Valentine Sugar Cookies Strawberry (Print Version)

Buttery cookies shaped for Valentine's, topped with smooth, natural strawberry icing for a sweet finish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sugar Cookies

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Strawberry Icing

08 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
09 - 2 to 3 tablespoons strawberry purée
10 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
11 - Pinch of salt
12 - Optional: pink or red gel food coloring

# How to Make:

01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
02 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
03 - Add egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat until fully combined.
04 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
05 - Divide dough in half and flatten each portion into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into heart or desired shapes using cookie cutters.
08 - Place cut cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
09 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until edges are just golden brown. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
10 - Blend fresh strawberries into a smooth purée. In a separate bowl, whisk powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons strawberry purée, lemon juice, and salt until smooth. Adjust consistency by adding more purée for thinning or more sugar for thickening. Add food coloring if desired.
11 - Decorate completely cooled cookies with strawberry icing using a piping bag or offset spatula. Allow icing to set completely before serving or storing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The dough is forgiving and actually soft to work with, which sounds small until you're rolling it out and it doesn't crack or fight you.
  • Strawberry icing tastes nothing like artificial flavoring because you're using real berries, and people notice the difference immediately.
  • They look impressive enough to wrap up as gifts, but they're simple enough that even a kitchen beginner can pull them off.
02 -
  • Don't skip the chilling step thinking it's just a time-filler; cold dough is the difference between cookies that hold their shape and cookies that spread into flat puddles.
  • Fresh strawberries make better icing than strawberry jam because jam is cooked down and concentrated, while fresh purée tastes bright and naturally sweet in a way that feels special.
03 -
  • Use a bench scraper or offset spatula dipped in hot water to smooth out air bubbles in the icing before it sets; this takes your cookies from homemade-looking to bakery-looking.
  • If your strawberry purée is watery, drain it through a fine mesh sieve for 10 minutes before mixing into the icing; this prevents thin, runny frosting that slides off the cookies.
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