Sugar cookies are my Tater’s and Tales’s all-time favorite. Whenever there was a holiday they always asked for these. Decorating them is lovely, but when time is short I use this quick method for Easy Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies. All you need are a couple of heart cutters, food coloring, and sprinkles. Keep reading to see how simple they are to make.
I enjoy decorating cookies, and glace icing makes it straightforward when you have the time. The challenge is setting up and waiting for icing to dry. This two-tone technique saves time while still producing adorable cookies that are perfect for parties, gifts, or a simple after-dinner treat.
I always start with my Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie dough because it bakes up extra soft and flavorful and stays tender for days. To make two-tone cookies, dye half the dough pink. I prefer pink to red since red requires much more food coloring and can occasionally affect flavor. A couple drops of gel dye is usually enough.
For an even color, knead the dye into the dough by hand—wear gloves if you prefer. Once the color is consistent, you’ll have two doughs ready: natural and pink.
Start with the undyed dough. Roll it onto a lightly floured surface to about 1/4″ thickness. Using the larger heart cutter, cut as many large hearts as possible, then remove the excess dough around them.
Press a generous amount of sprinkles into the top of each large heart, making sure they’re evenly covered so the inner heart will be fully decorated.
Use a smaller heart cutter to cut out the center of each sprinkle-covered cookie. You may need to press a little harder to cut through the sprinkles.
Now work with the pink dough. Roll it to the same 1/4″ thickness and cut large hearts from it. Remove the leftover dough around the shapes, then use the smaller cutter to cut out the center of each pink heart so you have pink rings and matching pink inner hearts.
The fun part is assembling the cookies. On a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment, place a sprinkle-covered heart ring, then set the smaller pink heart in its center. Repeat by placing a pink outer heart and fitting a sprinkle-filled inner heart inside it. This creates the two-tone look with sprinkles on one side and pink on the other.
Bake at 375°F for 9–11 minutes, or until the edges only just begin to turn golden. Avoid overbaking to keep the cookies soft. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
These cookies are delightful—sprinkled outer rings with pink hearts inside, or the reverse. They’re charming without any special packaging and make a cheerful, tasty gift for Valentine’s Day.
Your Valentine’s Day sugar cookies don’t need fancy wrapping—these are cute and festive on their own, and anyone would be thrilled to receive them.
If you love making sugar cookies then here are some other ideas…
-
Glace’ Icing
-
Easy Candy Corn Sugar Cookie Bites
-
Snowflake Linzer Cookies
-
Honey Nut Rugelach
- Heart Shaped Valentine’s Day Cookies
Easy Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies (Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies)
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter or margarine (softened)
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 1/4 cups flour
Instructions
-
In a mixing bowl, beat butter or margarine with cream cheese on medium speed until combined. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking powder. Gradually beat in flour until fully combined. Divide the dough in half, wrap each portion, and refrigerate for 3 hours (or up to 3 days) until easy to handle.
-
Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4″ thickness and cut with heart cutters. Place cutouts on a silicone- or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 8–11 minutes, or until edges show a slight golden tint. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
-
Assemble cookies by fitting the sprinkle-covered rings and pink centers together as described above. Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!