Delicious Valentine Sugar Cookies

Time: 2hr 15 min Serves: ~ 20 cookies

Ingredients

For the Cookies

1. 16 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2. 3/4 cup granulated sugar

3. 2 tbsp cream cheese

4. 1 large egg

5. 1 large egg yolk

6. 2/3 tsp vanilla extract

7. 2/3 tsp salt

8. 2 1/3 cups flour (and more for dusting)

9. 1/3 tsp baking powder

10. Red, White, Pink Sprinkles for Decorating

For the Icing

1. 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

2. 1/3 tsp vanilla extract

3. 1/3 cup milk

4. A few drops of Red Food Colouring

Directions

Step 1

In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and cream cheese with an electric hand mixer on high speed for about 5 minutes or until fluffy and the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Step 2

Add the egg, egg yolks, vanilla, and mix well with an electric hand mixer. Add the salt, then sift in the flour, and baking powder into the bowl and fold it a bit to mix in some of the flour. Then beat on low speed, just until it has mixed in and the dough comes together.

*If you want to make these chocolate flavoured, add 1/4 cup of chocolate powder.

Step 3

Shape the dough into a disc - like shape and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (the longer the better)

Step 4

Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough with a rolling pin to about ¼-inch (6mm) thick. Dip heart shaped cookie cutters in some extra flour to prevent sticking and cut out shapes from the dough. Gather any excess dough into a ball and then re-roll and cut out more cookies. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and chill for at least 20 minutes to make sure they hold their shapes.

Step 5

When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake the cookies for 10 -15 minutes, or until the edges just barely start to turn golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating with royal icing or frosting.

TO MAKE THE ICING

Step 1

Add in the powdered sugar into a large bowl. On one side of the bowl, add the vanilla and milk

Step 2

Where you added the liquids, begin whisking the powdered sugar into the liquids, adding more powdered sugar bit more as you whisk to prevent lumpy icing from forming, until all of the powdered sugar is incorporated.

Step 3

Add the red food colouring, and whisk it in to incorporate. If you’d like the frosting to be looser add a few tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

Step 4

Decorate the cookies as desired using the red icing and sprinkles