Easy Decorated Valentine Cookies

By Chris Scheuer | Updated on June 3, 2024

5 from 7 votes

These cookies are not only delicious and look like they come from a fine bake-shop, but the dough recipe is one-bowl and no-mixer!

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These Easy Decorated Valentine Cookies are not only delicious and look like they come from a fine bake-shop, but the dough recipe is one-bowl and no-mixer!

If you're like me; not a fancy cookie decorator, these Easy Decorated Valentine Cookies will make you look like one! And I'm going to show you exactly how to pull off this little confectionary magic trick.

Have you ever noticed that the prettiest cookies aren't always the most delicious? I've purchased beautiful cookies from fancy bakeries and have been so disappointed with the first bite. A cookie that tastes like cardboard with flavorless icing - and for a crazy expensive price! You won't find that problem with these Easy Decorated Valentine Cookies.

Pretty and delicious!

The buttery-crisp shortbread is melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the simple powdered sugar icing can take on a myriad of flavors. I've done almond, lemon, raspberry, mint, orange and vanilla bean - with just a half teaspoon of extract. One thing to note, be sure to use a pure extract, not one with artificial ingredients for the best flavor.

The cookies are modeled after my Christmas Shortbread Cookies and are simple to put together. The dough comes together easily with just a bowl and a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon. Yes, it's a wonderful one-bowl, no-mixer recipe!

The dough does not need to be chilled initially, just flour your work surface and rolling pin and you'll be ready to go. I like to use an adjustable rolling pin to roll my cookies to a nice even thickness. The one pictured below is a dream, since it can be adjusted to four different accurate heights by simple unscrewing the green handles on the ends.

I used a fluted cookie cutter to make my cookies, but you could also use a simple round cutter. I really like this fluted cookie cutter set.

It comes with nine fluted cutters and nice little acrylic case to store them in. When I make cutout cookies, I like to make a few different sizes for different size appetites. Being able to use a few different sizes also helps use up the scraps of dough, so I don't have to re-roll so many times.

The decorating technique is not difficult. Dip the baked cookies in a simple powdered sugar icing and allow the icing to dry.

Then pipe a simple heart and fill it in with back and forth lines. The finishing touch is a quick sprinkle of nonpareils and you're done! See why I call them Easy Decorated Valentine Cookies?

You can mix up both the dipping icing and the piping icing in bowls without a mixer. For the piping, you'll need a small decorating tip (I use a Wilton #5) and a decorating bag. I love these inexpensive but sturdy decorating bags. They come in a flat box so they're easy to store and they'll last forever.

Oh, one last thing! Making these Easy Decorated Valentine Cookies is much more fun if you have a sweet little friend to help you. Our granddaughter, Emmy was with us last week and Papa (Scott) had fun catching some shots of her rolling the dough and decorating the cookies. Her little mantra when she's helping in the kitchen is, "Cooking makes me happy!". Me too! I guess she got it honestly.

Café Tips for making these Easy Decorated Valentine Cookies

Don't roll the cookies too thin if you're going to ice them, as they won't be sturdy enough for the icing technique. I used the rolling pin mentioned above in the post to roll my cookies to ⅜-inch. You can also use ⅜-inch wooden dowels on either side of a regular rolling pin to achieve a nice even dough.
If you enjoy baking with kids, there's an adjustable rolling pin available that's just their size!
Allow enough time for the unbaked cut out cookies to chill in the refrigerator. You want to cool them at least an hour. If it's longer they'll be fine. I've left my unbaked cookies in the fridge for as long as 24 hours.
There are lots of wonderful varieties of pure extracts available, so you can switch out the flavor of these Easy Decorated Valentine Cookies to just about anything flavor you might fancy. I've used almond, lemon, raspberry, mint, orange and vanilla bean extracts with delicious results.
If your dough seems to stick to the counter or to the rolling pin, just flour the counter and rolling pin with some extra flour. Roll the dough ball around in the flour, so it's coated on all sides and lift up the edges to scoot a little flour under the dough as you roll.
These cookies will harden nicely so they can be stacked on a platter, but not so hard that they would ship well.
If you're not using a mixer (which I usually don't), the butter needs to be very soft when mixing up these cookies. That can be difficult during the colder months, even if you let the butter sit out for hours. A short stint in the microwave on power level 10 (10%) works like magic to soften butter. You'll need to experiment a bit with your microwave though, as they're all different. Start with 20 or 30-second increments at power level 10 until you learn how long your microwave will take to get the butter nice and soft, but not melted.
A few tips on rolling and cutting out cookies:
- Keep your work surface and rolling pin lightly dusted with flour.
- I also like to rub the cutting edge of my cookie cutter in a little flour in between each cookie.
- Press fairly firmly when cutting out the cookies, but don't twist the cookie cutter as the shape will get distorted.
- If you don't have room in your refrigerator to chill the cookies on two sheet pans, just place them all on one pan after cutting. Then later, once they're chilled, you can divide them between the two pans for baking.
- When re-rolling the scraps, incorporate as little of the flour on the work surface as possible.
Occasionally, some of the cookies will be slightly puffed on the top when removed from the oven. You can give them a nice flat top by pushing on the top gently with a metal spatula.
Know someone who's getting married? These cookies would make such fun wedding favors at each place setting. Put them in a clear cellophane bag and tie it with a pretty ribbon. Use the wedding colors for the piping and nonpareils. The cookies could be made weeks in advance and stored in the freezer. They come out as if they've never been frozen!
I use these fluted cookie cutters to make my Valentine cookies. They come in a variety of sizes and have a nice storage container.

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