DesignsandEvents: Homemade Valentine's Cookies

Hello there! Happy Valentine's Day again! I hope you don't mind if a share this post from my archives with you today. It seemed apropos being Valentine's Day and all. I made these cookies years ago when I first started blogging and thought they were sooo pretty but, most of you never saw the post. So, I thought I would share it one more time. And, for the record, these cookies are delicious! Especially if you enjoy thick, sweet frosting like I do! Don't you just love the cookie below and to the left with the small heart stenciled on it ? It looks like the heart is bleeding. I just noticed that! Haha!

Sometimes making Valentine's Day Cookies can be more fun than making Christmas cookies. The production is basically the same but with much, much less stress!! Valentine's Day is usually more carefree. Normally there isn't all the decorating, shopping, cooking and entertaining associated with Valentine's Day like there is at Christmas. So, I find making Valentine's Day cookies more soothing and relaxing :). When the kids are home on a snow day is a good time to make these cookies or, like me, you can bake them all by yourself when your husband is at work...whichever one makes you the most happy! They'll get eaten either way. :)

I always use the tried and true Betty Crocker's Cookbook "Traditional Sugar Cookies" Recipe

3/4 cup shortening (part butter or margarine, softened)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (I always use vanilla)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Mix thoroughly shortening, sugar, eggs and flavoring. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover;

chill at least l hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered

board. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes

or until very light brown.

ABOUT 4 DOZEN 3-INCH COOKIES.

*If using self-rising flour, omit baking powder and salt.

After you have baked the cookies, you'll have to cool them on a cooling rack before frosting them. For the chocolate frosting, I purchased pre-made frosting in a tub. I've forgotten which brand. Any of your favorites will do. For the white frosting, I used my mom's old recipe. It's not scientific or precise but, here goes. Take a box of confectioner's sugar (16 ozs.?) and place it in a bowl, drop a dollup of shortening (my guess is it's between 1/4 and 1/2 cup), a teaspoon of vanilla and add enough milk until it makes the right consistency for nicely frosting the cookies.

Next you can divide the white frosting into little bowls and add food coloring to make different colored frosting. I chose to simply make pink. Red would be pretty too.