VALENTINE SUGAR COOKIES DECORATING IDEAS RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. /Mix in shortening. Once the shortening is well blended, stir almond flavoring and milk into the dough at the same time, followed by eggs. Roll out dough onto a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin. Roll the dough thick. Cut out cookies and arrange them on a cookie sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or just until bottom is golden.

Steps:

• Prepare your favorite sugar cookie dough.
• Lightly dust your surface with flour and roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness.
• Use a Joseph Rolling Pin or two skewers on either side of the dough to ensure evenly shaped cookies.
• Using 2 different heart shaped cutters cut out twice as many full heart cookies as the double cut out heart shape.
• To create the double heart cut out, use two identical shapes but two differentsizes.
• Place cut out cookie dough on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 12 mins in a 350 degree oven.
• Let cookies cool on baking sheet until fully cool (about 30-45 mins)
• Prepare ½ of the royal icing recipe.
• The icing should be the consistency of the thick pourable elmers glue.
• Use a piping bag or sandwich sized ziplock bag cut a medium sized hole in the tiponce you are ready to glue the pieces together.
• For the stand sized heart shaped box, glue one full heart to one cut out heart.
• Remove any exposed wet icing in the center and let dry for at least 45min-60 min.
• For a taller cookie box glue two of the cutout cookie shapes instead of just one.
• Decorate the top of your box.
• You can spread icing on the top one of the full heart shaped cookies with your finger and dip into a bowl of sprinkles.
• Once the cookie bottoms have dried, fill the open cavity with sprinkles.
• Place the top cookie onto the bottom ones. You can either seal them with icing or notseal them. Both are still a lovely display.