Valentine Butter Cookies (2024)

Jump To Recipe by Cindy @mycountrytable 9 Comments

These Valentine Butter Cookies are my most popular cookie recipe and have been requested by 100’s of people over the years. They are tender and soft and melt in your mouth delicious! I make them for every holiday.

Valentine Butter Cookies (1)

Can I share a secret with you?The secret to why everyone loves these Butter Cookies. Naturally, they are tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Of course,they should be with a whole pound of real butter in them, but that’s not the secret that really sends them over the top. Nope! It’s the buttery icing. That’s right. Once you combine a tender buttery cookie with sweet buttery icing, you get the most delectable melt-in-your-mouth cookie that you ever tasted.

Wanna know something else?I’m not a fan of Royal Icing, yet Royal Icing seems to be popular amongst bakers that want to have pretty and perfect looking decorated cookies.You see, Royal Icing is merely made from egg whites or meringue powder mixed with water and sugar. Sure it sets up really fast and hardens to a perfect shiny glaze, but in my opinion, it’s lacking tremendously in flavor!! This is my personal opinion of course. I don’t know how you feel, but I don’t care how pretty something might be if it doesn’t taste good I’m not eating it.

Why would I ever want to make a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookie, just to finish it with a hard icing that has no flavor? Sorry!! This is just my personal opinion here, but I want a buttery full of flavor icing to complement my buttery cookies. A buttery icing for a buttery cookie!! That’s exactly why my icing has pure butter, vanilla, powdered sugar and milk in it. This icing is the secret that totally sends these cookies over the top.

By the way, this icing doesn’t set up super hard, but it does set up enough after an hour or so for easy stacking of the cookies. I recommend sprinkling the cookies with your favorite sprinkles or sugar as soon as you spread the icing on them.

Do you know what else is great about this recipe? You don’t have to chill the cookie dough. This dough is super easy to work with and is very forgiving when you want to scoop up the trimmings and reuse them. The dough doesn’t get tough the more it’s worked. The cookies also get more buttery-tasting a day or two after they are made and they keep well for up to two weeks.

Quick tips on making these cookies…

Valentine Butter Cookies (2)
  • Use room temperature butter.Do notuse margarine. Always use real butter.
  • Roll the cookies to about 1/4 inch in thickness, no thinner.
  • Space the cookies about an inch or so apart. These cookies do not spread much, so there’s no need to space them too far apart.
  • Don’t over bake the cookies. When these cookies are done, they will be lightly browned on the bottom but still very light on top.
  • Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for at least 2 to 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. These are a soft and tender cookie and they do break easily, especially when warm.
  • Because these cookies break easily, place each cookie in the palm of your hand when frosting. Gently transfer the frosted cookies to waxed or parchment paper to allow the frosting to firm up.
Valentine Butter Cookies (3)

Quick tips on the best sprinkles for frosted cookies…

Valentine Butter Cookies (4)

If you choose to use decorative sugar crystals to decorate your cookies, make sure you use the large coarse sugar crystals. The fine sugar crystals work well if you’re using them to sprinkle on top of sugar cookie dough before the cookies get baked, but they aren’t the ideal sugar sprinkle if you’re using them on top of frosting. They tend to start melting and bleeding into the frosting in no time. These large ones can bleed as well but they tend to melt and bleed into frostinga lot less.

Valentine Butter Cookies (5)

Make these delicious butter cookies for someone special this Valentine’s Day!

You’ll also see these delicious cookies underChristmas Butter Cookies.

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Valentine Butter Cookies (6)

  • Author: Cindy
  • Prep Time: 15 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 Minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 24 1x
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Bake
Print Recipe

Description

These tender buttery cookies will simply melt in your mouth and the sweet buttery icing sends them over the top. They are perfect for cut out cookies and the dough doesn’t have to be chilled. They will become your new favorite cookie!

Ingredients

UnitsScale

For the Cookies

  • 2 cups real butter, softened, salted or unsalted
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the Butter Icing

  • 1 pound powdered sugar
  • 1/3 stick real butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • Enough milk for easy spreading consistency
  • 12 drops pink gel food coloring, optional

Instructions

For the Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  1. Sift or mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
  2. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a hand mixer. Mix the butter on medium speed for a couple of minutes, until it is very light and creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar, on low speed, until the sugar and butter are very light and fluffy.
  3. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix just enough to incorporate the dry mixture.
  4. Using about 1/3 of the dough at a time, place the dough on a floured surface and roll out to about 1/4″ in thickness with a rolling pin, or pat the dough out with your hand.
  5. Cut the cookies into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until they are just barely brown on the bottom and still white on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool…frost and decorate.

For the Butter Icing

  1. Place the butter in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, or use a hand mixer. Mix on medium speed until the butter is light and creamy. Mix in the vanilla. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until the mixture becomes very light and creamy. If the mixture seems a little too thick, add a tiny bit of milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. If it seems too thin, add a little more sugar, until you’ve reached the perfect spreading consistency.
  2. Frost and decorate the cookies. Allow them to set uncovered until the frosting has time to set.
  3. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Notes

  • These cookies get even more buttery after they have been stored for a couple of days in an airtight container.
  • These cookies keep well for a couple of weeks and freeze well, unfrosted, for up to three months.

Keywords: Valentine Cookies, Butter Cookies, Valentine Butter Cookies, Valentine, Valentine Recipes,

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Bars/Cookies Desserts Holiday Recipes Valentine's Day

posted by Cindy @mycountrytable on January 20, 2019 (updated January 23, 2024)

9 Comments Leave a Comment »

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9 comments on “Valentine Butter Cookies”

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  1. Valentine Butter Cookies (7)

    Diane Reply

    Hi do you not need to add any vanilla or eggs for this recipe.

    Thank you

    • Valentine Butter Cookies (8)

      Cindy @mycountrytable Reply

      Hi Diane, There are no eggs and only add vanilla to the icing.

  2. Valentine Butter Cookies (9)

    Sheila Nokes Reply

    Question do you pipe the icing on the cookie’s like royal icing or use an off set spatula?

    • Valentine Butter Cookies (10)

      Cindy @mycountrytable Reply

      Hi Sheila, I use an offset spatula.

  3. Valentine Butter Cookies (11)

    Gail Reply

    These are the best and easiest cutout cookies I’ve ever made. Will be making these for every holiday from
    Now on!

  4. Valentine Butter Cookies (12)

    Kelsey Reply

    These cookies are amazing. Buttery, rich and soft, they bake up perfectly for decorating. I am not a fan of sugar cookies, so these are our go-to for cut out cookies!

    • Valentine Butter Cookies (13)

      Cindy @mycountrytable Reply

      Hi Kelsey, I’m so glad you liked them. These are my most requested cookie recipe. I make them for every holiday. 🙂

  5. Valentine Butter Cookies (14)

    PF Reply

    Quick question – by the recipe for your icing , it looks like a buttercream frosting , but by the look it looks like a glaze we make for dipping . . So the final product is more liquidy than the traditional buttercream ?
    Thank you !

    • Valentine Butter Cookies (15)

      Cindy @mycountrytable Reply

      Hi Pearse, Yes, you’re right.

Leave a Reply

Valentine Butter Cookies (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a butter cookie and shortbread cookie? ›

Compared to butter cookies, shortbread uses a higher ratio of butter to flour, and is baked at a lower temperature. This gives it its signature delicate consistency that crumbles in the mouth when bitten. It's also often baked in a pan and cut up after baking, rather than being cut into shapes before baking.

Is there a difference between sugar cookies and butter cookies? ›

The biggest difference between sugar cookies and butter cookies is that sugar cookies are often rolled thin and cut out using cookie cutters. While butter cookies will hold their shape while baking, the dough is much softer and for best results should be piped onto a baking sheet and then baked.

Why are my butter cookies not crispy? ›

Adjust baking time to achieve the cookie texture desired. A little less time produces chewier cookies, a little more time makes them crispy. If you prefer softer cookies, remove them from the oven while they are still slightly under baked. Always check for doneness at the minimum baking time.

What do Danish butter cookies taste like? ›

To make these cookies, you will need super simple pantry staple ingredients like butter, sugar, and flour. The flavor of these cookies isa rich buttery cookie, with a hint of sweetness that's satisfying but not overwhelming.

Why are butter cookies so good? ›

Butter cookies are classic cookies known for their rich, buttery flavor, and crisp texture. The flavor is lightly sweetened with warm notes of butter and vanilla. Similar to shortbread cookies, they are very popular around the holidays and are often given as Christmas cookie gifts.

What are common mistakes when making shortbread? ›

The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be.

Are Spritz cookies the same as butter cookies? ›

What is the difference between spritz and butter cookies? These cookies are nearly identical, except for one ingredient: egg. Egg makes the Spritz cookie dough a bit easier to work with, but it also helps the cookies keep their shape when baked.

Why are my butter cookies so hard to pipe? ›

There are a few issues that can come up when you are piping these - the first is that if your butter is too cool, then the mixture will be hard to pipe out. Using less batter in your piping bag will help this. Make sure that the liquid you add is room temperature.

What is the difference between a spritz cookie and a shortbread cookie? ›

Spritz cookies are tender and have an enriched dough.

You can take most spritz cookie and shortbread recipes and side by side the only difference in ingredients is a single egg. An egg doesn't seem like anything extraordinary, but in a recipe with only four other ingredients, that single egg changes a lot.

How can I make my cookies fluffier instead of flat? ›

Baking powder or flour in excess will cause cookies to rise more, making them more fluffy and cakey. Increased sugar will make them caramelize more and increased fat will make the dough heavier and richer, all increasing retention of water in the dough- these all add up to chewier cookies.

Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

Why do my butter cookies taste like flour? ›

Over-measuring flour: If you use too much flour in your cookie dough, it can result in a dry, floury taste. Make sure you measure your flour correctly by using a kitchen scale or by spooning the flour into a measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife.

Why are Royal Dansk cookies so good? ›

True to our Danish tradition of baking excellence, we don't compromise on quality. We use no artificial ingredients, added preservatives, or colors. These carefully crafted Danish delicacies are the perfect balance of buttery and crisp.

What is Europe's favorite cookie? ›

Europe's Favorite Cookie with CoffeeSince 1932, Biscoff® cookies have been Europe's coffee break favorite. Delectably crunchy, with a simple, yet refined flavor, Biscoff cookies are perfect for taking the timeout that you deserve.

Why is Royal Dansk so popular? ›

For over fifty years, our Royal Dansk cookies have brought joy and comfort to homes all over the world. Our crispy, delicate butter cookies and wafer cookies are crafted according to fine European baking traditions and packed in our iconic blue packaging to maintain freshness.

Are chessmen butter cookies shortbread? ›

To make a copycat version of Chessmen cookies at home, the recipe is a simple butter cookie cut out in a special shape. A butter cookie is slightly different from shortbread but with a higher ratio of sugar to butter. This allows a butter cookie to hold its shape rather than having a tendency to crumble.

What defines a shortbread cookie? ›

In simple terms, shortbread is a type of cookie classified by its high butter content. It is named shortbread due to its short, or crumbly, structure—which is caused by the high proportion of fat. The traditional recipe, developed in Scotland, consists of one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour.

Why are some cookies called shortbread? ›

Shortbread is so named because of its crumbly texture (from an old meaning of the word "short", as opposed to "long", or stretchy). The cause of this texture is its high fat content, provided by the butter. The short or crumbly texture is a result of the fat inhibiting the formation of long protein (gluten) strands.

What is another name for a butter cookie? ›

Butter cookies, also known as Danish butter cookies, are cookies originating in Denmark consisting of butter, flour, and sugar. They are similar to shortbread cookies.

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