Nothing says “I love you” quite like a batch of homemade Valentine’s Day sugar cookies. These classic sugar cookies are soft, buttery, and perfect for cutting into shapes and decorating. Whether you’re baking for a partner, your kids, or a Valentine’s party, this recipe is easy to follow and guaranteed to impress.
Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie Ingredients
For the sugar cookies
- 135g unsalted butter – softened
- 120g granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 280g all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
For the frosting
- Royal Icing mix (Buy from a store or online)
- Pink or red food colouring
Tip: You can make and colour some buttercream and pipe or spread it onto the cookies if you do not have royal icing mix.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 170°C fan (350°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2: Cream Butter and Sugar
In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2–3 minutes). Add in the egg, vanilla, and mix until combined.
Step 3: Add in the dry ingredients
Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and fold in using a spatula.
Step 5: Roll and Cut
On a lightly floured surface or piece of parchment paper, roll the sugar cookie dough to about ¼ inch thick. Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out your cookies.
Step 6: Bake the Sugar Cookies
Place the sugar cookies on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn golden. Cool completely before decorating.
How to decorate Valentine’s Day sugar cookies
Follow the instructions on the Royal icing package or make buttercream frosting. Divide into bowls and add your Valentine’s colours — pink, red, or leave white before pouring your icing into piping bags. Cut a small piece off the end – try to keep it small enough to pipe fine lines onto your cookies.
Squeeze gently around the edge of your sugar cookie to create a border, then squeeze a bit more firmly to fill the centre. Do the same with different colours.
Add details and designs like mini hearts, cute messages, sprinkles or edible glitter – have fun with it.
Tips for Perfect Sugar Cookies
How to make soft sugar cookies
Avoid overbaking your sugar cookies. Remove when edges are just set for soft cookies.
What to do if your sugar cookie dough is too sticky to roll
Chill the dough for 30 minutes, or roll your dough between two pieces of parchment paper before cutting.
How to store sugar cookies
Store your baked sugar cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
FAQs About Valentine’s Sugar Cookies
Q: Can I make sugar cookie dough ahead of time?
Yes! Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it up to 2 days before baking. Or bake, cool and decorate before storing in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Q: Can I freeze these cookies?
Absolutely — freeze baked cookies (without frosting) for up to 3 months. Remove and defrost before decorating and serving.
Q: What if I don’t have heart cutters for my sugar cookies?
Use round cutters and decorate with hearts or Valentine’s colours instead. Or cut them out into circles before using a knife to shape them into hearts.
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Easy Valentine’s Day Cookies (Sugar Cookies)
Ingredients
- 135 g unsalted butter (softened)
- 120 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract (optional – almond extract)
- 280 g all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- Pinch salt
- Royal Icing Mix (for decorating)
Instructions
Baking Sugar Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 170°C fan (350°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2–3 minutes). Add in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (optional), mixing until combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder to the butter mixture. Mix until a soft dough forms. You can wrap your cookies in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes1 or move to the next step.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick. Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out your cookies.
- Place the cookies on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden, then remove.
- Let your cookies cool completely before decorating.
Decorating Sugar Cookies
- Follow the instructions on the Royal icing package or bake a simple buttercream frosting.
- Divide into bowls and add your Valentine’s colours— pink, red, or leave it white.
- Pour your icing into a piping bag and cut a small piece off the end. Try to keep it small enough to pipe fine lines onto your cookies.
- Squeeze gently around the edge of your sugar cookie to create a border, then squeeze a bit more firmly to fill the centre.
- Add decorations like hearts, glitter, sprinkles and words written in icing.
- Let the icing dry before storing in an airtight container or sharing.
Notes
- Refrigerating your cookies before baking makes the dough less sticky when rolling. It also helps keep your cookies soft when baking.