Vanilla Heart Cookies

Vanilla Heart Cookies

Vanilla Heart Cookies with Egg-Free Icing

Vanilla Heart Cookies

I decorated Valentine's cookies today with my sister-in-law Sonia for my nephew's daycare. We had a lot of fun, and Matthew even decorated a cookie. He is just 2 1/2 years old and he did a fine job indeed! Just in case any of the kids have allergies, I used an egg-free icing and doubled the recipe. The vanilla sugar cookie is my go to recipe, and I fully recommend it. I just added 1 tablespoon of milk. If you are looking for an amazing tasting sugar cookie, this is it. Give it a try if you are planning to make Valentine's Day cookies. See cookie and icing recipe below.

Our pretty Vanilla Heart Cookies

Vanilla Heart Cookies

Vanilla Heart Cookies

Yield: 4 1/2-5 Dozen Cookies (depending on size)

Ingredients
5 cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour

2 cups Granulated Sugar

1 teaspoon Coarse Salt

2 cups Unsalted Butter, softened

1 tablespoon Milk

2 XL Eggs

3 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Cookie my nephew Matthew decorated

Pretty cookies

Vanilla Heart Cookies

Directions
Whisk together flour and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a hand held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment on low; 1-2 minutes. Do not overmix.

Scrape sides of bowl with spatula and mix for a 10 seconds.

Love the combination of red, pink and white icing

Vanilla Heart Cookies

Close-up of cookies

Add eggs one at a time, mix until incorporated. Scrape sides of bowl and mix for 5 seconds.

Add milk and vanilla extract and mix on low until incorporated, about 20-25 seconds.

With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour mixture and incorporate. The dough is ready when it begins to clump around paddle attachment.

Nice and shiny

Vanilla Heart Cookies

Close-up of cookies

Cut in half and roll dough into 2 balls, cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight.

Take half of the dough leaving unused dough covered with plastic wrap in fridge until ready to use.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Use two sheets of parchment paper with dough in between and roll with rolling pin until desired thickness is reached.

Dip cutters in flour, shake off excess, and make heart shapes.

It's all about the love...

Vanilla Hearts

Lots of different designs

Place onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper, and put in freezer for 10 minutes. The cookies hold their shape when you do this.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until the edges have slightly browned. My cookies baked in 13 minutes.

Wait 2-3 minutes before transferring cookies on cooling racks to complete cooling.

Decorate once cookies have cooled completely.

Hearts and more hearts

Used different heart shape cutters for variation 

Used scribe tool to make hearts and marbling designs

Egg-Free Icing (Double recipe if you have more than 40 cookies)
5 cups Powdered/Confectioners' Sugar, sifted

1/2 cup Whole Milk + 1 tablespoon extra (for flooding cookies)

1/4 cup Light Corn Syrup

2 teaspoons Clear Vanilla Extract

Directions
In a large bowl, sift powdered sugar; set aside.

Using stand or hand held mixer with paddle attachment on medium-high speed, combine sugar and 1/4 cup of milk and mix for 1-2 minutes until smooth.

Add remaining 1/4 cup of milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you need. (I made one batch for the borders, and 1 batch to fill the cookies). For filling the cookies, I added 1 extra tablespoon of milk.

Add corn syrup, vanilla extract and mix for 10 seconds.

Note: The corn syrup gives the icing a lovely shine.

I separated the icing in plastic containers with lids according to how many different colors needed for tinting.

I used AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste Food Color in Super White, Pink, and Super Red. Use 1-2 drops at a time until you have the color you need.

Swirly Hearts

Reminds me of a tie dye tee

Vanilla Heart Cookies

Keep the containers covered until you are ready to color.

I transferred the icing immediately into squeeze bottles using a small funnel to prevent spilling.

If the royal icing hardens due to exposure to air, use a spray bottle filled with water and spray a little bit, and then shake bottle well holding the tip with your finger. Test the icing consistency on a paper towel before decorating the cookie.

 I did not need to do this since I kept the icing covered when not in use.

I outlined the cookies, and waited 1/2 hour and then filled them.

Cookie love

Happy Valentine's Day

Use a paintbrush or cookie stick to reach edges, and use tip of cookie stick or a toothpick to pop any air bubbles.

Decorate as desired and let cookies dry overnight.

If you are baking and it is humid, you may need more time for the cookies to dry.

For further information:
Please visit, Sweetopia for the Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe:
http://sweetopia.net/2009/12/sugar-cookie-recipe/

Please visit, The Slow Roasted Italian for the Egg-Free Icing Recipe:
http://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2013/12/best-tasting-sugar-cookie-icing-recipe.html

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys