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    Home » Desserts » Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

    Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

    Published: Feb 3, 2022 · Modified: Feb 4, 2022 by Kate · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Valentine's Day sugar cookies are buttery sugar cookies that make a delicious dessert, treat, or gift! This easy recipe takes minutes to make.

    Heart shaped valentine's Day cookies on a white plate.

    Sugar cookies are perfect for holidays. These Valentine's Day cookies make a fun dessert, or they work well as a gift or as treats.

    They are easy to make, and they taste great! The cookies only need 30 minutes to chill. If you're looking for a no chill sugar cookie, check out this recipe instead.

    Why you'll love this sugar cookie recipe

    • Taste! The cookies have a delicious sweet, buttery flavor.
    • Easy! The cookies require minimal hands-on time and can be made in less than one hour.
    • Fun! The cookies are easy to cut out and fun to decorate.

    Ingredients and substitutions

    • Butter - I use salted butter. If you're using unsalted butter, increase the salt by ¼ teaspoon.
    • Granulated sugar
    • Brown sugar - I use light brown sugar.
    • Vanilla extract - The vanilla helps to give the cookies their flavor.
    • Almond extract - The almond extract gives the cookies a depth of flavor, but it doesn't make them taste like almond. Feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
    • Salt
    • Egg yolk - Just the yolk. You can save the white for another use.
    • All-purpose flour - It's important to properly measure the flour to avoid dry or heavy cookies. To properly measure it, either weigh the flour or sift/stir to break it up. Then lightly spoon into the measuring cup and level. Packing the flour will give you too much flour in the dough.

    How to make Valentine's Day sugar cookies

    Creamed butter and sugar in a silver mixing bowl.

    Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer). Beat until well-combined, about 3-4 minutes on medium. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

    Creamed butter with extracts and egg mixed in.

    Mix in the vanilla extract, almond extract if using, and salt until combined. Add egg yolk and mix in until combined.

    Sugar cookie dough in a silver mixing bowl.

    Add the flour and stir in until just combined. Don't overmix. The dough should be on the stiffer side but shouldn't be dry.

    Sugar cookie dough disk wrapped in plastic wrap.

    Lightly flour your hands and form the dough into a ball. Form the dough into a 1-inch thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.

    Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

    Sugar cookie dough on a floured surface.

    Unwrap the chilled dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to ¼- or ⅓-inch thick. Thinner dough will give you a crispier cookie.

    Dough with heart shaped cut outs in it.

    Cut out desired cookie shapes and transfer the cut-outs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Recombine any scraps of cookie dough and continue cutting out shapes until you've used all of the dough.

    unbaked heart shaped sugar cookies on a baking sheet.

    Bake for 10-15 minutes. Depending on the size of the cookie cutter you use and how thick the dough is, you may need to adjust the baking time. The cookies should just be beginning to turn light golden brown at the edges but shouldn't be browned. Also, I recommend only baking one batch at a time.

    One row of frosted sugar cookies on a wire cooling rack.

    Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling before frosting and decorating.

    Two heart shaped sugar cookies overlapping each other.

    Tips

    • I recommend only baking one batch of cookies at a time.
    • If the dough begins to soften too much in between batches, simply cover and chill.
    • Feel free to use powdered sugar in place of flour on the rolling surface and on your hands. It gives the cookies a slightly sweeter, less flour-y taste.
    • Since the cookies don't have any leavening agent, they won't spread much.
    • I think the cookies are even better after they've been chilled.
    Heart shaped sugar cookie frosted with pink icing.

    Shapes and how to decorate

    There are a number of cookie shapes that work well for Valentine's Day! Hearts, X's and O's, and lips are just a few ideas.

    To finish the cookies off, frost with a cookie glaze or frosting and then top with sprinkles/jimmies, nonpareils, colored sugar, or confetti sprinkles.

    Stack of Valentine's Day cookies on a piece of parchment paper.

    Which frostings go well with these cookies?

    I like to use vanilla American buttercream because it tastes great with sugar cookies. The white frosting works well with Valentine's sprinkles, and it's also easy to tint pink or red.

    Storage

    The unfrosted cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Since I use buttercream frosting, I store the frosted cookies in the fridge in an airtight container.

    Three heart shaped sugar cookies on a white plate.

    More Valentine's Day desserts!

    • Molten Chocolate Cake
    • Red Velvet Sheet Cake
    • Molten Nutella Cakes
    • Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Red Velvet Marble Cake Recipe

    If you’ve tried this Valentine's Day sugar cookie recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who've made my recipes!

    You can SUBSCRIBE to receive my latest recipe newsletters or FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for even more delicious food.

    Heart shaped valentine's Day cookies on a white plate.

    Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

    Rich buttery sugar cookies that are perfect for Valentine's Day
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Chill: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 24 cookies
    Calories: 144kcal
    Author: Kate @ I Heart Eating

    Equipment

    • Cookie sheets
    • Mixer

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup butter softened
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup brown sugar packed
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • Frosting
    • Nonpareils or sprinkles for decoration
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer).
    • Beat until well-combined, about 3-4 minutes on medium.
    • Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
    • Mix in the vanilla extract, almond extract if using, and salt until combined.
    • Add egg yolk and mix in until combined.
    • Add the flour and stir in until just combined. Don't overmix.
    • Lightly flour your hands and form the dough into a ball.
    • Form the dough into a 1-inch thick disk.
    • Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
    • Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
    • Unwrap the chilled dough and place on a lightly floured surface.
    • Roll the dough out to ¼- or â…“-inch thick. Thinner dough will give you a crispier cookie.
    • Cut out desired cookie shapes and transfer the cut-outs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
    • Recombine any scraps and continue cutting out shapes until you've used all of the dough.
    • Bake for 10-15 minutes. Depending on the size of the cookie cutter you use and how thick the dough is, you may need t to adjust the baking time. The cookies should just be beginning to turn light golden brown at the edges but shouldn't be browned.
    • Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
    • Transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling before frosting and decorating.

    Notes

    • Butter - I use salted butter. If you're using unsalted butter, increase the salt by ¼ teaspoon. 
    • Brown sugar - I use light brown sugar.
    • Vanilla extract - The vanilla helps to give the cookies their flavor.
    • Almond extract - The almond extract gives the cookies a depth of flavor, but it doesn't make them taste like almond. Feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
    • Egg yolk - Just the yolk. You can save the white for another use.
    • All-purpose flour - It's important to properly measure the flour to avoid dry or heavy cookies. To properly measure it, either weigh the flour or sift/stir to break it up. Then lightly spoon into the measuring cup and level. Packing the flour will give you too much flour in the dough.
    • Nutrition values are estimates. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 247IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Rate it below. Mention @i_heart_eating on Instagram & tag #ihearteating!
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    About Kate

    Kate got her first cookbook when she was five years old, and she hasn't stopped cooking since then! Her delicious recipes have been featured on Food Network, MSN, Better Homes & Gardens, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and more. When she's not cooking or baking, she can be found on her mini farm with her husband and her five kids.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Brooke

      February 08, 2022 at 10:41 am

      5 stars
      Great cookies! I used your vanilla frosting recipe and they didn't last the day.

      Reply
      • Kate

        February 08, 2022 at 9:23 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply

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