* This article was originally published February 13, 2019.
If you are looking for an easy Valentine’s Day treat to make with your kids, you are going to want to try these super quick Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies. This recipe can’t get much easier AND it doesn’t even require you to chill the dough! At all. Mix it up, roll it out. Bake. Decorate. Enjoy!
I have been making this dough with my little people for years. It is very forgiving, so it’s perfect for little hands to help with this project. You can let them roll it out, cut out cute heart shapes, and even decorate it – the best part!
We usually use this dough for our Christmas cookies because it is so simple, but it also comes in handy for any holiday that might sneak up on us – like Valentine’s Day! How is It already mid-February?!
I have been making cute sugar cookies for a while now, so I do tend to have all the holiday shapes covered but, if you are looking for last minute heart shaped cookie cutters here in Charlotte, check out Williams-Sonoma and Michael’s. They both are stocked with lots of options.
When I make this dough, I usually split it in half and roll out one half at a time. I wrap the unused half in plastic and stick it in the fridge until we are ready to use it. It well last well in the fridge for a few days. 
Roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick. Half of the dough should give you about 10 to 12 cookies depending on the size of your cookie cutter. I recommend rolling out your cookies on a well floured surface. A few years ago, I bought a very heavy marble slab at Sur La Table at Southpark and it is now the only thing I use to roll out dough. Very little sticking!
You can eat your sugar cookies plain, but half the fun is decorating them! For these cookies, I usually make a simple white icing. All you need is confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup (to make it shiny!), vanilla extract, and water. Any extra icing will keep in the fridge for a few days. Once the icing hardens on these cookies, they become really easy to pack up and bring to your favorite teacher or neighbor.
We make this dough using a gluten-free flour like King Arthur’s but, if you’re not gluten-free, use regular flour.
Super Quick Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
By Erin Brighton
For The Dough
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
For The Icing
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Make the dough first. In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, and sugar mixture. Add flour to butter and sugar mixture all at once. Mix well.
Divide dough in half. Wrap the unused half in plastic and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough. Cut into heart shapes and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Cook at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
For the icing… Combine confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, corn syrup, and water. Stir together. If it’s too thin, add more sugar. If it’s too thick, add more water – a little bit at a time.
If you want to add sprinkles or fun heart decorations, add them to the icing while it’s still wet on the cookies and they will harden in place. Get creative!
