These simple Heart-shaped Iced Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies with red, pink, and white sprinkles are ideal for celebrating the special day of love. From the buttery sugar cookie to the rich buttercream frosting, this Lofthouse-style Valentine’s Sugar Cookie Recipe is a delicious treat!
If you’re looking for a special treat for your loved one this Valentine’s Day, bake some homemade heart-shaped Lofthouse cookies. They’re easy to make, fun to decorate, and delicious sweet treats that can be gifted.
What is the difference between a sugar cookie and Lofthouse cookies?
Sugar cookies are a classic cookie made with butter, sugar, flour and eggs. They are usually flat, and decorated with colored sprinkles or icing. Lofthouse cookies, on the other hand, are a soft and chewy frosted cookie made with baking soda and baking powder, which makes the texture a bit softer and airy. Lofthouse cookies are also quite moist from the added sour cream and are usually thicker than a sugar cookie.
valentines day heart-shaped sugar cookies ingredients
All-purpose flour – It’s optional to sift the flour, so there aren’t any lumps.
Baking powder – This helps to give the cookies fluffiness when they bake.
Baking soda – This helps the cookies rise while baking.
Cornstarch – Adding cornstarch helps to create a crumble to the texture.
Salt – Just a little is needed for the all-purpose flour.
Unsalted butter – If you only happen to have salted butter, omit to add any extra salt to the recipe.
White granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to this sugar cookie dough.
Egg – Helps to hold the flour mixture together to create the dough.
Sour cream – Sour cream helps keep the cookie moist and tender.
Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract is what I love to use.
Almond extract – An easy way to add and stir in flavor.
Food dye – You can use any food coloring, but I love red and pink for Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day Sprinkles – Red, pink, and white sprinkles are a great choice. You can also add heart sprinkles, too.
how to make valentine’s day sugar cookies
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients (minus the sugar) in a mixing bowl. Whisk together. Once mixed, add the butter and sugar. Mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until the butter and sugar are creamed together.
Step 2: Add the egg and sour cream mixture and extracts. Mix well. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until the dough forms.
Step 3: Place the dough in the fridge for 60 minutes. After that time has passed, roll the dough with a floured rolling pin on a clean surface into a thin layer.
Step 4: Use a heart cookie cutter and cut out the cookie shapes. Place the cookies on a baking sheet, and bake for 8-9 minutes.
Step 5: While the cookies are cooling on a wire rack, add the red dye to the store bought icing and stir. Add the red food coloring until you reach desired color stirring between each addition to fully incorporate it.
Once the cookies have cooled all the way, spread the frosting on the top of the cookies and then top them with sprinkles.
How to get crisp edges with a heart cookie cutter?
The cornstarch is the secret to having clean, crisp edges to these Valentine’s day heart sugar cookies! It’s a simple ingredient that stops the cookie dough from spreading, resulting in perfect edges for your cookie recipes.
how to decorate valentine’s day frosted sugar cookies
- Start with a cold cookie – this will help the icing set and have a better finish.
- Work with a small amount of icing at a time. An offset spatula spreads the icing evenly and smoothly over the cookie.
- Make sure the surface of the heart cookies is covered almost to the edges with the icing.
- Add sprinkles before the icing sets otherwise, they won’t stick to the cookie.
Expert Tips to Make the Best Valentine’s Day Heart Sugar Cookies
If you want to make the best Valentine’s Day sugar cookies, there are a few simple tips.
Here are some expert tips for baking delicious Lofthouse sugar cookies:
- Start with good-quality butter. High-fat butter will give you the best results.
- Make sure to cream the butter and sugar together thoroughly. This will make sure your cookies are light and fluffy.
- Use high-quality ingredients. Good-quality flour, baking powder, and salt will create a better flavor and texture.
- Measure your ingredients correctly. Use the spoon and level method to ensure you’re using the right ingredients.
- Chill your dough. Chilling the dough for at least an hour will help the cookies hold their shape when baking.
- Bake at the right temperature. A higher temperature will cause your cookies to spread out too much.
- Don’t overbake. Keep an eye on your cookies and remove them from the oven just before they’re done.
- Let your cookies cool before decorating. This will make sure your decorations stay in place.
- Enjoy your delicious homemade Lofthouse sugar cookies!
Gifting Iced Valentine Sugar Cookies
Gifting iced Valentine’s sugar cookies is a great way to show someone you care! There are a few gifting options that come to mind.
Gifting in Cellophane Bags
- Place the cookies in small cellophane bags. Make sure to leave enough room to tie a ribbon at the top.
- Tie a colorful ribbon around the top of each bag in a bow.
- You can attach a tag with a sweet message to each bag to add a special touch.
- Place each bag in a gift box or Valentine’s Tin and tie a larger, coordinating ribbon around the box.
- Finish off with a pretty gift tag or label to complete the look
Fun Valentine’s Day Cookie Platter
Another great way to gift iced valentines sugar cookies Once the icing on the heart-shaped cookies is completely set, you can arrange them in a pattern on a platter or a tray. To make it a bit more special, add some festive decorations such as colorful sprinkles, sugar hearts, etc. Once arranged, wrap the platter with plastic wrap or a pretty cloth with a big Valentine’s bow tied on top, and you have a lovely gift that is sure to impress.
Storage tips and freezer instructions
To keep these heart cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. As long as they are correctly sealed, they should be able to be stored for up to 1 week.
You can also freeze these cookies by putting them in a freezer-safe container or freezer storage bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Other Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipes:
- Grandma’s Mississippi Mud Cake
- Chocolate Pecan Turtle Pecan Clusters
- Best Valentine’s Desserts
- Homemade Valentine’s Day Truffles
- Valentine’s Day Decorated Pretzels
- Valentines Charcuterie Board
Iced Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles
Ingredients
Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract
Frosting Ingredients:
- store-bought buttercream frosting
- Red food dye
- Pink, red, and white sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add parchment paper to a baking sheet.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Grab a smaller bowl and add the butter and sugar into a smaller bowl. Mix with a hand mixer of medium speed until the batter is smooth.
- Add the egg, sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the butter and sugar mixture, then beat again until the wet ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix on low/medium speed until the batter forms a dough.
- Roll the dough into a large ball, then make it slightly flat and cover it with plastic wrap.
- Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for an hour.
- Place the dough on a clean, floured surface and use a rolling pan to roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
- Cut out the cookies using a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Put the cookies on the baking sheet.
- Grab any leftover dough and form a ball. Roll it out, and cut out more heart cookies. Repeat to use as much of the dough as possible.
- Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8-9 minutes or until the edges start to brown.
- As the cookies are baking, open the store-bought frosting and add red dye until the frosting reaches the desired color. You'll need to stir well to make sure all of the dye is incorporated into the frosting.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool down completely. This will take 20 minutes or so.
- Add a layer of frosting on each cooled cookie, add sprinkles before the icing sets.
Nutrition
