Valentine’s Day Cookie Recipes

Valentine’s Day cookies make a perfect gift. Around Valentine’s Day, cookies say “love” to the special people in your life. Cookie, or koekje, means little cakes in Dutch, and cooks called them that when they tested small amounts of cake dough in their ovens during the 19th century. However, cookies or small cakes go back to ancient Persia. Every country in the world has cookies, biscuits or short breads.

Valentine’s Day Cookies are Perfect gifts

Cookies make great gifts any time of the year and children love making them.

Heart-shaped cookies are, of course, a must this time of year, but so are stars, teddy bears, birds, flowers and musical notes!

Cookie cutters and stamps are probably as old as cookies. Ancient bakers used wooden stamps to make decorative impressions on the dough before cooking. During the medieval era, bakers began using tin in a variety of shapes.

>>Valentine’s Day Lemon Linzer Cookies

I have cookie cutters shaped like, stars, crescent moons, elephants, hippos, teddy bears, musical notes, diamonds and hearts in various sizes. I buy them at rummage and garage sales, and dollar, kitchen supply, small antique and novelty stores.

I avoid complicated ones with small, protruding parts like thin legs, stems or fringes, or ones that are too small or too shallow. These won’t cut cookies that stay together.

Big cookie cutters with holders are best, especially for small hands.

Also, cookie cutters aren’t just for cookies. Young children can cut their sandwiches themselves using cookie cutters.

>>Valentine’s Day Kids Cookie Pops

Valentine’s Day Roll Out Cookies

Get your children in the kitchen for this recipe! Prepare this dough at least one day ahead.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white (or brown) sugar
• 1 cup butter (or margarine)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla concentrate or orange juice.
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl except the flour.
2. Beat with a mixer until smooth. Using a 1/4 cup, hand stir in the flour until well blended, smooth and form into a ball.
3. Put the dough in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, overnight or for days.
4. Use 1/4 cup flour for rolling
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Take one-third of the dough (or less) and roll it out being careful to make sure it isn’t too thin or too thick. It should be just the right height for the cookie cutters.
6. Cut the cookies out with cookie cutters. Evenly space the cookies on the baking sheet. Bake for about 7 minutes or less, depending on how thin the cookies are.

Note: If you want to make larger cookies, make sure they are thicker so they don’t break.

Valentine’s Day Cookie Icing

This is a great icing recipe for cookies. It goes on easily and dries hard.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin
• 3 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon color dye (optional)
• Candy sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. Dissolve gelatin in hot water and mix.
2. Mix gelatin mixture with icing sugar. If you like, add color dye.
3. Wait until the cookies have cooled before icing.
4. After icing, decorate with candy sprinkles.

>>3 Easy Valentine’s Day Treats

Valentine’s Day Chocolate Biscotti

Who knows more about romance than the Italians do? Biscotti are the perfect dipping biscuit or snack.

You can store them in a plastic container for weeks, perfect when company drops by. This recipe combines the taste of nuts, oranges and chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons almond flavoring
• Chopped up orange peels or zest from one small orange, about 1 tablespoon.
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• Flour for rolling
• 1 egg yolk

Directions:

1. Cream together butter, sugar, almond flavoring and orange zest.
2. Beat in three eggs. Stirring by hand, add in almonds and walnuts, flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Roll out dough on a floured board.
3. Lightly knead until smooth. Divide dough into three parts. Roll out into 12-inch rolls or the length of the baking pan. Brush on egg yolk. Put all three rolls on the baking tray.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until brown. Cool.
5. Cut width-wise with a sharp knife.
6. Store in an airtight container.

More Valentine’s Day Treats from SheKnows

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