Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies Recipe - Savory Nothings (2024)

1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

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5 from 4 votes

Jump to Recipe | Updated: | by Nora

These are the best cookies to bake for Valentine’s Day: Extra-soft sugar cookies (no chill!), cut into heart shapes, and decorated with the best easy icing.

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies Recipe - Savory Nothings (1)

I have to admit: I’m not a very patient, nor a very good cookie decorator. But I have kids who love it, so I’m a good sport and mess around with icing, food coloring and sprinkles for special holidays.

These Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies are so incredibly easy to bake (just a few simple ingredients for the dough, no chilling!) – so the decorating part can actually be fun and not overwhelming. I love whipping them up with my girls each year for Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies Recipe - Savory Nothings (2)

Ingredient notes

  • Butter: Use unsalted butter. Make sure it is very soft before you start making the dough, it makes the mixing a million times easier.
  • Cinnamon: This is optional, but I love to add a warm spice when we make these otherwise very classic sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day. It just adds a little extra hint of warmth, which is fitting for a day celebrating love! We extra-love using a Chai spice mix if we have it on hand, but regular old cinnamon is just fine. You can skip it if you prefer. Or use some leftover pumpkin pie spice… which is actually quite similar to Chai spice!
  • Food coloring: Use a gel coloring for best results. Feel free to use natural food coloring, just know that most colors don’t get as vibrant as artificial ones.

How to make Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

1.Start by creaming the wet ingredients: Beat the butter and sugar first, then beat in the egg and vanilla. The butter and sugar should look creamy, but do not overbeat the egg – only beat until it is fully combined into the mixture.

2. Now combine the dry ingredients separately, then add them on top of the creamed mixture. Use your mixer on the lowest setting to combine into a scraggly-looking dough (again, do not overbeat! just combine).

3. Tip out the dough onto a clean countertop, then push it together 5-8 times.

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4. Roll out the dough and cut out heart shapes. Bake them in batches until just lightly golden, but still very soft (the tops should look dry, no longer shiny/wet from the butter; but the cookies should still be very soft).

5. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling tray to cool completly.

6. Stir together all ingredients for the icing and color to your desire. Decorate the cookies, allow the icing to dry before stacking them.

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Recipe tips

  • Don’t overwork the dough:I already noted this in the instructions above, but it’s really crucial not to overwork cookie dough. You want it to be well combined and smooth to roll out, but don’t knead it like bread dough or mix it for too long. This will develop the gluten in the flour and turn out tough cookies.
  • For rolling:Make sure you don’t roll the cookies too thin, or they won’t be soft. If you prefer, you can dust your work surface with icing sugar instead of flour.
  • !! If it takes a long time to cut out the cookies !!If it’s taking you a relatively long time to cut out the cookies (it does for me with the kids), place the cut out cookies on the baking sheet in the fridge (or outdoors if it’s cold where you are) for 5-10 minutes before baking.
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Storage tips and freezer instructions

To store baked cookies:

Sugar cookies keep well for about a week in an airtight container on the counter. Undecorated cookies stay fresh for a little longer than decorated ones in my experience.

To store raw cookie dough:

The cookie dough can be made 2 days ahead of time. Keep it covered in the fridge at all times.

Allow it to sit on the counter for 15 minutes before rolling (otherwise it is too hard). Baking time may increase by a couple of minutes due to the dough being chilled.

To freeze raw cookie dough:

Tightly wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap, then label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months) before freezing.

When ready to bake, remove the cookie dough from the freezer and thaw in the fridge overnight (I recommend placing it on a plate to catch any water drips). Once thawed, roll out and bake as directed in the recipe.

To freeze baked cookies:

Freeze the cookies undecorated! Place them in a freezer-friendly container, separating layers with sheets of baking parchment. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months) before freezing.

To defrost, remove the cookies from the container and place them on a wire rack on the counter for a few hours, or until defrosted.

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More Valentine’s Day treats

  • Dark Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting
  • The Best Double Chocolate Cookies
  • Super Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
  • Chewy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

PSIf you try this recipe, please leavea review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along onPinterest,FacebookorInstagram.

Printable Recipe Card

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies Recipe - Savory Nothings (17)

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Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

These are my favorite cookies to bake for Valentine's Day: Sugar cookies, cut into heart shapes, and decorated with the best easy icing.

Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings

made it? tap the stars to add your rating!

5 from 4 votes

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Recipe details

Prep 15 minutes mins

Baking Time 10 minutes mins

Total 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings 36 cookies

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

For the cookies:

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups white flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional; see notes
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the icing:

  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons room temperature water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • food coloring of your choice gel coloring works best

Instructions

Make the cookie dough:

  • Heat oven to 350°F. Line a few cookie sheets.

  • Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Then add the egg and vanilla and beat just until incorporated (do not overmix egg!).

  • Combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a separate bowl, then gradually add to butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined into scraggly dough (again, do not overmix!).

Roll out and cut shapes:

  • Remove dough from bowl and place on a clean, lightly floured surface. Push together with your hands a few times until a smooth dough forms – do not knead or overwork; or cookies will be tough! Divide dough in half and roll out each half on a lightly floured work surface to ¼ inch thickness.

  • Cut out heart shapes with a heart cookie cutter, re-rolling any scraps of dough to cut out more. Place similarly sized cookies on same cookie sheets, 2 inches apart to allow for even baking.

Bake, cool and decorate:

  • Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for 8-12 minutes (8 minutes for small cookies, 10 minutes for medium cookies, 12 minutes for large cookies), or until they're lightly golden underneath and feel dry and delicate when lightly touching the top.

  • Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

  • To ice the cookies, stir all ingredients for icing together until smooth. Color as desired (I divided the icing between 3 bowls and colored one red, one pink and left one white). Ice cookies as you like (decorate with sprinkles while icing is wet, if you want). Let dry for a good few hours before packing or boxing up!

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Notes

  • Butter:Use unsalted butter. Make sure it is very soft before you start making the dough, it makes the mixing a million times easier.
  • Cinnamon:This is optional, but I love to add a warm spice when we make these otherwise very classicsugar cookiesfor Valentine’s Day. It just adds a little extra hint of warmth, which is fitting for a day celebrating love! We extra-love using a Chai spice mix if we have it on hand, but regular old cinnamon is just fine. You can skip it if you prefer. Or use some leftover pumpkin pie spice… which is actually quite similar to Chai spice!
  • Don’t overwork the dough:I already noted this in the instructions above, but it’s really crucial not to overwork cookie dough. You want it to be well combined and smooth to roll out, but don’t knead it like bread dough or mix it for too long. This will develop the gluten in the flour and turn out tough cookies.
  • For rolling:Make sure you don’t roll the cookies too thin, or they won’t be soft. If you prefer, you can dust your work surface with icing sugar instead of flour.
  • !! If it takes a long time to cut out the cookies !!If it’s taking you a relatively long time to cut out the cookies (it does for me with the kids), place the cut out cookies on the baking sheet in the fridge (or outdoors if it’s cold where you are) for 5-10 minutes before baking.

Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Recipe first published on 02/07/2020. Updated with better text and some new photos on 02/10/2022.

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies Recipe - Savory Nothings (2024)

FAQs

How to make Betty Crocker sugar cookies taste better? ›

Flavor Twist: For a punchier twist, swap the water in the sugar cookie mix instructions for rum, bourbon or coffee liqueur. Or if you're cooking for kiddos, try using freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice instead. You'll get the same fun flavor without the booze.

How to make bagged cookie mix taste better? ›

Add different flavors.

You could use peppermint, lemon, or almond extract instead of vanilla, dump in plenty of rainbow sprinkles, or even mix in chopped nuts or dried fruit! Let your kids be involved in the planning and let them experiment with different ingredients.

How many days before an event can you make sugar cookies? ›

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).

What brings out the flavor in cookies? ›

Spices can add an amazing aroma and flavor to your cookies. I use spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to bring out the flavor in many recipes.

Why put cornstarch in sugar cookies? ›

1. Cookies. Cornstarch does kind of incredible things to cookies. I mean not only does it give them soft centers, prevents them from spreading, and makes them somewhat thick (in a good way), but it also contributes to the chewiness factor, which, in my opinion, is the most important cookie attribute.

How do I get better at decorating sugar cookies? ›

Start by outlining the cookie with piping-consistency icing in any color you choose. Then, use flooding-consistency icing to fill the outlined area, starting by flooding around the edges and working your way towards the center. If the flooding is inconsistent in thickness, redistribute the wet icing with a toothpick.

How to make store bought frosting better for sugar cookies? ›

How to Upgrade Store-Bought Frosting
  1. Cream cheese. Beat in 8 ounces of room temperature plain or flavored cream cheese. ...
  2. Whipped cream. Mix equal parts freshly whipped cream and frosting. ...
  3. Butter. ...
  4. Peanut butter or other nut butter. ...
  5. Nutella. ...
  6. Cookie butter. ...
  7. Jam, preserves, or marmalade. ...
  8. Lemon curd.
Feb 14, 2024

Can you add peanut butter to Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix? ›

Place the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix, peanut butter, butter or margarine and egg in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer until the dough comes together. Using a large spoon drop even sized cookies onto the prepared baking sheet.

How do you doctor up packaged cookie mix? ›

No one will even suspect they're store-bought (and we won't tell anyone!).
  1. Add brown sugar. ...
  2. Experiment with extracts. ...
  3. Mix in different candies and snacks. ...
  4. Add espresso or coffee grounds. ...
  5. Deepen the flavors by refrigerating the dough. ...
  6. Salt before baking the cookies. ...
  7. Reduce baking time for extra soft cookies.

How to make store-bought sugar cookie dough taste homemade? ›

Here's how you can improve premade cookie dough or dough from a mix.
  1. Add spice to your dough. ...
  2. Punch up the flavor of your cookies by adding extracts. ...
  3. Before baking, roll the dough in a garnish of your choice. ...
  4. Stir nuts right into the dough for an added crunch. ...
  5. Add in your favorite savory snacks, like chips or pretzels.
Aug 3, 2020

Why do my cookies taste bland? ›

If the baked cookies taste a bit bland (and if the dough is fairly soft and receptive to additions), add salt and/or spices to the remaining dough before baking. If, on the other hand, they're a bit salty for your taste, try rolling the dough balls in sugar before baking.

Should you refrigerate sugar cookies before decorating? ›

Time to Decorate!

*Use my royal icing recipe. Icing will completely set in about 2 hours at room temperature. If you're layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies in the refrigerator to speed it up.

Why poke holes in sugar cookies? ›

The holes release some of the steam while baking and help the cookies keep a nice, crisp shape. Poking holes in cookie dough before baking helps prevent spread and promotes even baking.

How long do you let sugar cookies cool before icing? ›

The warmth from the cookies will cause the royal icing to melt, cause colored sprinkles to bleed a rainbow of red and green, and make it impossible to create the Pinterest designs of your dreams. Let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes so that they can fully chill.

What makes cookies taste better? ›

The key is to always use top-quality ingredients as they'll result in a better cookie; it really is that simple.
  1. Always use butter.
  2. Choose the right sugar.
  3. Choose the right flour.
  4. Check your flour is in date.
  5. Choose the right kind of chocolate.
  6. Cream the butter and sugar.
  7. Beat in the eggs.
  8. Fold in the flour.

How can I increase my cookie flavor? ›

Ginger adds a spicy warmth that makes even the simplest recipe feel decadent and still welcoming. For extra depth of flavor, add nutmeg too. Add 1 tablespoon of rum and 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger per pound of dry cookie mix.

How to get sugar cookies to not taste like flour? ›

The general recommendation seems to be to add an additional egg yolk to the cookie recipe to prevent the cookies from drying out. Hope all of these tips helped to prevent your dough next time from being too dry or from tasting like flour!

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