Description
Romantic Simple Valentines Day Cookies with royal icing combine delicate sweetness and elegant design for special celebrations. Crisp sugar cookies decorated with smooth white and pink icing offer delightful moments of culinary love you can share with partners and friends.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies Base:
- 2 1/2 cups (310 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
Flavoring and Enhancers:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Dry Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Craft a tender butter-sugar mixture by vigorously creaming until pale and aerated, then introduce egg and flavor extracts, blending thoroughly.
- Sift dry ingredients separately, then delicately incorporate into wet components, forming a cohesive dough.
- Encase dough in plastic membrane and refrigerate for minimum 60 minutes to enhance structural integrity.
- Heat oven to precise 350°F. Gently roll chilled dough on flour-dusted surface, maintaining uniform 1/4-inch thickness, then utilize heart-shaped cutters.
- Arrange cookie silhouettes on parchment-lined baking tray, positioning with calculated spacing. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden-edged perimeters emerge.
- Allow cookies complete cooling on wire rack, ensuring structural stability for decorative phase.
- Construct royal icing by whisking powdered sugar with meringue powder, introducing warm water and vanilla for silky consistency.
- Segment icing into separate vessels, infusing with gel colorants representing romantic palette.
- Transfer tinted icings into precision piping tools, executing delicate decorative patterns across cookie surfaces.
- Permit icing to solidify completely before presenting these elegant valentines confections.
Notes
- Chill the dough thoroughly to prevent spreading and maintain crisp heart shapes during baking.
- Use gel food coloring for vibrant, concentrated colors that won’t thin out the royal icing consistency.
- Test icing thickness by running a knife through the mixture – it should hold a line for 5-10 seconds before disappearing.
- For gluten-free option, substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend to maintain texture and taste.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 128 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 62 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 17 mg