Valentine's Day Decorated Sugar Cookies

These mini sugar hearts are easy to make and decorate. We use a basic sugar cookie recipe posted below, but any sugar cookie recipe would work. Just roll the dough out using a small heart cookie cutter, bake and cool. To decorate, we used pink royal icing in a piping bag and added our decorations then sprinkled with pink sugars. Bite-size and perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.

                     Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

1/2 lb butter ( 2 sticks)           2 1/2 cups all -purpose Flour

1 cup sugar                            2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 whole egg                            1/2 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Pure Vanilla

Cream softened butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla, cream well. Add dry ingredients and mix just until smooth dough, don't overbeat. That's it! Just roll out using flour on your rolling pin, use desired cookie cutter and bake in 350 degree oven approximately 8 minutes, just until slightly brown. Ovens are so variable, you'll have to watch them, be careful not to overbake as cookies will continue to bake after taken out of the oven. We take ours out when they are just starting to brown at the edges.

Comments: I love this recipe, it is so easy, no need to chill dough, rolls out so easily without sticking to the rolling pin. Be sure to use PURE vanilla, worth the added expense and always use BUTTER. If you like a crispier cookie, just bake a little longer.