Easiest Valentine Cookies (Cut-Out Sugar Cookies!)

These Valentine cookies get an extra boost of flavor from the almond extract in the dough. Top with your favorite royal icing or cream cheese frosting!

Cut-Out Valentine Cookies

When I was in 7th grade I was OBSESSED with hearts. Anything hearts. Everything hearts. Hearts, hearts, hearts. I’d draw fat bubble hearts over and over, making my mark on just about everything my magic markers could get close to. Oh, and rainbows and juicy red lips.

So its no surprise that my Smudge is now equally obsessed with the red pulsating symbols of happiness. She hasn’t quite hit the “love” obsession yet—she still has penguins and puppies inside of hearts on the brain—so in the voice of ex-NFL QB Kurt Warner, “Thank you Jesus!” that we have a few more years before teenage love-angst hits our doorstep.

So Smudge’s request for cut-out sugar cookies was no surprise. Of course she had to choose the ittiest, bittiest cookie cutter to create her love cookies and we broke out ALL of the decorating fixins. We made minis, maxis, and cookies on sticks. And then we ate. A lot. And then we made more Valentine sugar cookies that may or may not make it into our Valentine’s hands featuring these adorbs downloadable tagsin one of my fave Foodie Crush fonts from Emily at Tar-Tryin.

This almond sugar cookiesrecipe is seriously the bomb and like my other childhood fave—my mom’s fudge—is the one Miss P (my mom) broke out anytime a cookie cutter and rolling pin were involved.

Way more flavorful than other doughs I’ve tried, this is one that you’re lucky if you have any left to actually bake cookies with. Hello, beaters! Thanks to a dose of almond flavoring, these Valentines Day cookies are a bit more unique and subbing granular white sugar with powdered sugar gives them a more delicate bite that is far from cake-like that so many other sugar cookies recipes hold dear.

These babies are F-I-N-E! Come on, give ‘em a go.

What’s in These Valentine Cookies?

This Valentine cookie recipe is easy peasy and requires only a handful of ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make these cut-out sugar cookies:

Powdered sugar
Unsalted butter
Egg
Almond extract
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Cream of tartar
Icing of choice

How to Make Valentine’s Day Cookies

Simply cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg and extracts. Mix in the remaining ingredients.

Divide the almond sugar cookie dough in two, wrap each dough ball in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Once chilled, roll out the dough and cut using your favorite cookie cutters.

These Valentine cookies need to bake for roughly 7 to 8 minutes, or until just barely golden brown on the edges.

Do I Have to Chill the Dough?

Yes, chilling the dough is crucial! It’s just a quick 15-minute chill though, so you won’t have to wait long to eat these cut-out sugar cookies!

Can I Prep the Cookie Dough in Advance?

Yes, the Valentine sugar cookie dough can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to three days before rolling it out.

Tips for Making the Best Sugar Cookies

I sometimes frost these sweeties with a cream cheese powdered sugar old fashioned down and dirty frosting, but have lately been giving them the royal icing treatment.Need tips on how to line and flood—yeah, that’s cookie speak, are you impressed? Check out the terrific video above from Marian at Sweetopia and her royal icing recipe.

If you’d like to bake these cut-out sugar cookies in advance and have them on hand for later, freeze them sans icing in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat the frozen cookies, set them on your counter to thaw and then frost them.

These almond sugar cookies can be enjoyed any time of year. To make these for other holidays, use different cookie cutters and choose different icing colors. Easy as that!

More Valentine’s Day Desserts You’ll Love

Rice Krispies Valentine Lollipops
Devil’s Food Bundt Cake with Chocolate Espresso Ganache
Classic Fat Witch Dark Chocolate Brownies
Quick and Easy Raspberry Fool
Classic Tiramisu

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagramwith #foodiecrusheats.

4.47 from 26 votes

55 Valentines Day Dessert and Drink Ideas | Valentine Cookies

Creative Valentines day sugar cookie recipe with delicious frosting on top.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cookies, sugar cookie

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Chill Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 33 minutes minutes

Servings 36

Calories 99kcal

Ingredients

1 ½ cup powdered sugar , sifted
1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
1 egg
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
With a hand or stand mixer, cream together powdered sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add egg, almond and vanilla and mix until combined.
Sift together flour, soda and cream of tartar and add to sugar mixture, mix until well combined.
Divide dough into two disc shapes, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Once chilled, roll out dough to ⅛ to ¼ inch thick and cut into cookie shapes.
Place on lightly greased or silpat covered cookie sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes. Remove and cool on cookie sheet. Frost with royal icing.

Notes

The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 3 days.

Nutrition

More Easy Cookie Recipes to Make Any Day

Milk Bar’s Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Best No-Bake Cookies with Coconut
Cranberry White Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut Cookies
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Easiest Valentine Cookies (Cut-Out Sugar Cookies!) | Foodiecrush.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to cut out cookies? ›

Pull off the top sheet of parchment, then slide the sheet of dough onto a baking sheet, then pop it in the freezer. (You can stack as many sheets of dough onto one baking sheet as you'd like.) Sandwich your dough between two sheets of parchment, roll, then freeze; it makes cut-out cookies a breeze!

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What makes cut out sugar cookies spread? ›

Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.

Get More Info Here ›

Why are my cut out sugar cookies hard? ›

Once the edges develop a golden hue, you've gone too far. While overcooked sugar cookies are certainly still palatable, they'll be hard and crunchy, instead of soft and chewy. → Follow this tip: Pull the cookie sheet from the oven as soon as they've set and gained some color, but not too much.

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What is the best thickness for cutout cookies? ›

Most recipes suggest rolling the dough to ¼-inch thick because it's easy to work with (less breakage) and achieves a soft, tender cookie. Roll out a portion of dough at a time and keep the remaining dough in the refrigerator.

Explore More ›

Should you refrigerate cut-out cookies before baking? ›

Refrigerating the dough allows the flour to fully hydrate and helps to make the cookie dough firmer. Firm dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much, which is why chilling the dough is a crucial step for cut-out and rolled cookies.

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How do you keep sugar cookie cutouts from spreading? ›

Using Warm Cookie Baking Trays

Ideally you want to cut your cookies and then chill them with the baking sheet. that way the tray is still cool when it goes in the oven and the cookies have no time to spread before they are baked through.

Keep Reading ›

Why won't my cut-out cookies hold their shape? ›

Too much flour will make your cookies dry and crumbly. Too much sugar and butter can make sugar cookies spread and lose their shape when baked. This one requires a little patience because once you roll out your dough, you are ready to bake. Be patient and bake your cookies when the dough is really cold.

Why are my cut out cookies puffy? ›

Q: Why are my cookies so puffy and cakey? Whipping too much air into the dough. That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.

How do you use store bought sugar cookie dough for cutouts? ›

Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on work surface. Cut out desired shapes using floured 2- to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 11 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.

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What does baking powder do in cutout cookies? ›

In simple terms, the alkali and acid work together to provide air and lift within baked goods but contain it to the structure. Cookies with baking powder will be lighter, whereas a cookie without baking powder will be denser. The more baking powder a cookie has, the more cake-like texture it will have.

Read On ›

Which is better, baking soda or baking powder? ›

When to use which one. Baking soda is used in recipes that also include an acidic ingredient, such as cream of tartar, buttermilk, or citrus juice. Conversely, baking powder is typically used when the recipe doesn't feature an acidic ingredient, as the powder already includes the acid needed to produce carbon dioxide.

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How long should I chill sugar cookie dough? ›

Instead, use parchment paper to prevent sticking and help the cookies keep their shape. Don't let the dough get warm. Notice the dough needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours. Keep the dough cold until you put the cookies in the oven.

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How thick should you cut sugar cookies? ›

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough to ¼-inch thick. Cut out using cookie cutters and bake on a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges just barely start to turn golden. Cool completely before decorating with royal icing or frosting.

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How do you get cut out cookies to keep their shape? ›

I can't wait to read through all of the great ideas posted there! What is this? To help cookies keep their shape, freeze them! I freeze each batch of cut-out cookies for 5 to 10 minutes before baking.

Read The Full Story ›

Easiest Valentine Cookies (Cut-Out Sugar Cookies!) | Foodiecrush.com (2024)