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The beauty of these Shortbread Valentine Cookies is not skin deep! They not only look really pretty, but they are also sweet, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Check out the easy tutorial below!
Have you ever had a beautiful cookie from a fine bake shop that tastes like cardboard? I have and it's a major disappointment, especially when each cookie costs a ridiculous price. Not with these Shortbread Valentine Cookies! They're pretty to look at and each little (or big) bite is super delicious. On top of all that, the Dip, Drip and Flip icing technique is an easy and fun activity for adults and kids alike.
What is the Dip, Drip and Flip technique?
If you've been hanging around The Café for a while, you're probably already familiar with this Dip, Drip and Flip decorating technique. I've used it over and over for different holiday cookies, each time with a little different twist.
You might remember these Red, White and Blue Glazed Shortbread Cookies, these Easy Decorated Christmas Shortbread Cookies, or perhaps these Snowy Night in the Mountains Shortbread Cookies. I've also done them in honor of Spring, Thanksgiving and several other Valentine versions.
I've never been a great cookie decorator, but I feel like I can really fool people using this simple technique. Lots of Café readers feel the same way as I've gotten tons of comments and emails from fellow Dip, Drip and Flip lovers.
How does the Dip, Drip and Flip decorating technique work?
How does it work? Since "A picture is worth a thousand words.", I thought I'd include some pictures in addition to explaining the easy cookie decorating technique. Ready? Here we go!
The first step is to mix up a two-ingredient icing. Simply combine powdered sugar and half and half or cream. You can add a flavor extract like vanilla, almond, lemon, peppermint, maple, or any flavor you can dream up. Keep in mind that the cookies are also delicious without any additions. For these Shortbread Valentine Cookies, I added just a touch of turquoise gel food color. Again. you can use any color you prefer. Making it personal is part of the fun of this technique!
Secondly, set up a little work area. I've found that having a wet and dry cloth (for wiping your fingers in between cookies), a small amount of extra cream, some toothpicks, a spoon, a small plate, and your baked cookies nearby make the workflow go smoothly. For these Shortbread Valentine Cookies, I also include a little bowl of sprinkles.
The technique itself is simple and the name, Dip, Drip and Flip explains it perfectly! Take a cookie, dip it in the icing, let the excess drip back in the bowl, then flip it over and you're ready to add a little splash of pretty sprinkles. By the way. if you like a little thicker layer of frosting on your cookies, do the dip part twice (it also deepens the color that you're using, especially when dealing with pastels). Check it out:
A word about the Dip, Drip and Flip icing itself. You want a thick but pourable icing. You can add a little extra powdered sugar or half and half to achieve this consistency.
Want to see the whole thing in action? Here's a short little video demonstrating this easy technique:
How to roll cookies with an even thickness?
I'm letting you in on a lot of my secrets today. Rolling evenly consistent cookies has never been my forte. UNTIL I discovered this wonderful adjustable rolling pin. It takes all the guesswork and expertise out of the equation. You simply add the disc that's the correct size for the thickness of your cookies and that's it. Just roll away then cutout perfect cookies!
The rolling pin comes with four removable discs (1/16, ⅙, ¼, and ⅜-inch) so you can roll just about any thickness you desire.
A gift everyone loves!
Are you ready to get all Valentine-y? You probably have everything you need to make these Dip, Drip and Flip Shortbread Valentine Cookies. And they make the BEST gifts for friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, etc. To make your gifts especially festive and pretty, we're sharing a free printable PDF for the labels pictured below.
Just leave us a little note in the comment section below this post. We'll email you the labels and the info you need to print them up yourself. We'll also share links for some fun packaging ideas.
You could even make a little party out of it. Bake these Shortbread Valentine Cookies ahead then provide plain white icing, an assortment of food coloring and some pretty sprinkles. Let everyone make their own little artworks! Just a little heads-up - once they taste the tender, buttery cookies, you probably won't have many left for yourself!
Café Tips for making these Shortbread Valentine Cookies
- Bake the cookies until just slightly golden around the edges.
- Rub your fingers around the edge of the un-iced cookie to remove any crumbs or uneven places before dipping, dripping and flipping.
- Wipe any icing off of your fingers with a wet cloth then dry with a dry cloth before adding sprinkles.
- Rinse out your wet cloth whenever it gets too sticky.
- Keep a small amount of half and half nearby. If the icing seems to thicken, add just a few more drops and stir well.
- After flipping the cookie over, be sure to wave the cookie back and forth with the icing facing up for a few seconds to evening distribute the icing.
- You won't use all of the icing, but you need enough to be able to dip the cookies. Discard the remaining icing or use to ice some other cookies or cake.
- Here is a little troubleshooting guide for making these Shortbread Valentine Cookies:
- If the dough seems too sticky when you're rolling it out, add some extra flour to your work surface and knead the dough a few times to incorporate a bit more flour. Each brand of butter has a little different water content so sometimes you might need that little extra flour.
- If the cookie shows through the icing and you'd like it to be more opaque add a little extra powdered sugar to the icing and stir well. You can also dip the cookie, let it drip for a few seconds then dip it again for a little thicker coating. I call this double-dipping.
- The top of the icing may form a little skin after awhile. You can avoid this by simply stirring the icing in between every couple of cookies.
- If you dip your cookie in the icing and it comes out with just frosting on the edges, your icing is probably too thick. Simply add a few drops of half and half and stir well.
- If the icing is dripping over the edges after you flip the cookie, either your icing is too thin or you’re flipping too soon. Add a little powdered sugar to the icing in your bowl then stir well. Give the icing a few more seconds to drip before flipping.
- If you need to take a break during the decorating process, just cover icing with plastic wrap. When ready to start again, add a few drops of half and half and stir well.
- If any crumbs end up in the icing, use a toothpick to pull them out before icing the next cookie.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.
The beauty of these Shortbread Valentine Cookies is not simply skin deep! They look really pretty AND are so sweet, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Check out the easy tutorial below!
- 8 ounces very soft salted butter (two sticks)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons half and half
- ¼-½ teaspoon vanilla or other flavored extract
- gel or liquid food color
- multi-colored nonpareils (little round sprinkles)
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Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Place soft butter in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula until nice and smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix together by hand for about 30 seconds until well blended.
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Add the flour and cornstarch. Stir until dry ingredients are mostly incorporated. The dough will be a little shaggy.
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Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and gather into a ball. Knead 5-6 times until fairly smooth and all the small pieces are worked in. If the dough seems sticky, knead it again with a little more flour. Form into a ball again and flatten with your hand to form a flat disk.
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Turn the disk to coat both sides with flour. Roll out the dough to an approximate ¼-inch thickness (see Café Tips above in the post). Keep work surface, dough and rolling pin lightly dusted with flour.
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With a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies and transfer to them to the prepared pans with a thin, metal spatula. Re-roll scraps as many times as needed to use up the dough.
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Place cutouts in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
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When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350˚F. Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until just beginning to turn golden at the edges. Repeat with the second pan of cutouts. Cool on a wire rack before icing.
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Combine powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons half and half and flavored extract in a medium-size bowl. Mix until smooth. The glaze should be fairly thick, but pourable. Add a little more half and half if too thick. Add more powdered sugar if it’s too thin. (See picture above in the post.) Taste the glaze and add more extract, if a more intense flavor is desired.
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Transfer the glaze to a small shallow bowl (a little larger than your cookies). Add a drop of food color and stir well to combine. Add more food color if needed to achieve the desired color.
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Hold onto the edges of a cookie and dip the top surface into the glaze, being sure all of the surface touches the glaze. Pull cookie straight up out of the glaze and allow excess glaze to drip into the bowl for about 15-20 seconds. (You can gently shake the cookie back and forth and up and down to get it to drip a little faster.)
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Then quickly flip the cookie to the right side up and give it a gentle jiggle to allow the glaze to flow evenly over the surface. Sprinkle cookies on one side with colored nonpareils.
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Repeat with remaining cookies. Place cookies on a cooling rack and allow the glaze to dry for 20-30 minutes.
See Café Tips above in post for more detailed instructions and tips for rolling even cookies.
Recipe Notes: Makes 20-25 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters.
I use salted butter. If you use unsalted, add ½ teaspoon of salt to the dough.
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Catherine says
Good Morning,
Would love the cute labels to "pretty up" my valentine gifts.
Thank you on advance.
Chris Scheuer says
Sure, Catherine!
Barbara says
Will be making the cookies tomorrow and deliver to friends on Monday. Please send the cute labels. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Sure, Barbara!
Judy says
I can't wait to make these for sharing. Please send the label!
Chris Scheuer says
Sure! Just sent them, Judy. Enjoy!
Jana Shryock says
These look wonderful. Would love to have the cute labels.
Chris Scheuer says
They should be in your email, Jana!
Leslie Onesto says
This looks like a fabulous recipe! To be sure, is it 8 ounces of butter or 2 sticks? In our area 1 stick = 8 ounces.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Leslie, yes it is 8 ounces or 2 sticks of butter. Not sure where you live but in the U.S. there are 4 sticks in a pound of butter, each stick weighing 4 ounces Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Leslie Onesto says
Oops, my mistake and my apologies! I was thinking of tablespoons, not ounces.
Trisha Kolasinski says
Hi Chris,
I love all of the recipes of yours that Iv'e tried. Can't wait to to try the Valentine cookies. Please send me the labels for them.
Thank you so much,
Trisha
Chris Scheuer says
Hope you enjoy them, Trisha. Just sent the labels.
Bernice P says
Hi Chris... I have been using your shortbread cookie and icing method for a few years now and they are always a hit. I don't have these labels so would appreciate if you can send the file to me. Thanks for all of your great recipes
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! So happy you've enjoyed them, Bernice. The labels are on the way.
Robin Prothro says
Did you forget to attach the video link?
Patty says
I also never get the videos links on different recipes and Scott and Chris try to re upload them but they don't come through, sigh. On the upswing they do have some great recipes with good ideas behind them. Happy Valentines day all and whether it's a cookie or a smile share your love!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Robin and Patty, I just checked and the video is there. It's about halfway down the page after the words "Want to see the whole thing in action? Here's a short little video demonstrating this easy technique:"
I'm curious, which browser to you use on the web? If you could let me know, I will check with that browser as well. Thanks!
Laurie Cottrell says
These are so pretty! Please send me the labels.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Laurie, just sent them!
brigitte says
it was alot of fun to make and bake, may i have the labels please
booge
Chris Scheuer says
Sure, they should be in your inbox, Brigitte!
Marcia says
Please forward label pdf. I'll be making these this weekend.
Chris Scheuer says
Have fun, Marcia! Just sent the labels.
Bonnie says
Please forward file for labels.
Chris Scheuer says
Sure, they're coming your way, Bonnie.
Donna says
These are so pretty. Cannot wait to make the. Please send the labels my way. Tx
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Donna. Will send them now.
Julie Symmes says
Hello Chris,
These cookies are adorable. I used your drip icing successfully with Christmas cookies so can't wait to try the Valentine treats.
I would love the labels please and thanks.
Julie
Chris Scheuer says
Sure! Just sent them, Julie.
Pam says
What timing! I happen to have a batch in the oven and while waiting for them to bake I decided to read my emails . Looking forward to adding adorable labels with a favorite cookie. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
That is SO awesome, I love it! The labels should be in your email, Pam!
Jennifer says
Plan to make these with my two yr old grandson-would love the labels!!!! Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes and inspirational posts!!!Happy Valentine’s Day🥰
Chris Scheuer says
Aww, that will be so fun! What great memories you're making, Jennifer. Just sent the labels.
Linda T says
I would love the gift tags.
Also thanks for the recommendation of the adjustable rolling pin. I got it and Wow it worked great. My cookies turned out beautifully. And the drip and flip method is wonderful. My cookies looked and tasted professional! Thanks a lot!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Linda! So happy you've enjoyed the recipe and the rolling pin. Sending the labels now!
Kathleen Armstrong says
Hi Chris, I love this recipe. I would like to create the labels. I find myself turning to your website so often for entrees, sides, desserts. I love your website. Thanks, Kathleen
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Kathleen! I appreciate your kind words. Just sent the labels. ENJOY!
CAROLYN YOUNG says
THANK yo again for wonderful recipes. Do wish you could add a note - for Gluten Free xxxx add xxx to your flour. HATE guessing too little, too much xanthum gum...
Keep up the great work, LOVE, LOVE the blue dishes used in presentation, wish I knew where you got them. My FAV!
God bless you and thanks for the great work!
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Carolyn! I appreciate your kind words.
I'm not a GF expert so I usually don't include that information. I'm trying to experiment a bit with it though so I will from time to time include GF variations. I know that all of our biscuit and scone recipes turn out great with 1 to 1 GF flour. I use King Arthur.
Also, our collection of glazed bran muffins also turn out great with the cup to cup KA flour.
Thanks for the compliment on the blue and white dishes. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for blue and white. I don't have a specific place where I find them. Sometimes it's online, sometimes at a kitchen store or consignment shop or a store like HomeGoods. Amazon has some pretty ones too!
Cindy says
Hi, can you use heavy cream instead of half and half?
Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that would be fine, Cindy.
Kathy Phelps says
Hi Chris, I am new to your website and enjoying reading your recipes. I can't wait to give these heart shaped shortbread cookies and the dip and drip method a try!
Question: what sprinkles or nonpareils did you use here? I love the color combination! Are they available as is or did you custom blend!
Thank you so nice for all of the detailed instructions!
Chris Scheuer says
Welcome, Kathy! I do mix my own, using pinks, turquoise and white nonpareils.
Patricia says
Hi. When you say you use "half and half " for the icing,do you mean half milk- half water?
Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Patricia, sorry for the confusion. Half and half is an American convenience product often used in coffee. It's a combination of half milk and half cream.
Debby says
Can I freeze these cookies after they are baked? And should I wait until they thaw to dip in the icing?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Debby, you can freeze them either way but for optimal presentation, I would wait to dip them till they're thawed. Enjoy!
Debby says
Thanks, one more question..do you have a ‘second count’ on the icing..if it’s too thick it will only hit the outside and then I add cream and it runs off the cookie..help
Chris Scheuer says
I drip for 20-30 seconds, until the dripping slows down a lot.
When you dip the cookie, tilt it a little in all directions to coat the whole surface.
Shannon says
These cookies were absolute PERFECTION! This recipe will now be my go to... We just made them for Valentines Day.
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad, Shannon! Thanks for letting us know!
Boymommy85 says
These turned out so beautifully and I so enjoy the flavor. I took a picture of them as I’m really pleased they look nearly as good as yours Chris! Your recipes truly are easy and can be replicated. Thanks for all the tips!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that!