Cooking From the Heart
Valentine Cookies
These cookies are nice and big and very pretty, ideal for a Valentine's Day party.
3 Cups sifted powdered sugar
2 Cups butter (4 sticks)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
5 Cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
Butter Cream Frosting:
1/3 Cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
20 drops red food coloring
6 TB butter
5 Cups powdered sugar
Cream together the powdered sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs and extracts and beat well. In a separate bowl, sift
together the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture, beating well.
Divide the dough into four balls and flatten each ball into a 6-inch round. Wrap the rounds in plastic wrap and refrigerate
for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°. Remove only one round of dough from the refrigerator at a time. If the dough was refrigerated overnight,
it may need a short zap in the microwave (30% power for 10 seconds) so that it will still be firm but not "cracking" hard. Or let
it warm up for 10 minutes on the counter. Roll out the round on a lightly floured surface to a 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a
4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. These cookies spread quite a bit, so only place
six cookies on a sheet at a time, making sure they are well spaced. Bake at 350° for 12-13 minutes or until very lightly
browned. After removing from the oven, let sit on the cookie sheets for a couple minutes before transferring to wire racks to
cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.
While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting by mixing together the condensed milk, vanilla and food coloring. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and liquids alternately. Mix until the frosting
is a good spreading consistency. Frost the cookies once they are completely cool.
Notes: Always make sure the dough is completely chilled. Never put cookies to be baked on a hot cookie sheet. If you do not have
parchment paper the cookie sheets should be greased.
Prep. time: 10 minutes plus at least 2 hours for chilling
Baking time: 12-13 minutes per batch
Yield: about 16 5-inch cookies or 4 dozen smaller cookies