3-D lovebird cookies

Tweet, tweet! This Valentine’s Day, skip the chocolate and give your sweetie a lovebird cookie that’s almost too cute to eat.

Make a sweet tweet for your special valentine this year. These little lovebird cookies are easy to bake, cut and accessorize with simple candy hearts. Display them in perfect pairs or as a great big, delicious flock. Either way, they’re sure to be loved (and eaten).

3-D lovebird cookies

Yields 16-18

Ingredients and supplies:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2-1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Food coloring of your choice
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Parchment paper
• Royal icing (mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk and food coloring of your choice)
• Small, medium and large heart-shaped candy (red for beaks and wings and white for eyes)
• Sanding sugar (color of your choice)
• Prepared white frosting (optional)
• Black food coloring marker (to mark the eyes)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, shortening, eggs, sugars and vanilla. Mix until creamy. Add flour, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Add food coloring as desired.

Spray the sides of a 9 x 12-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Place the colored dough in the pan.

Spread the dough evenly into the pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. After baking, allow pan to cool for 15 minutes before cutting cookies.

To make a simple bird-shaped cookie cutter, bend a circle cutter into a slight teardrop shape. (My circle cutter was 2-1/2 inches wide.)

Remove the cooled cookie from the pan. Cut as many bird shapes from the cookie as you can. (I was able to get 16 birds.) If you want birds that face both directions, be sure to flip your cookie cutter over and cut some of them facing the other direction.

To decorate the lovebird cookies, mix up a small bowl of colored royal icing and dip the bottom baked side of the cookies into the icing, just enough to coat. Allow icing to drip off, then dip into a plate of colored sanding sugar. Flip them over (sanding sugar up) and allow to dry and harden.

Attach the heart-shaped candy eyes, wings and beaks using a little bit of frosting or remaining royal icing. (I found that thicker frosting worked better to attach the beaks.) Add a small dot to the eyes using a black food coloring marker.

Display your sweet tweets for all to eat.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovebirds out there!

More Valentine’s Day recipes

Red velvet fondue
5 Fruity Valentine’s Day cocktails
Red velvet pancakes with cream cheese glaze