Valentine’s Cookies

Cookies provide the ideal handheld treat for any occasion, from birthday celebrations to baby showers. These Valentine’s cookies are no exception. They’re like chocolate-covered strawberries in cookie form.

Valentine’s Day foods, including our heart-shaped cookies with their pretty pink hue, delicious chocolate glaze and adorable strawberry frosting decorations, are often just as cute as they are tasty. The secret ingredient in these Valentine cookies—a powdered strawberry drink mix—adds flavor, color and texture. Cutout cookies require a few steps, but that’s part of the fun. Make them with the family as a festive baking project and customize Valentine cookie ideas to your liking.

Ingredients for Valentine’s Cookies

• Butter: For smooth results, use softened butter for the cookies and the frosting.
• Granulated sugar: Sugar adds sweetness to the Valentine cookies (of course!), but it also creates a softer texture.
• Egg: An egg provides moisture, binds the ingredients and helps the cookies rise. Always use room-temperature eggs for baking; they blend into the mixture more easily.
• Lemon juice: A touch of lemon juice balances the dough’s flavors. If you are juicing a whole lemon, save the rest of the lemon juice for tea or to flavor a sauce.
• All-purpose flour: Flour provides structure for the cookie dough. Make sure to measure flour correctly for the best results.
• Strawberry drink mix: The secret ingredient for both the cookies and the frosting is a powdered strawberry drink mix, which gives these treats a wonderful strawberry flavor. We tested this recipe with Nesquik brand drink mix.
• Baking powder: Baking powder helps the cookies rise without making them too fluffy.
• Salt: A small amount of salt balances the sweetness in the cookie dough and the frosting. You can choose to use either regular table salt or Kosher salt.
• Chocolate chips: Melt down chocolate chips to make the chocolaty glaze for these cookies.
• Shortening: A small amount thins out the chocolate for perfect glazing.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Confectioners’ sugar serves as the base for the frosting. It provides sweetness and plays a key role in thickening the frosting. For the smoothest frosting, sift the confectioners’ sugar first.
• Milk: The frosting contains just a splash of 2% milk. You could substitute for the milk with heavy cream or half-and-half.

Directions

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and lemon juice.

Editor’s Tip: Cream the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale in color, which takes about five minutes.

Step 2: Add the dry ingredients

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In a small bowl, combine the flour, drink mix, baking powder and salt.

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Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and mix until well combined.

Step 3: Roll and cut the cookies

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On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness.

Editor’s Tip: You can also roll out the cookie dough between two pieces of lightly floured waxed paper for easy cleanup.

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Cut with a floured 2-1/2- to 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter.

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Place the cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Step 4: Bake the cookies

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until set and the edges begin to brown. Cool for two minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Step 5: Top with a chocolate glaze

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In a microwave, melt the chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Spread the glaze over the cookies and let stand until set.

Editor’s Tip: If you don’t want to use the microwave, you can also melt chocolate over a double boiler on the stovetop for better control.

Step 6: Decorate with strawberry frosting

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In a small bowl, beat the butter, drink mix and salt until blended. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Add enough milk to achieve the desired consistency for frosting. Decorate the cookies with the frosting.

Editor’s Tip: A piping bag with a round tip will help you make perfectly decorated cookies. If you don’t have piping tools, you can also frost cookies using a Ziploc bag.

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Valentine’s Cookies Variations

• Change the flavor: These cookies mimic chocolate-covered strawberries, but you can choose another flavor. Swap in raspberry or orange drink mix for the strawberry drink mix to create another flavor combination.
• Use white chocolate: Do you love white chocolate? You can glaze your cookies with this option instead. Simply melt white chocolate chips in place of the milk chocolate chips.
• Try another shape: Heart shapes are classic and festive for Valentine cookie ideas, but if you don’t have a heart cookie cutter, you could opt for circular cookies. Prepping these cookies for another holiday? Choose a different cookie-cutter shape.

How to Store Valentine’s Cookies

Baked Valentine cookies should be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag to keep them fresh. To prevent the cookies from sticking together, add waxed paper or parchment between layers.

How long do Valentine’s Day cookies last?

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and keep them on hand for up to three days. Or, you can store them in the fridge for up to five days.

Can you freeze Valentine’s cookies?

If you are prepping cookies ahead of time or storing leftovers, you can freeze cookies. Arrange the cookies in an airtight container with waxed paper or parchment between the layers to prevent sticking. Freeze the cookies for up to four months.

You can also freeze the cookie dough if you want to make it ahead of time. Form a disk from the prepped dough and wrap it in storage wrap. Place the wrapped disk in a freezer bag and store it in the freezer for up to six months. To bake, allow the dough to thaw in the fridge or at room temperature and roll it out while it’s still cold.

Valentine’s Cookie Tips

How do you keep Valentine’s Day cookies from spreading in the oven?

To prevent spreading, it’s important to bake these cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet to avoid introducing too much fat while baking. This recipe is a no-chill dough, so you don’t necessarily have to put it in the fridge before rolling and cutting, but if the cookies are still spreading, try chilling the dough for 10 minutes before rolling and cutting more.

How do you wrap up Valentine cookies as a gift?

These Valentine’s Day cookies make the sweetest gift. Package the cookies in a cookie tin, use a brown paper box, or wrap them in cellophane tied with twine or a ribbon.