Valentine's Butter Cookies
These Valentine butter cookies are shaped like adorable teddy bears, adding a touch of cuteness to your Valentine’s Day desserts. They are easy to make and require no advanced decorating skills, making them perfect for bakers of any level.
Equipment
- 3 Cookie Sheet Pans Lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper
- 1 Hand Mixer or
- Bowls, measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Rubber spatula
- Pastry bags
- Large star piping tip
Ingredients
Butter cookie dough
- 2 ¼ Cup All-purpose flour Sift to remove any lumps
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Unsalted butter softened
- ¾ Cup Granulated sugar
- 1 Large Egg Room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons Whole milk May need one more tablespoon depending on consistency
Decorations (optional)
- ¼ Cup Royal icing
- 16 Small Chocolate candy hearts
- Food coloring (pink and brown for bears' eyes and noses)
Instructions
Butter cookie dough
- Whisk together flour and salt in a bowl. Sift flour through a fine mesh sieve if necessary to remove any lumps. Set aside.
- Place butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (note - a hand-mixer may be used).
- Mix butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
- Add egg to mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until combined, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Add dry ingredients (flour, etc..) to mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until well combined. Note: the dough will be thick and may seem slightly dry at this stage, but this is perfectly normal.
- Add vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix until smooth.
- Ensure the butter cookie dough has the right consistency—thick but soft enough to be piped smoothly. If the dough feels too stiff, add milk a teaspoon at a time until it reaches the desired texture. Be careful not to overdo it, as adding too much milk can cause the cookies to spread excessively during baking.
- Transfer about a cup of dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Avoid overfilling the bag, as the dough is thick and can be difficult to pipe if the bag is too full.
Pipe and Chill cookies
- Prepare 3 baking sheet pans: If using templates, place on pans. Place parchment paper or silicone baking mats over templates.
- Begin piping the bear cookies by following this pattern:Pipe small lines of dough to form the ears, arms, and legs.Pipe swirls to create the heads and bodies, ensuring the swirls are slightly larger for proper shape.
- Place the baking pans in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Chilling the dough is essential to prevent the cookies from overspreading during baking.
Bake cookies
- Preheat oven to 350℉ / 177℃
- Bake one sheet of cookies at a time on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 13 - 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate cookies
- Use a small dab of royal icing on the back of each chocolate heart to attach it securely to the belly of each bear cookie.
- Using royal icing, pipe a small pink oval onto each bear's face to create the snout. Ensure the oval is centered and proportionate to the bear's face for a balanced look.
- Using brown royal icing, pipe a small dot at the top of each pink snout to create the bears' noses. Then, pipe two small brown dots above the snouts to form the eyes.
- Set cookies aside for 20 minutes to dry.
Video
Notes
Storage: Place cookies in an airtight container or tightly-sealed cookie tin, separating layers with parchment or wax paper. They can stay fresh this way for up to 4 days. Alternatively, wrap cookies well and freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 81mgPotassium: 30mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 377IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg
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