The Best Valentine Sugar Cookies
Classic Valentine sugar cookies cut into heart shapes and decorated with colorful royal icing—soft, buttery, and perfect for gifting or sharing.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 8–10 minutes per batch
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1 teaspoon almond extract)
For the Royal Icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
5–6 tablespoons warm water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Red and pink food coloring
Heart-shaped sprinkles
Instructions
1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients on low speed until just combined.
5. Form dough into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness and cut with heart-shaped cookie cutters.
7. Bake on parchment-lined sheets for 8–10 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool completely.
8. Prepare royal icing by beating powdered sugar, meringue powder, water, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
9. Tint icing, decorate cookies, add sprinkles, and allow icing to dry completely.
Notes
Chilling the dough is essential to keep cookie shapes sharp during baking.
Avoid overmixing the dough to maintain a tender cookie texture.
Cookies can be baked a day ahead and decorated once fully cooled.