Homemade sugar cookies are the perfect gift to give on Valentine’s day, whether it be for loved ones, friends or coworkers. Who wouldn’t loved to be handed to heart shaped cookie covered in buttercream!
We decided to doctor up our basic sugar cookie recipe and add cinnamon to the cookie dough. The cookies were then topped with strawberry buttercream. We used strawberry emulsion to flavor the buttercream. Strawberry emulsion is great because you only need to use a small amount so it won’t affect the consistency of the buttercream and it gives it a natural light pink color which is perfect for Valentine’s cookies.
In our latest post we shared how to host a Galentine’s Favorite Things Party. During this party we decorated Valentine’s cookies as well. If you are looking for a fun activity for a Galentine’s party or any ladies get together, try cookie decorating! The day before the party we made a couple batches of sugar cookies. We whipped up the buttercream the day of the party, but this can be made in advance as well. The small cookie sheets were purchased from the Dollar Store and made the perfect decorating space for each guest. Lastly you will need piping bags and tips which can be purchased from your local cake supply store, Michaels, Jo-Annas or Amazon. If we had to pick three piping tips to invest in for cookie decorating we would recommend a small round tip, petal tip and a star tip. Our favorites are Wilton tips 5, 104 and 1M. All of these were used in the cookies pictured.
If you want to throw your own cookie decorating party and have any questions feel free to comment below. Happy baking!
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup salted butter at room tempurature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachement, beat the butter and sugars at medium speed until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.
- With the mixer at low speed gradulaly add the flour mixture. You may need to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl throughout. Beat until the mixture is all incorporated and pulls away from the side of the bowl to create a ball around the paddle.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flatten to about a one inch thick disc and refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough out until it’s about 1/4-inch thick. Using your selected cookie cutter, cut out the shapes and transfer the cookies to a non-stick/parchment covered cookie sheet (placing 1-inch apart). Roll up the remaining scraps and repeat. If the dough becomes too soft refrigerate for a few minutes
- Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes. The cookies should be nice and fluffy and light in color. You do NOT want the cookies to start to brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Strawberry Buttercream for Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 two pound bag powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoon strawberry emulsion
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed (about one minute).
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Stop to scrape the bowl as needed.
- Add the first teaspoon of strawberry emulsion and mix until combined. Taste and add the second teaspoon if you want a stronger strawberry flavor. The emulsion will color the buttercream pale pink.
- With the mixer still on medium speed, add the whipping cream, then increase the speed to high and whip for about 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
