Valentine’s Day sugar cookies are buttery sugar cookies that make a delicious dessert, treat, or gift! This easy recipe takes minutes to make.
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.
“Great cookies! I used your vanilla frosting recipe and they didn’t last the day.” – Brooke
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.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Butter: I use salted butter. If you’re using unsalted butter, increase the salt by 1/4 teaspoon.
- Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar in this recipe.
- 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.
How to make Valentine’s Day sugar cookies
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: Mix in the vanilla extract, almond extract if using, and salt until combined.
Step 3: Add egg yolk and mix in until combined.
Step 4: 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.
Step 5: Lightly flour your hands and form the dough into a ball.
Step 6: Form the dough into a 1-inch thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
Step 7: Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Step 8: Unwrap the chilled dough and place on a lightly floured surface.
Step 9: Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4- or 1/3-inch thick. Thinner dough will give you a crispier cookie.
Step 10: 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.
Step 11: 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.
Step 12: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Step 13: Transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling before frosting and decorating.
Recipe Tips!
- Baking: I recommend only baking one batch of cookies at a time.
- Chilling the dough: If the dough begins to soften too much in between batches, simply cover and chill.
- Rolling the dough: 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.
- Spreading: Since the cookies don’t have any leavening agent, they won’t spread much.
- Texture: I think the cookies are even better after they’ve been baked, cooled, and chilled.
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 buttercream frosting or royal icing and then top with sprinkles/jimmies, nonpareils, colored sugar, or confetti sprinkles. The buttercream and the royal icing are 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. The baked and cooled unfrosted cookies can also be frozen for longer storage.
Since I use buttercream frosting, I store the frosted cookies in the fridge in an airtight container. The frosted cookies will keep for up to 5 days when properly stored in the fridge.
More Valentine’s Day desserts!
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!
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Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie sheets
- Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- Frosting
- Nonpareils or sprinkles for decoration
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 1/4- or 1/3-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 1/4 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
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Originally published February 3, 2022. This post is regularly updated.
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Comments & Reviews
Brooke says
Great cookies! I used your vanilla frosting recipe and they didn’t last the day.
Kate says
Thank you!