Amandalina Letterio
One of my fondest memories of elementary school was giving out Valentine’s Day cards. Even when I was a kid, I viewed February 14th as a day to spread love and positivity as opposed to it just being a holiday for lovers.
Cookies As Cards
Ever since I discovered my mother’s delicious shortbread cookie recipe, I have been baking heart-shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day and giving them out as a gift to everyone I love. Over the years, these cookies have become my Valentine’s Day cards and I have even crafted my own bags to package them. I love giving this small Valentine’s Day gesture out to friends and family. Amateur bakers rejoice can in the simplicity of this recipe. Whether you’re baking them with your kids or bringing them into the office, these cookies are always a hit.
What you’ll need for the cookies:
Heart-shaped cookie cutters
Large cookie pan
Parchment paper
2 ¾ Cups (675 ml) All-purpose Flour
½ Teaspoon (3 ml) Salt
1 ¼ Cups (300 ml) Icing Sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) Vanilla
Coloured decorating icing
Sprinkles [Optional]
Baking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Beat the butter until it’s fluffy.
Beat in the icing sugar and the vanilla and set that aside.
Now mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Sift together the flour and salt.
Then, gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
Do not grease the cookie sheet, use parchment paper on top of it instead.
Roll out the dough and use the cookie cutters to cut out your different sized hearts.
Place the hearts on the parchment paper and put them in the oven for roughly 7 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are slightly golden. Shortbread should be watched closely because they bake quickly, and you don’t want them to brown.
Once the cookies are baked, let them cool off.
Now you can decorate the hearts with your icing and sprinkles, enjoy!
When the cookies are decorated, the crafting begins!
What you’ll need for the craft:
Small paper bags (found at the dollar store)
Ribbon
Colourful Markers
A 1-hole hole puncher or pen to poke holes
Tissue Paper
Paper for notes to add in the bag [Optional]
Craft Steps:
1) The first thing you’ll need to do is decipher which side of the bag you want to be the front/decorated side.
2) Fold the bag over at the top about a 1-inch fold from front to back, leaving the flap at the back of the bag.
3) Poke two holes at the top of the bag; I did this carefully and slowly with a pen, however, a 1-hole puncher would be ideal.
4) Write names on each bag and have fun decorating with cute Valentine’s doodles!
5) Once you’re done decorating, I suggest wrapping the cookies in tissue paper. Shortbread cookies can be greasy because of the butter and it may seep through the bags. Friends who are single get one big cookie (to fill the void… just kidding), friends who have a significant other get two medium/small cookies.
6) Add in a little note to your friend with one of those classic Valentine’s Day card jokes. [Optional]
7) Once the cookies are placed inside the bags, pull one small piece of ribbon through the holes you created. Insert the ribbon through the back of the bag so that when you tie your bow it sits at the front.
8) Tie a bow at the front and cut off any access ribbon as you see fit.
Make these shortbread heart cookies and craft bags for each of your friends as a little way to spread love on Valentine’s Day. I do it every year and everyone loves them. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Here is an alternative vegan/gluten free shortbread cookie recipe.
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