You are going to fall in love with these soft and sweet sugar cookies. They are fun to make with your kids and look very pretty wrapped in individual bags as a gift.

If you are baking this Valentines day I recommend you check out these peanut butter chocolate cupcakes too!

Valentines Day just got sweeter with these cute and colorful heart shaped sugar cookies. Making these is a fun tradition in our house to set out a couple of different colors of frosting, and a few different sprinkles, then let the kids run wild. Make an entire night of decorating cookies if you wish!

For this recipe we are going to use royal icing, which can seem a bit intimidating but really just takes some practice to get that smooth and satisfying finished look.

What is Royal Icing?

Royal icing is a sweet, hard icing made from powdered sugar, egg whites or meringue powder. It is often made with added flavorings like vanilla or a squeeze of lemon juice. Typically we see it used to decorate sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, or a gingerbread house.

Royal icing is what bakers use in the TikTok videos of people decorating cookies and making the smooth surfaces and adorable decorations for parties and events.

Ingredients For Valentines Sugar Cookies:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

How To Make This Sugar Cookie Recipe

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
• Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on a medium speed for about two minutes – until its light and fluffy
• Add the eggs and vanilla while mixing.
• Leave the mixer running and gradually add in the dry ingredients and mix together.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and regridgerate for a couple hours. Or days!
• preheat the oven to 375F.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface – ideally to ¼-inch-thickness. Grab your heart shaped cookie cutters and cut out your cookies.
• Place the cookies on a non-stick baking sheet or parchment-lined baking sheet 1 inch apart.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bottom edges start to turn brown. Let cool for a few minutes on the pan then move to a wire rack and cool completely.

Ingredients For Royal Icing:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 tsp clear vanilla extract
• 5 tbsp meringue powder
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup

How To Make Royal Icing

Begin by whisking together the water, meringue powder and flavoring in your mixer bowl.

Next you are going to gradually add in the powdered sugar on low with your mixers paddle attachment. Once combined, add the light corn syrup and mix together on a medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Do not over mix.

Want to make more? This recipe can be tripled in a 5 quart mixer.

Add your icing to a piping bag, secure with a clip and cut the opening to your desired size for decorating. Use your scribe to smooth out areas of icing, fix mistakes and pop air bubbles.

Tip: use two consistencies for piping and flooding. Thicker icing is best for the borders and flooding consistency is more fluid for a smooth surface.

Looking for printable Valentine cards? Check these out:

• Space Valentines
• Maze Valentines
• Cute Valentines Printable Cards
• Axolotyl Valentines
• Pop It Valentines

Add Sprinkles!

This is our favorite part! Add the sprinkles while the frosting is still soft. If it has dried out already the sprinkles will fall off!

Storing Sugar Cookies

Let the cookies set for about 2 hours before stacking them between layers of parchment paper.

To keep your sugar cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container. They can stay at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer the cookies will be good for about a month. 

Happy Baking!