As every year, here is the Valentine’s Day Cookie Collection. I might have gone a little overboard this year, with 5 varieties, but I had the time and energy for once so here we go. Happy Valentine’s Day!
The varieties are:
Oreo-style Sandwich Cookies
Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies
Red Velvet Non-Pareil Cookies
Espresso Chocolate M&M Cookies and
Lemon-Hibiscus Swirl Cookies
Oreo-style Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
for the cookies
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
for the Filing
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
To make the heart imprints on the cookies, you will also need a special rolling pin or cookie stamp
Directions
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, and baking powder. In the work bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until
combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. For the last roll, use the imprinting rolling pin. Cut with a round cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked
cookies in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from losing the skull imprints and losing their shape while baking. Bake cookies for about 10 – 12 minutes or until they are firm around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes
before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
To make the filing, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and shortening until well combined. With mixer on low speed, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, and beat to combine. Set
aside at room temperature until ready to use; do not chill. Spread filling over the bottom of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.
Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam
Powdered sugar
To cut the hole in the top cookie, you will need a linzer cookie cutter or a small cutter the same shape as the larger cutter
Preparation
Preheat oven to 330F. Prepare cookie sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
In the work bowl of your stand mixer, cream together butter and powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add in egg and yolk one at a time, then lemon zest. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, almond meal and salt, then gradually add dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating just until blended. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Cover and chill 1 hour.
Roll each portion to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut with a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Cut centers out of half of cookies with a 1 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter. Make sure that you have an even number of solid and cut out cookies. Bake for 15 minutes; cool on wire racks.
Spread solid cookies with jam and then sandwich with a cut out cookie. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Red Velvet Non-Pareil Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange juice
red food coloring
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
40-50 large nonpareil candies
1/4 cup chocolate chips
You will also need a round 1 1/2 to 2 inch cookie cutter
Directions
In mixing bowl, cream together unsalted butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Beat in flour, baking powder, salt, orange juice and vanilla until smooth and well combined. Chill in refrigerator 2-3 hours or until firm enough to be rolled.
Preheat over to 400F. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with round, approximately 1 1/2 to 2-inch cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheet lined with silpat or onto parchment paper. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown at the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Melt your chocolate chips in the microwave on medium power in 20 second intervals until melted. Using a spoon, a small brush or a squeeze bottle, but a dab on chocolate on the bottom of a cookie and attach a non-pareil. Let cool and harden.
Espresso Chocolate M&M Cookies
Ingredients
12 ounces (1 package) semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces (1/2 a package) espresso chips (or additional chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon instant espresso
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
3 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
12-ounce package Valentine’s Day M&Ms
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
In a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water (or a double boiler), melt together chocolate chips (all) and butter, mix until smooth. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in melted chocolate. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips and one cup of the snow caps, reserving the rest to top the cookies with. Drop tablespoons of dough evenly placed about 1 1/2 inches apart onto the lined cookie sheet and top with a few more snow caps, pressing them in slightly. Bake, until cookies are crackly, about 12 minutes. The cookies should still be soft. Do not over bake.
Cool on sheets until about mostly cool then carefully transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely.
Lemon-Hibiscus Swirls
Ingredients
for the Lemon
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ingredients
for the hibiscus
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup hibiscus flower powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
You will be making two separate doughs. Firstly, start with the lemon. In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together unsalted butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Beat in flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon extract until smooth and well combined. Create a square disk
and then chill in refrigerator 2-3 hours or until firm enough to be rolled. Next, the hibiscus. Combine the orange juice and hibiscus flower power to a paste. In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together unsalted butter, sugar, egg and hibiscus paste until light and fluffy. Beat
in flour, baking powder, and salt until smooth and well combined. Create a square disk and then chill in refrigerator 2-3 hours or until firm enough to be rolled.
Once chilled, roll on wax paper each dough to a 12 but 18 inch rectangle. Brush one layer with water and swiftly invert the other flavored dough. Pat together and then roll, jelly-roll style to a long tight log. Refrigerate for another few hours, or even overnight.
Preheat oven to 400F. Line baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper. Take roll of dough from the fridge and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Bake one sheet at a time until lightly browned on the bottoms and puffed, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
