Valentine Cookies: Soft, Buttery, and Easy!

How do I put this? I was not born with the baking gene that ran in my family. Our maternal grandmother was a fantastic scratch baker, even using her own canned fruit and preserves. My two younger sisters must have gotten my allotment of the baking genes, and one was even a professional baker managing a corporate-owned kitchen. The other sister is the designated Christmas cookie baker making fancy cut-out cookies decorated with colored frosting and sprinkles. Last Christmas she even "designed" neon psychedelic-colored frosting. Totally cool dude. 

Sure, when I bake the finished product usually looks good and tastes good, but I will avoid baking if possible and often look for shortcuts. When it comes to baking cookies, the last thing I want to do is roll out the dough and press little cookie cutters into the dough. I would much rather collect cookie cutters than use them. When using a cookie recipe if I can't use my cookie scoopers or just pour the dough/batter into a pan for bar cookies, I don't want it. 

During the Christmas season, I came across a recipe on YouTube and wondered if I could tweak it by not rolling the dough and cutting out cookies. I was looking for an easy and basic soft sugar cookie - and there it was on the Six Sisters Stuff YouTube Channel. Up until now, it had been tucked away on my Pinterest Board. 

This recipe is easy with basic ingredients that most bakers will have in their kitchen. To achieve the final product the original recipe suggests after the dough is chilled you can add a couple of tablespoons of flour on the board, roll it out, and proceed with using cookie cutters. 

Ummm... No. Instead, I brought out my trusty small cookie scooper and away I went scooping until the bowl was empty. Also, I didn't flatten the scoops of cookie dough. They came out with the result I was looking for - soft little round tea cakes. Perfect for two bites. If you want a larger cookie then use a larger scooper. This recipe can be flexible by adding lemon zest to the batter and/or glaze. Also, one could experiment with cinnamon, cocoa, almond extract, and even culinary lavender. It's also important to remember this recipe can be Valentine, Christmas, Halloween, or whatever kind of cookies you want them to be! 

Ingredients:

¾ cup butter, softened (12 Tablespoons)

¾ cup white granulated sugar

2 eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

2¼ tsp baking powder

2¼ cups all-purpose white flour

Instructions:

In a large bowl, cream together with a mixer the softened butter and sugar. Once combined and creamy, add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Sift or combine well the salt and baking powder into the flour. Mix the flour into the creamy butter mixture until incorporated completely. Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to one hour depending on the heat of your kitchen. I found 15 minutes worked great because I wanted to get it over with. The reason behind the chill is to tighten up the dough which helps the cookies to remain their intended shape(s) and to keep from spreading.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper or a silpat baking mat on the cookie sheet pan(s) and scoop chilled cookie dough onto the sheet pans (no more than 8-12 scoops per pan). Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are slightly golden. Remove from oven and let rest for a minute and then move cookies to a rack to cool. 

After the cookies are cool is time to glaze or frost. I added a glaze. If you prefer a frosting, use the glaze recipe, but add butter. 

Glaze Ingredients:

2½ cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp milk  (Start with at least one tablespoon of milk and if it's too thick slowly add more liquid. I used unsweetened almond milk instead of traditional milk. You can use cream, half-half, evaporated, or whatever milk-like product you prefer.)

If you prefer more of a frosting texture then add: ½ cup softened butter. Mix butter with the powdered sugar - - first, and then add the vanilla and the milk to get the preferred creamy thickness and texture. 

Add food coloring to the glaze or frosting - - or not. Don't forget to get generous with the sprinkles! 

Wine Recommendations: Pair with a wine that has a refreshing clean taste but is slightly sweet like a Riesling or a slightly sweet sparkling like a Prosecco or a French Demi-Sec. 

Valentine Treat Bags on a Haviland & Co Limoges Plate made in France. Did she say, "France?" Check out "No, I Do Not Think I Am A Francophile Part One, Two, and Three.