Valentine Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

This six-decade-old Grandma's Sugar Cookies recipe makes an appearance twice a year - in the form of pink hearts for St.Valentine's Day, and as silly-spooky orange pumpkins for Halloween.  Each recipe make about four dozen cookies - perfect for sharing. We make three batches to feed three classrooms full of friends, plus extras for favourite teachers.  There is nothing heartsmart about the ingredients, but if heartwarming is what you are after - you can't beat sweet butter, sugar and vanilla. 

• 1/2 cup (125 ml) butter, softened to room temperature (don't be tempted to melt it)
• 3/4 cup (188ml) white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5ml) excellent quality vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) white all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) baking powder
• icing sugar
• water, milk, or juice of one lemon (more or less), strained (for icing)
• natural food colouring (for icing)
• candy cinnamon hearts or sprinkles (optional)
• pinch of salt (optional)

Methodology

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). In a mixer or by hand, cream softened butter and sugar - starting with butter and gradually adding sugar - until light and fluffy. 

Sift flour together with baking powder. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, starting with one third, add egg, second third flour, add vanilla, final third flour.

Divide dough into two halves, pat into disks then wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Remove from fridge and let warm slightly.  Place between two pieces of parchment and roll out until about 1/4" (3/4cm) thick.  Peel off parchment and tip dough onto a very lightly floured board. This first step helps the dough stay tender and pliable as you can avoid adding too much flour during roll-out.  Lightly roll a wooden pin and finish rolling to 1/8" (1/4cm) thickness. 

Using heart shaped cutters, cut shapes very close to each other, then lift with a spatula and place dough on parchment lined cookie sheets (with sides if possible, so cookies bake more evenly).  Gather dough scraps and shake excess flour off, then massage dough into small ball and repeat until spent.

Bake cookies for 8-9 minutes, rotating and turning sheet pans half-way through.  Remove from oven when slightly golden around edges.  Cool on sheet pan for five minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

To ice:  Sift icing sugar, then thin sugar with lemon juice (we love the tart/sweet combination) or a combination of lemon juice and water - to desired thickness - and add colour as desired.  We like to flood our cookies with light pink or white icing, then decorate with a darker pink or contrasting colour, and of course cinnamon hearts.  Kids love to decorate and the doing of it makes for memorable family time.  Let the icing dry completely before stacking for storage.

Store cookies between layers of waxed paper, in an airtight container for up to two weeks - but they won't last that long!

Submitted by:

C@H Kitchen