Here we are on the eve of what is known as Valentines Day. Of course I no longer have a Valentine, but I do have people that I love and care about and so I thought I would bake some Valentine Cookies to share with them!
This is a lovely sugar cookie recipe. Crisp edged and sweet, chewy in the middle. Very easy to make. There is no rolling or faffing about involved. In short, my kind of cookie!
The original recipe made 36 largish cookies. I no longer need 36 largish cookies and so I cut the recipe in half. I small-batched it to make only 18 delicious cookies.
Have you been watching Love is Blind on Netflix? I totally loved the first series of it. I really enjoyed each of the couples that were participating in it. This time around I am not so sure how I feel about it.
Not very many of them seem very sincere. I think there are a lot of playa's peppered in the bunch and I predict some very broken hearts.
I am not sure why these people went on the show, but I don't think their motives were pure from the start. I have seen tons of red flags, and out of all the couples who finally matched up, there is only one that I think has a snowball's chance in hell of making it through to the end.
Of course I could be wrong, and I hope that I am. Anyways if you are watching it also, I would be very interested in hearing what you think of this latest crew.
I am also watching the Japanese version of the show. I usually don't watch things like this, ie. the Batchelor or Batchelorette, Survivor, etc. But I do enjoy this particular series.
Do I think Love is really blind? I do believe that it is possible to make a completely emotional attachment to someone and to have all those feelings of love for them without ever seeing them. But sooner or later the physical has to enter into the relationship, and I am not sure if a week is long enough to form a strong enough emotional attachment to ensure that the physical doesn't matter.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE VALENTINE SUGAR COOKIES
Simple every day baking ingredients. These measurements are for the small batch and make 18 cookies.
For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, room temperature
- 3 fluid ounces (85g) vegetable oil (I used canola)
- 3/4 cup (150g) white sugar
- 6 TBS icing sugar
- 1 TBS water
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups (315g) plain all purpose flour
For the frosting:
- 3 TBS (43g)butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (30g) sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) icing sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 - 2 TBS milk
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- drop of red food coloring
You will also need:
- candy cake decorations (optional)
You don't have to tint the frosting pink if you don't want to, or even use cake sprinkles, but I think for an occasion such as Valentines day, they really add a special touch!
Oh how I wish my grandchildren lived closer so that I could bake them some Valentine treats! That would be so much fun!
HOW TO MAKE VALENTINE SUGAR COOKIES
No special experience is needed to make these. If you have an electric mixer, hand or stand, you are in like flyn!! It really makes short work of the job! You can of course beat everything by hand if you don't, but it will take appreciably longer!
Make the cookies first. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a couple of baking sheets with baking paper.
Pop the butter, oil, both sugars, water and egg into a bowl. Mix for a few minutes with an electric hand mixer until well combined.
Whisk together the dry ingredients and slowly beat into the creamed mixture until everything is combined. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place onto the baking sheets leaving about 4 inches between each. Press each ball down using the bottom of a measuring cup dipped in sugar to 2 1/2 to 3 inch circles.
Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies should be light brown on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before proceeding.
Place all of the ingredients for the icing into a bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until you have a smooth fluffy frosting. (Use the lesser amount of milk at first. Only add more if your icing is too thick.)
Spread the icing generously on top of the cooled cookies and sprinkle with some cupcake sprinkles if using. Allow to set completely before serving.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator because of the sour cream in the frosting. I placed wax paper between the layers to help maintain the integrity of the decorations.
If you want a crisper cookie, you can leave the cookies in the oven for up to 15 minutes if you wish when first baking. I did half of them this way.
Also they will soften once decorated, so if you want them to stay crisper, don't decorate until just prior to serving them.
So do you love to watch romantic films? I am so-so with those. I like a good romantic comedy. I think of all that I have seen When Harry Met Sally is my favorite one.
Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan make the cutest couple. You find yourself wondering why they waited for so long to get together!!
I just love these cupcake sprinkles I got from Sweepolita. I bought them a few months ago. This is actually two different ones. I got a bottle of big candy hearts (about 1/3 inch) and a bottle of mixed reds, pinks and whites, in candy shot and non-pareils. They also have the odd hearts and balls in them. Very pretty. I love the blue hearts.
These were perfect for decorating these cookies. I think they made them quite pretty. I can't wait to give them to my daughter and her husband!
In the meantime, Happy Valentines Day to you all! May it be filled with love and fun and good food!
Valentine Sugar Cookies
Yield: makes 18 cookies
Author: Marie Rayner
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Sweet, delicious and covered with a rich sour cream frosting. Both together are amazing.
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, room temperature
- 3 fluid ounces (85g) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (150g) white sugar
- 6 TBS icing sugar
- 1 TBS water
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups (315g) plain all purpose flour
For the frosting:
- 3 TBS (43g)butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (30g) sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) icing sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 - 2 TBS milk
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- drop of red food coloring
You will also need:
- candy cake decorations (optional)
Instructions
- Make the cookies first. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a couple of baking sheets with baking paper.
- Pop the butter, oil, both sugars, water and egg into a bowl. Mix for a few minutes with an electric hand mixer until well combined.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients and slowly beat into the creamed mixture until everything is combined. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
- Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place onto the baking sheets leaving about 4 inches between each. Press each ball down using the bottom of a measuring cup dipped in sugar to 2 1/2 to 3 inch circles.
- Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies should be light brown on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before proceeding.
- Place all of the ingredients for the icing into a bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until you have a smooth fluffy frosting. (Use the lesser amount of milk at first. Only add more if your icing is too thick.)
- Spread the icing generously on top of the cooled cookies and sprinkle with some cupcake sprinkles if using. Allow to set completely before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
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