Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
on Feb 04, 2020, Updated Jul 28, 2024
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Who doesn’t love celebrating the day of love with sweetly decorated and even better-tasting Valentine’s Day sugar cookies that are moist and decadent for all the loved ones who fill your life?!
Looking for the perfect sweet treat for your Valentine, whether that’s your spouse, kiddos, besties, or even just a teacher or neighbor in your life? No matter who you’re celebrating the day of love with this year, these cookies NEED to be made in your kitchen! They are so darn adorable, plus they’re simply the best sugar cookie texture and flavor ever: moist yet firm, sweet with hints of vanilla and almond, and perfect to top with festive frosting and sprinkles.
I would know because I sort of have a thing for incredible sugar cookies. I tested and played with recipes for years before perfecting this one, and do you want to know the secret? Using butter-flavored shortening. I know it’s not something we’d like to bake with all the time —and I don’t— but it does add something special to these cookies and helps them hold their shape to perfection. You can’t skip it, and my philosophy is that eating something like shortening just a couple of times a year balances out in the end.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe Image
- This recipe is super basic and tends to use lots of things you’ll already have.
- The best part about sugar cookies will always be that they are made to decorate! Whether you’re adding colorful icing, sprinkles, or edible glitter, the decorating possibilities are endless.
- They’re easy to transport and share, making them a popular choice for parties, bake sales, and gifts. Perfect for all holidays!
Recipe Ingredients
- Shortening — (I use butter flavored)
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Sour cream
- Vanilla
- Almond extract
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Flour
- Store-bought or homemade frosting — (this is my favorite sugar cookie frosting)
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Valentine’s Sugar Cookies
Step 1: Cream together the shortening and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Beat in eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream and vanilla.
Step 3: Add the baking soda, baking powder, flour, salt, and nutmeg if using, and mix.
Step 4: Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.
Step 5: Roll 1/4 of dough at a time out on a lightly floured surface to ¼- to ½-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to make shapes, and transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.
Step 6: Decorate cooled cookies with icing and sprinkles; the messier the better!
Recipe FAQs
Decorating sugar cookies is one of the best parts! I whip up a batch of this sugar cookie frosting and color some of it red and some of it pink with food coloring, while leaving some of it white. Using a piping bag or a butter knife, add the frosting to the cooled sugar cookies however you see fit! I always say the messier the better. Add colored sprinkles soon after applying the frosting so that they stick.
Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. If you’re planning, you can leave it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days… Just don’t forget about it in there!
Over-mixing cookie dough can result in dry, crumbly, hard cookies. Make sure you just mix it enough to incorporate everything together.
If your sugar cookies end up tasting dry, chalky, and too much like flour, it’s often because of measurements are off and using too much flour. This can happen when making the dough or when rolling out the cookie dough on a floured surface — use just enough so they don’t stick, but not too much.
You can store decorated sugar cookies in airtight containers, separating levels with parchment paper so the tops of cookies don’t stick to the bottoms of others. They’ll keep for up to a week stored in the fridge.
Expert Tips
- When baking the sugar cookies, they are best when they’re just set around the edges and still soft in the center. They’ll continue to firm up a bit as they cool on the baking sheet.
- Royal icing is great for detailed decorations and hardens to a smooth finish, while glaze icing is simpler and dries to a glossy finish. Both can be colored and flavored to suit your needs.
- Allow the cookies to cool fully before storing them. They’ll stay fresher longer and won’t become soggy!
More Cookie Recipes To Consider
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Valentine’s Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup shortening, (I use butter flavored)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Festive cookie cutters, (you can use hearts, X's and O's, and lips shapes)
- Store-bought or homemade frosting, (this is my favorite sugar cookie frosting)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla.
- Next, add the baking soda, baking powder, flour, salt, and nutmeg if using, and mix all together. The dough should be tacky without being sticky; adjust the flour as needed until you have a workable dough.
- Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 days).
- Working with ¼ of the dough at a time, roll it out on a well-floured surface to ¼- to ½-inch thick. Be generous with your flour on the rolling surface since the dough is very tender; it will stick easily.
- Use cookie cutters to make shapes, and transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Repeat with remaining dough, gathering and re-rolling the scrap dough as you go along.
- Decorate cooled cookies with icing and sprinkles; the messier the better.
- This is my favorite frosting for sugar cookies if you need a recipe to go with this one.
Notes
- I don’t use shortening for a lot of recipes (this and My Favorite Pie Crust Recipe are about the only ones that I use it in), but it helps the cookies keep their shape and the end result is so much nicer. I figure if you’re just eating stuff like that a few times a year, it’ll balance itself out.
- You can lightly flour your cookie cutters to prevent sticking.
- Bake cookies until the edges are lightly golden. The centers might look a bit underbaked; they will firm up as they cool on the baking sheet.
- Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely before decorating. This prevents them from becoming soggy or breaking!
