too thick.
Transfer chocolate frosting to a sandwich bag and snip off a corner. Set aside.
Add food coloring to the vanilla frosting. Stir in additional food coloring until desired color is achieved. Transfer the frosting to a sandwich bag and snip off a corner.
Melt 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips in the microwave. Transfer melted chocolate to a sandwich bag. Snip off a very small corner of the bag and set aside.
Decorate the cookies, starting with the chocolate frosting. Pipe a circle of chocolate frosting onto the bottom of a heart shaped cookie. Use the colored vanilla frosting to pipe the ladybug wings. Create an outline around the remaining edges of the top of the heart all the way back down to the head. Fill in the wings with frosting.
Add two candy eyes to the chocolate frosted circle to create the ladybug face.
Use the melted chocolate to pipe two small antennae onto the cookie.
Place mini chocolate chips tip side down onto the wings to complete the ladybug valentine cookie.
Repeat this process until all cookies are decorated. Enjoy!
Will you be making these Love Bug Frosted Sugar Cookies for Valentine’s Day? Tell us how you like them!
Here are more gluten-free cookie recipes you might want to make: Amazing Bourbon Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free) and Amazing Gluten Free White Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies.
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Use a butter knife or a small spatula, and spread a thin layer of buttercream on the cookie then decorate with sprinkles. This type of decorating will set quickly, and will do ok when the cookies are shipped. But it won't be 100% smudge-proof like Royal Icing. Pipe out decorations with some fine detail.
When stacking royal icing cookies, place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper between each level. Since you cannot stack buttercream cookies more than a single layer (or maybe two) without damaging the decor, I recommend a 2 layer cake carrier.
Choose to store them at room temperature or in the freezer instead of the fridge. If you can store your cookies at room temperature or in the freezer - do it. The fridge should be your last resort because of the moisture that can make your cookies soggy. Store the cookies in an airtight container.
Frosting is the thickest of these confections and is ideal for spreading or piping on cakes, cupcakes and cookies. Icing is a little thinner than frosting and is often poured or piped over coffee cakes, pound cakes, doughnuts and cookies—and it usually hardens when it dries.
Lightly brush the icing with water. This will allow the icing to adhere to the biscuit. Carefully lay the icing onto the biscuit and use your finger to gently round out any rough edges.
Most frostings are made with powdered sugar (otherwise known as confectioners' sugar or icing sugar), which contains cornstarch to prevent it from caking. Adding more powdered sugar can be an effective way and the easiest way of absorbing too much liquid to achieve thicker frosting.
Step 1: Seal the cookies in cello bags with the heat sealer. Step 2: Apply labels to the back of the cookies. Step 3: Wrap 2 cookies in a sheet of tissue paper, making sure that the cookies are not touching each other.
My trick is to save the really pretty iced cookies and place them on the very top of your cookie board. That way, everyone will see those first and it makes for a killer display. You can also display these cookies at varying heights, placing some on a tray and some elevated up on some cake stands too!
Durable cookies (think chocolate chip cookies or shortbread cookies with firm-set icing) can be stacked in layers without anything between them. Not-so-durable cookies will need some degree of separation — you can use sheets of parchment paper, plastic wrap, or even tortillas as barriers between layers.
Leaving cookies out overnight poses certain risks, primarily related to food safety and quality. Cookies left out overnight are at risk of microbial contamination, especially if they contain perishable ingredients like eggs or dairy.
To prevent sticking when you store your cookies, arrange them in a single layer and add a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper between layers. (Here's why you should bake cookies on parchment paper, too!)
Do buttercream cookies need refrigeration? Nope! American buttercream has a high sugar content which preserves the dairy—the butter. Even if you use heavy cream to thin the frosting, it's still fine for a few days.
If you want to make your cookies in advance… totally doable! 1 week before event: I start the process UP TO 1 week before the event and don't do any freezing in this time period (either of the icing or cookies).
If using my sugar cookies, cover and store decorated cookies for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to 10 days in the refrigerator. Making Ahead & Storing Icing: If not decorating right away, cover the icing tightly and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
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