Valentine’s Day Cookies – The Military Family

MMMMM… cookies. Usually I only bake cookies during the Christmas Season. But the urge to bake over took me last week and I suddenly found myself in the Valentines Spirit.

Here is a recipe for /delicious/ Pink-frosted Valentines Cookies (or really whatever holiday you want to make them for. Just change the shape of you cookie cutter and the food-dye color and viola you are “in season”.)

Perfectly Valentines Cookies

Cookie Ingredients1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups vegetable shortening
1 large egg, beaten
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (/or/ 4 1/3 cups of Cake Flour if you have it hand)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees.

Using your electric mixer cream together sugar and shortening.

Mix on slow speed 30 seconds, then scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.

Slowly add vanilla…

and beaten egg while mixing.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, mixing on slow speed until just blended.

Do not over mix.

Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 2 hours covered.
Roll out dough on wax paper and cut out cookies with desired shaped cookie cutters
(Heart shaped cookies were on our agenda.)

Place wax paper and cut-out cookies directly on you cookie sheet

Bake at 375° for 9-10 minutes.
Cookies are done when small cracks appear and are pale golden.
Ideally, the edges do not brown.

When your cookies are done leave them on the wax paper,
on the cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes while they cool.
Otherwise you may end up with a cookie mess like this.

Sugary-Delicious Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.

Eat…