Sweet Heart Cookies-Celebrating Valentine’s Day
Sweet Heart Cookies
Sweet Heart Cookies for Valentine’s Day are such a great way to celebrate this sweet holiday. Really, they are perfect for any day of the year.
Are you a lover of the classic conversation hearts? I heard this year that they would not be making and selling those. What a bummer! However, they are coming back next year!
A Fun Memory
I have such great memories popping those in my mouth every February. I think the pink and purple were my favorites flavors and design.
One sweet memory I have is when my husband and I were studying together one afternoon during high school, we were snacking on theses candies and he tossed one over to me that said “marry me.”
Of course at the time it was all in good fun but little did I know five years later I would take him up on that. Yes, I even still have that heart after 30 years!
So every Valentine’s Day I think of that memory and love making my own version of heart themed cookies.
This year I tried a few new themes and techniques highlighting red, pink, and purple.
Recipe
I use a classic sugar cookie recipe, there are many of them out there and you probably have your favorite recipe. Instead of vanilla or orange extract, you could add a touch of raspberry or strawberry extract to complete the flavor profile of the holiday.
Here are some of my previous post for various decorated cookies:
Icing
Easy Recipe
I just use a very basic icing recipe consisting of 1-2 cups powdered sugar, mix in 1-2 TBS milk, just till its gets smooth and creamy. Add touch of vanilla and about 1 TBS of of corn syrup. I then mix till I get the consistency I’m looking for to dip the cookies in.
Icing Memories…
This recipe transpired from a recipe I use to make when my kids were younger and loved decorating cut out Christmas cookies. We would just combine milk and powdered sugar and it made for a super simple icing for them to use and decorate.
Consistency is the Key
You are looking for the right consistency which is not too thin or thick. Enough where I dip the cookies face down into the icing, then remove the excess by gently running the top of the cookie on the side of the bowl.
If the icing is too thin it will run off the sides of the cookies, if too thick will not settle evenly. You can always add a bit of water or milk to thin the icing out if needed.
It takes a little bit of practice to get the right consistency but I find it is the fastest way to decorate the base of the cookies. Especially, if you are doing a large amount of cookies. A good example is trying for the consistency close to honey.
I learned this technique when I worked in corporate catering and we had many cookies to decorate. However, we would use a true royal icing consisting of egg white, powdered sugar, and lemon juice.
The icing dries super fast with the addition of the corn syrup and provides a really nice shine.
Sweet Hearts Styles
Here are some fun designs I came up with this year in different colors and techniques.
Red-heart
These designs are done by dipping the cookies into red icing, and while still wet, piping dots of white and dragging a toothpick through to make the designs.
Tie Dye Hearts
The tie dye look is made by making red icing and placing in a dish, drizzling in pink and purple on top. Without stirring, dip the cookies into the icing to get this effect.
Conversation Hearts
After dipping these cookies into the shades of icing. I allow them to dry before piping on the phrases. The piping icing is much thicker then the consistency of the icing that is used to dip the cookies into. You can just add additional powdered sugar to get the icing to become thicker.
Whimsical Heart Cookies
Hmmm…. I can’t decide which design or technique is my favorite. They were all fun to design.
Let your creativity fly!
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