Slice and Bake Valentine’s Day Cookies Recipe
These Slice and Bake Valentine’s Day Cookies are a delightful and festive treat perfect for celebrating the holiday. Featuring a buttery, soft sugar cookie dough with charming pink heart cutouts, these cookies are easy to slice, bake, and share. The dough incorporates natural food coloring for a lovely pink hue, and the layered heart design makes them visually special. With simple ingredients and straightforward steps, this recipe is ideal for home bakers looking to spread some love with homemade sweets.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 12 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen (24 cookies)
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Decoration
- Red or pink food coloring (natural food coloring recommended)
Instructions
- Prepare the butter and sugar mixture: Add butter, sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Add eggs: Incorporate eggs one at a time, mixing just until each egg is combined with the wet ingredients to avoid overmixing.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly mixed.
- Mix dry with wet: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3-4 batches, mixing just until the dough comes together. If the dough feels too wet, add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of flour as needed depending on egg size and moisture.
- Color the dough: Remove about half to two-thirds of the dough and set aside plain. Add several drops of red or pink food coloring to the remaining dough and mix thoroughly, adding more drops to reach your desired pink shade.
- Chill and roll colored dough: Freeze the pink dough for 5 minutes to firm it up. Then roll it out into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Return to the freezer for 20 minutes to make cutting easier.
- Cut heart shapes: Use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter (approximately 1.5 inches across) to cut out hearts from the pink dough. Lightly wet your finger and dip in flour, then brush the floured side of the heart before pressing another heart onto it to adhere them. Repeat to form a 10-inch long log of connected hearts.
- Freeze heart log: Freeze the heart log for at least 30 minutes until fully firm. Then remove from freezer and press plain cookie dough onto and around the hearts, ensuring no gaps. Roll carefully into a smooth log.
- Chill the assembled log: Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm the dough for slicing.
- Preheat oven and prepare baking sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice and bake: Slice the chilled dough log into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Space them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly golden brown.
- Cool and enjoy: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
- Chilling the dough at multiple stages is crucial for handling and achieving clean heart shapes.
- Use natural food coloring for a healthier option without artificial dyes.
- If the dough feels too sticky while rolling, lightly flour your surface and rolling pin.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- For best results, use fresh eggs and high-quality butter.
- You can freeze the shaped dough log wrapped in plastic wrap and bake later; just adjust baking time as needed.
