EVERYDAY: VALENTINE COOKIES

My mama always found a way to make our holidays & birthdays special even if it was just cooking our favorite meal or baking a batch of cookies. Making Valentine's Day special doesn't require lavish gifts or reservations. These delicious heart cookies are an easy way to say "hey...I love you!" or just put a smile on someone's face without much effort at all. I mean, who doesn't love the gift of cookies??

What You'll Need:

FOR THE DOUGH:

I LOVE this recipe from In Katrinas Kitchen. It makes soft, delicious cookies and the best part is your cookie edges DON'T TURN BROWN and you don't even have to chill the dough. I mean, perfection.

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350° F. In the bowl of your mixer cream butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes. Beat in extracts and egg. In a separate bowl combine baking powder and salt with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer turn out the dough onto a countertop surface. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.

DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/4 inch rather than 1/8).

Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.

(courtesy of In Katrina's Kitchen)

FOR THE FROSTING:

I love a classic buttercream frosting on my sugar cookies. The one I've been using for years is a simple one to remember:

1 (2lb.) bag powdered sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter

1/2 c milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together until smooth and add your food coloring of choice if doing a colored frosting!

FOR THE DECORATING:

Grab your favorite valentine sprinkles from your grocery store's holiday section and get creative! I like to keep it simple and pretty with a little powdered sugar and a few heart sprinkles.

Enjoy sweeties!

Talk soon,

Casey

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