Valentine Kiss Cookies Food

LOVE AND KISSES COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until melted. Allow to cool.
• Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and cooled chocolate on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition, then the vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl and continue to mix on medium speed until combined.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix until just combined.
• Put the red sprinkles in a bowl. Scoop mounded tablespoons of the dough. Roll into balls and roll each ball in the sprinkles to cover completely. Place on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are poufy and set, about 10 minutes. When still warm, press a chocolate candy into the top of each. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough, sprinkles and chocolate candies.

VALENTINE'S DAY HEART SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. If the dough seems too soft, you can add 1 Tablespoon more flour so it's a better consistency for rolling.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out onto a piece of parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat (I prefer the nonstick silicone mat) to about 1/4″ thickness. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly ¼-inch thick.
• Stack the pieces, with parchment paper between the two, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days. If chilling for more than a couple hours, cover the top dough piece with a single piece of parchment paper.
• Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Remove one of the dough pieces from the refrigerator and using a heart cookie cutter, cut into heart shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd dough piece.
• Bake for 10-11 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Make sure you rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
• In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat all of the icing ingredients together on high speed for 5 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 10-12 seconds. If it's too thick, add a little more water. (On particularly dry days, I use up to 12-14 Tablespoons water total.) If it's too thin, add a little more sifted confectioners' sugar. Separate icing into 6 different bowls. Stir in 1 tiny drop of the following colors into each bowl, 1 color per bowl: pink, violet, green, yellow, and orange. The 6th bowl is for the writing. Use 2-3 drops of red.
• Add icing to piping bag fitted with round icing tip #5. Decorate cookies with colored icing. Use round icing tip #1 for writing. Do not cover cookies as icing sets. Icing will set within 2-3 hours.
• Decorated or plain cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

VALENTINE'S DAY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
• Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and add to the butter mixture, a little at a time. Stir until well combined. Knead using wet fingers if dough gets too stiff, dusting with flouring occasionally, until it bounces back.
• Roll dough out to uniform thinness and cut into desired shapes. Place 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
• Meanwhile, melt confectioners' coating in the microwave according to manufacturer's instructions. Mix in red candy melts until desired color is reached. Dip cooled cookies in the candy coating and let rest on waxed paper until hardened, about 5 minutes.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE KISS COOKIES - VALENTINE KISSES

Steps:

• Beat butter, add sugar and salt. Beat in cherry liquid and almond extract. Beat in flour. Fold in cherries.
• Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes (you don't have to, but dough is easier to work with when cold).
• Roll dough into balls, coat in sugar and place on cookie sheet. These cookies will flatten on their own, but I typically put a thumb print in the center to flatten some.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 14 minutes. Let cool on pan for 1-2 minutes.
• Add Hershey Kiss/Hug to center of the cookies. (Hugs melt especially fast, you may want to let the cookies cool a little longer before adding Hugs, but cookies should still be warm so chocolate can melt into the cookie).
• Transfer to wire rack to cool.

VALENTINE KISS COOKIES!

Steps:

• Cream peanut butter, margarine, and sugar.
• Beat in eggs.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and cinnamon, and add to mixture gradually.
• Chill dough for 30 minutes.
• Wrap about one tsp dough around each chocolate kiss.
• Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
• Roll in powdered sugar.