Valentine Butter Cookies Food

VALENTINE BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift or mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a hand mixer. Mix the butter on medium speed for a couple of minutes, until it is very light and creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar, on low speed, until the sugar and butter are very light and fluffy.
• Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix just enough to incorporate the dry mixture.
• Using about 1/3 of the dough at a time, place the dough on a floured surface and roll out to about 1/4″ in thickness with a rolling pin, or pat the dough out with your hand.
• Cut the cookies into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until they are just barely brown on the bottom and still white on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool...frost and decorate.
• Place the butter in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, or use a hand mixer. Mix on medium speed until the butter is light and creamy. Mix in the vanilla. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until the mixture becomes very light and creamy. If the mixture seems a little too thick, add a tiny bit of milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. If it seems too thin, add a little more sugar, until you've reached the perfect spreading consistency.
• Frost and decorate the cookies. Allow them to set uncovered until the frosting has time to set.
• Store the cookies in an airtight container.

POPE'S VALENTINE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
• Mix butter in a mixer until light, add remaining ingredients.
• Knead until velvety. Roll one-half of the dough at a time to about 1/4 inch thickness using the smallest amount of flour possible.
• Cut out and bake on a lightly greased pan for 12 minutes. Cookies will be almost white when cooked.

VALENTINE'S DAY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• For the cookies: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and mix until well combined, scraping down sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, about 2 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper until it's about 1/8-inch thick. Using heart-shaped cookie cutters, cut the dough and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart (a small off-set spatula is really helpful when transferring the cookies). After both pieces of dough have been rolled out and cut, combine the dough scraps and re-roll and cut to utilize as much of the dough as possible.
• Bake until the cookies are just barely golden around the edges, rotating halfway through, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
• For the icing: Meanwhile, whisk the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. The consistency should be similar to that of slightly thinned yogurt and should coat the back of a spoon. Adjust with additional confectioners' sugar or milk, if needed.
• Place 2 tablespoons of icing into each of 2 small bowls. Add 4 drops of red gel food coloring to one bowl and 2 drops of pink gel food coloring to the other and stir until fully incorporated. Using a small spoon, drizzle a small amount of each color over the white icing and then repeatedly drag a toothpick through the icing until you create a marbled effect.
• Working with one cooled cookie at a time, carefully dip it face-side down into the icing and allow any excess to drip off before placing the cooking back on the cooling rack. Add additional red and pink icing to the bigger bowl of icing as needed to maintain the marbling effect. Decorate with sprinkles (if using) before allowing to the icing to fully set, about 4 to 5 hours.

BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Using a cookie press fitted with a heart disk, press dough 1 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until set but not brown, 6-8 minutes. Cool on wire racks., For frosting, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to reach a spreading consistency. If desired, tint with food coloring. Decorate cookies as desired.