5 Easy Valentine's Day Cookie Recipes

Valentine's Day is well known for a wide variety of delicious desserts, and here are 5 easy Valentine's Day cookie recipes. A Valentine's Day dessert doesn't need to be complicated to be delicious. Easy cookies can be just as delicious as a complicated chocolate mousse recipe.

Stained Glass Cutout Heart Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup crushed clear red hard candy

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
3. Add eggs. One at a time, add eggs and beat well and then beat in vanilla
4. Mix flour and baking powder and then add gradually to the creamed mixture.
5. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle.
6. Roll dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
7. Cut out heart shapes. With a four inch heart cookie cutter, cut out heart shapes and cut out centers with a 1 1/4 inch heart cookie cutter.
8. Fill centers with candy. Place cookies one inch apart on a greased cookie sheet and fill centers with crushed candy.
9. Bake for seven to nine minutes.

Shortbread Hearts

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup white baking chips
• 1 teaspoon shortening

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. With an electric mixer, in a medium bowl beat butter, powdered sugar, almond extract and food coloring for two minutes on medium speed, then stir in flour and almonds.
3. Divide dough in half, then over one half and set aside.
4. Press dough into heart shapes. On a greased cookie sheet, press remaining half into heart shape, about 1/4 inch thick.
5. Bake for fifteen to eighteen minutes and then cool for 25 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Microwave chips and shortening. In microwave safe bowl, microwave baking chips and shortening about one minute and 30 seconds, stirring very 30 seconds, until chips can be stirred smooth.
7. Drizzle over shortbread.

Valentine's Day Heart Cookies

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat in lemon zest, lemon extract and vanilla. Add flour and salt and blend well.
4. Roll dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to dough to 1/4 inch thick.
5. Cut out cookies with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
6. Arrange and bake. Place cookies two inches apart on cookie sheets, sprinkle with red and pink crystal sprinkles and bake for twenty to 25 minutes.

Raspberry Almonds Shortbread Thumbprints

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 almond extract
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 to 3 teaspoons water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the first four ingredients well and roll into balls.
3. Press your thumb down into the center of each ball and fill each indentation with jam.
4. Bake for fourteen to eighteen minutes.
5. Make glaze. While cookies are baking, mix last three ingredients to make glaze, and drizzle over cooled cookies.

Soft Sugar Cookies

• 1 cup margarine
• 1-1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat. In a large mixing bowl, beat margarine and sugar until fluffy and then beat in eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract, mix well.
3. Stir. In a different bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture.
4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and and chill until dough is firm enough to handle.
5. Roll dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes.
6. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for fifteen minutes and cool on wire racks.