Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Classic sugar cookie perfection. The almond extract in this recipe complements the white chocolate drizzle so perfectly!
Texture: I love that these cookies hold their shape without getting too hard or crunchy.
Ease: A little more time-consuming than drop cookies but super easy thanks to the dough recipe.
Pros: Perfect Valentine’s Day treat to make with your kids or to bring into work.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Definitely. They’re just too cute not to.
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There’s no need to order from a bakery when you can make easy Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies that are beautifully decorated right at home.
This recipe takes my classic sugar cookie recipe and turns it into adorable heart shapes. We then decorate the cookies with a super quick and easy white or semisweet chocolate dip or drizzle. Finish with the sprinkles of your choice.
No need to spend hours tediously decorating these cookies – the chocolate dip or drizzle is so quick and easy, and doesn’t require any decorating skills!
Your kids, co-workers, friends, significant other, etc. will LOVE these easy sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day.
How to Make Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
Tools for Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies:
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Baking sheets
- Heart-shaped cookie cutter (2 1/2 to 3-inches is what I used)
- Ziptop bag or piping bag
- Food coloring and sprinkles for decorating, if desired
#1 Tip: Watch Your Butter’s Temperature & Cream it Properly!
Have you ever ended up with dense cookies? Or cookies that spread into sad, flat puddles? Here are some crucial things to watch out for when making cookies:
- Use unsalted butter that is at a COOL room temperature, about 67°F. Butter at the proper temperature should give just slightly when pressed with a finger and not appear greasy at all. It also shouldn’t be so cold that it’s brittle.
- Measure your flour correctly. I recommend using a digital scale, but if you don’t have one, it’s super easy to accidentally add too much flour and end up with dense, hard cookies that don’t have much flavor. Learn how to measure flour correctly here.
- Be sure not to under-cream or over-cream your butter and sugar mixture.
Check out my How to Cream Butter & Sugar article so you can see exactly how your creamed butter/sugar mixture should look, along with lots more of the sweet science behind this critical step.
Tips for Cutting Perfect Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie Shapes
- Roll your un-chilled Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to make it quick and easy. Honestly, it’s almost like rolling out Play-Doh, it’s so easy! Run your hands across the top of the parchment to feel for areas that may be thicker or thinner than others. Aim for as even of thickness as possible. (Note: I recommend using parchment for this step versus plastic wrap, as the dough will stick to plastic wrap)
- The key to perfect sugar cookie shapes is allowing the rolled-out dough to chill completely before stamping out shapes. This allows for crisp, clean cuts and easy maneuvering of the shaped dough onto the baking pan.
- If your dough starts to feel too soft to shape cleanly, simply return it to the fridge until it’s chilled again.
How to Decorate Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
- Dip half the cookies into melted chocolate
- Using a ziptop bag or piping bag, drizzle cookies with melted chocolate
- Use my Easy cookie icing
- Decorate using royal icing
- Top with Buttercream Frosting (note that this may not set fully)
Can I Make Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies Ahead of Time?
Yes! The baked cookies store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, you can store the decorated cookies at room temperature for up to 2 days. In this case, make sure the chocolate has fully set, then layer between sheets of parchment to protect it from smudging onto other cookies when stored.
Can I Refrigerate Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie Dough?
Unlike most drop-style cookie dough recipes, which actually benefit from chilling in the fridge, this Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie dough can only be stored in the fridge for up to 1 day. It’s crucial to avoid this dough drying out.
How to Freeze Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
These Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies freeze particularly well after baking. Simply store the baked cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost to room temperature before decorating or serving.
More Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipes:
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Valentine’s Day Cake
- Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cookie Dough Hearts
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- Chocolate Lava Cakes
Want even more Valentine’s Day recipe ideas? Check out our entire list of recipes your whole family will love HERE.
Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 3 sticks (339 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 4 1/2 cups (572 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the chocolate dip or drizzle:
- 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet or white chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons refined coconut oil or shortening
- Food coloring, if using white chocolate, if desired
- Sprinkles, for decorating, if desired
Instructions
Make the cookies:
- In a large bowl, use an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using) and beat until combined. Slowly add in the flour and baking powder and beat until just incorporated.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Place one dough portion between two sheets of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Place the two sheets of dough on a baking sheet and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. You can also freeze for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and cut into heart shapes with a 2 1/2 to 3-inch cookie cutter, gently rerolling any scraps and cutting more shapes. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets. If the dough shapes are too warm to maneuver, freeze for 15 minutes or until firm again.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and very lightly golden at the edges. Be careful not to overbake. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Baked, un-iced sugar cookies can be sealed and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
For the chocolate dip or drizzle:
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and oil. Microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until melted and smooth. If using white chocolate, add a couple drops of red, pink, or purple gel food coloring if desired and stir.
- Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate mixture. Or, place the melted chocolate in a small ziptop bag and cut a tiny hole in one corner (a piping bag works great too). Drizzle over cookies.
- Garnish with sprinkles while the chocolate is still warm. Let set slightly before serving. If not serving immediately, make sure the chocolate is completely set before layering rows of decorated cookies between sheets of parchment to protect the chocolate, storing in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
This post was published in 2022 and has been updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I got new heart cookie cutters for valentines and this recipe was perfect to test them out with! I didn’t even realize I decorated just like the photos from memory. They are both gorgeous and delicious.
Gorgeous!! So glad you enjoyed eating them, too 🙂
I hope I can make only 1/2 of this recipe.
I couldn’t find how many cookies your recipe made, but it reads like too many for my needs.
Hi Lorraine! Yes, feel free to cut all ingredients in half to make a half-batch of this recipe. The recipe specifies at the top of the recipe card that it yields about 40 cookies, but of course, this will depend on the size of your cookie cutter. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
This Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies is stunning, thank you for your recipes that taught me how to make it, Cookies are my favorite food too
Made these today while stuck inside due to a storm going on and these were just perfect! Not too hard to make and just beyond yummy! Cant wait to make them again when it gets closer to Valentine’s Day! ❤️
Delicious cookies with just the right amount of spread! The entire family decorated them, and I froze some plain ones to use for class festivities next week. Another fantastic dish, Tessa!
Third pan in oven. What a delightful recipe. Winter weather in Ct no need for freezer…use outdoor air….dough great to work as a frozen sheet. Valentines Day hit at this household. Using air bake sheets cooking 13 minutes. THANK You
So happy you love this recipe!
Absolutely delicious cookies with not too much spread! The whole family are them up and I froze some undecorated to use for class parties next week. Another awesome recipe, thanks Tessa!
Love that you froze the cookies for next week’s parties too! Glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂