Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today is the day of love. Normally people like to give some gifts to the person who loves the most. I do not have a girlfriend, but I decided that I could make some sugar cookies to enjoy with my family and friends. I used Zoella’s recipe, and I tried to be as creative as I could! If you want you can make them as a gift for someone special, even if it is not Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 140g icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 250g butter
• 375g plain flour

For the royal icing

• 225g icing sugar
• 1 egg white
• Cold water (if necessary)

Let’s go!

Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. If you want you can pre-heat it a bit later. Now it is time to mix the butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and yolk. Remember that the butter must be at room temperature, so that you can mix it easily. Also, set the egg white aside, because you will need it later for the royal icing. Cream all the ingredients together. Then, add the flour a little bit at a time. You will probably need to knead the dough using your hands. Once you are done, wrap the dough in cling film and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. If you did not pre-heat the oven at the beginning, you can do it now. Now it is time to spread some flour on the surface you will be working on and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. You may need to pour some flour over the rolling pin so that the dough does not stick on it. Cut out the shapes and put them on a lined baking tray. I used some heart cutters and also a glass to cut my cookies, but you can use whichever you want! Once you have finished, put them in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until they are golden brown. Then put them onto a cooling rack until they are completely cool.

For the royal icing, mix the icing sugar and the egg white. If you feel like it has the right consistency, you can now use it. If you think it is still too thick, add some cold water. Add only a tablespoon at a time, otherwise you may use too much water and don’t get the right consistency. If you want, you can also use some food colouring as I did.

Using a piping bag, it is now time to decorate the cookies. You can write or draw anything you want. You can also add some sprinkles. If you would like to fill some of them with royal icing, you will need to outline the cookies and then fill it. Also, you can use a toothpick to make some drawings with the royal icing.

I hope you liked the recipe. For me, it is not only a day for couples, but a day to be enjoyed by everyone who loves someone, even if it is a family member or a friend. So, make the most of it and spread the love! Also let me know what are you doing today to celebrate Valentine’s day!