Valentine Chocolate Sugar Cookies Food

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.

VALENTINE CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, beat softened butter for about 30 seconds with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating until just combined.
• Divide dough into two equal parts and use your hands to form each part into a disc. Working with one disc at a time, place on a sheet of parchment paper and roll to 1/4-inch thickness; dust your work surface and rolling pin with cocoa powder instead of flour to avoid white spots on your chocolate cookies. Carefully slide parchment paper {with rolled dough on it}onto a baking sheet. On another piece of parchment paper, roll the second dough disc to 1/4-inch thickness. Carefully slide parchment paper {with rolled dough on it} on top of the first rolled dough, keeping the piece of parchment paper between the doughs. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. {NOTES: It may be tempting to skip the chilling time, but chilling the dough is essential to keeping the cookies from spreading while baking. Also, you could certainly chill the dough first and THEN roll it out ... but I find it easier to roll first while the dough is pliable and then chill.}
• Use heart shaped cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes. Transfer cut hearts to a baking sheet with a small spatula. Re-roll the remaining dough scraps and continue to cut cookies until all the dough is used.
• Bake cookies at 350℉ for 8 minutes. The cookies will still appear soft. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Place candy melts and oil in a small microwaveable bowl. Heat at 50 percent power for 1 and a half minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir. If not completely smooth and melted, return to the microwave and continue heating at 50 percent power for 30 to 45 seconds at a time until melted, stirring after every interval. {OR, place candy melts and oil in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Heat, stirring frequently, until completely melted and smooth.}
• One at a time, dip half of each cooled cookie in the candy melt coating. Gently shake the cookie a couple of times to allow excess coating to drip off. Place dipped cookie on a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper and immediately decorate with sprinkles.
• Allow cookies to stand until candy melt coating is completely set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
• * You could also use white almond bark coating instead of candy melts.
• Makes about 36 cookies when 2-inch cookie cutters are used. Yield will depend on size and shape of cookie cutters used.