Valentine Sugar Cookies

Do you go all out for Valentine’s Day?  Enough to make decorated Valentine Sugar Cookies?

I’ve never really been a Valentine’s type of girl.  And until this very moment, I didn’t know why. Now I do.

You see, when I was in High School (our High School actually started in 7th grade, so I was 12/13 at the time) they did this humiliating money maker.  “Buy your Sweetheart a Rose.” You did the buying in the Hall from some smug upperclassmen that were way cuter than you who obviously knew YOU weren’t getting a rose and probably laughed behind your back. And then have it delivered in front of all of your classmates on Valentine’s Day.

I never had a sweetheart.

Or, if I did, it was never at Valentine’s Day.

So imagine you are sitting in 7th period on The Day watching all of your friends and enemies getting flower after flower while you just keep your head down and try not to let it get to you. Sure, you’ll cry on the back seat of the bus all the way home, but, well, that’s to be expected.

Damned fundraisers.

I am a grown up now.  Someone my age should be over an aversion to the holiday. I should relish in a good steak dinner and a box of chocolates.  But truth be told, I don’t really even like those heart shaped boxes of candy.  It never fails I get the one piece that tastes like chocolate covered burnt gum on my first try and then it spoils my appetite for the rest of them. Is it just me?

This year, I intend to remedy my distaste for the ol’ VD.  You see, I’ve already made these pretty little sugar cookies, and now I’m in the mood for a little luvin’. Maybe I’ll actually go out to dinner. With my husband? Sure, why not.  And maybe he’ll show up with a rose.  And maybe that beyaatchie girl who got her boobs way earlier than I did will be alone at the next table and see me with my flowers and my good looking husband and she’ll think back to the day she giggled behind my 7th grade back when I was left flowerless. 

We all have our turn.

I’m still waiting on the boobs, though.

The Recipe for Success

I’ve given you the recipe for the sugar cookies before, in this post, and it’s my go to recipe.  But I’ve never given you any real tips for making them look more professional.

Chill

First of all, after you have made the dough and allowed it to chill in the fridge for an hour or so, you need to divide it and roll it between 2 pieces of parchment paper to the thickness you want. I usually go for about 1/3 of an inch.

Then place the rolled out dough in the freezer for a couple of hours.  Remove it one sheet at a time, and peel all of the parchment off. Yes, from both sides. You can replace the frozen dough onto one of the sheets, but make sure it isn’t stuck on there. You’ll thank me for that tip later.  Also make sure your oven is preheated and ready to go.

Cutting Them Out

Cut out your cookies and place them on a SilPat or parchment lined baking sheet. If you’ve been kinda slow with the cutting out, you can return the cut out cookies to the freezer for a bit, or, if you were quicker, slide them on into the oven.  Watch them closely. They will be done when the edges just start to brown. It will depend entirely on how large your cookies are.

Lately, I have been using this recipe on the Sweetopia site for royal icing.  It is SO easy to work with! I water it down just a bit for my lines and writing consistancy, and then even more for flooding.  For a tutorial on Royal Icing, you should really head over to Sweetopia – I have learned so much from her posts and her cookies are gorgeous!

Hope this helps!  And Happy Valentine’s Day!   

I hope you get a rose. But if you don’t, I promise not to laugh.