Valentine's Day Cookies and Bakery Icing

Hello, my friends!  With Christmas and New Year's over, Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  Actually, right after Christmas it WAS right around the corner as our local Walmart had the Valentine's candy and cards out the day after Christmas, just an aisle over from the 50 % off Christmas candy.  So if you were frugal.........you get the point lol.
 

I wanted to share a scrumptious sugar cookie recipe with you.  I have used this in our family for years for Halloween, Christmas, and of course, Valentine's Day.  My boys and I (and later my girls and I) would make these for school and church functions.  These cookies always received raves and requests for the recipe.  Truth be known, I found this recipe in Parents magazine way back when.  So, if you like to bake from scratch, give these a try.  If you don't, there is always the Pillsbury sugar cookie dough :).  Recipe coming up after the lovely photo.

Sugar Cookie Recipe (great for cutout cookies)

3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Sift four, baking powder, and salt onto wax paper or bowl.

Cream butter with sugar in bowl until fluffy; beat in eggs, vanilla, and almond extract until well-blended.  Stir in flour mixture a little at a time until well-blended.  Dough will be stiff.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill overnight until firm enough to roll (though it seems to work well enough if in fridge for 2 to 3 hours).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out about 1/4 of dough at a time on floured board or counter.  Cut into desired shapes and place on lightly greased cookie sheets.  Bake for 8 minutes or until slightly firm and lightly golden.  Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

**If you desire sprinkles, add those prior to baking.

These cookies are quite tasty as is or you can add this delicious bakery-style icing!  See below.

Bakery-style Sugar Cookie Icing

(from allrecipes.com)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

With a stand mixer or hand mixer, mix all ingredients until well-blended (well, you can do it by hand if you insist).  Add food coloring as desired.  

This icing has a glossy shine to it but it firms up nicely.  Remember the local bakery sugar cookies when you were a kid?  This icing is that icing--icing is always the best part!  I usually make a few batches, remove each one to a separate bowl and then add food coloring to each.

For these heart cookies, after I iced them with the bakery icing, I melted some Wilton candy melts (white) and then just drizzled it over the cookies/icing for a different sort of look.

I hope that if you try these recipes you are happy with the results!  Thanks for stopping by today and hope to see you again soon!