Valentine Cookies
These buttery piped cookies are the perfect way to say "I love you" this Valentine's Day! With adorable bear faces, hearts, and "X" and "O" shapes, they're melt-in-your-mouth sweet and oh-so-cute. They make a delightful treat for gifting or sharing with loved ones!
Ingredients:
250g butter (soft room temperature)
75g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
30ml milk
225g plain flour
75g cornstarch
Gel colours - pink and red
Candy melts - black and natural
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 140°C.
2. In a bowl, sift together the plain flour and cornstarch. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, cream the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla paste and milk.
4. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until a smooth, pipeable dough forms.
5. Divide the dough into three portions. Leave one plain, color one red, and color the other pink with gel food coloring.
6. Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
7. Pipe bears, hearts, and "X" and "O" shapes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them out slightly.
8.Bake for 15–20 minutes until firm but not browned.
9. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Melt white and black candy melts, and use them to pipe facial details on the bears and decorations on the other shapes.
11. Let the candy melt decorations set completely before serving.