Description
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with these delightful Valentine Day Swirl Cookies that are easy to make, fun to prepare, and visually stunning. Featuring classic sugar cookie dough tinted with vibrant red or pink swirls, these cookies are perfect for holiday treats or gifting. Soft, buttery, and lightly golden, they combine a festive look with a delicious homemade flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Additional
- Red or pink gel food coloring
- Heart-shaped sprinkles or sanding sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer to cream the softened unsalted butter with granulated sugar until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. This usually takes about 3-4 minutes on medium speed.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in one large egg and the vanilla extract into the butter-sugar mixture until fully incorporated, creating a smooth batter.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing gently until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Divide and Color Dough: Split the dough evenly into two portions. Leave one half plain and tint the other half with red or pink gel food coloring, kneading gently until the color is uniform.
- Roll Out Dough: Roll each portion separately into 1/4-inch thick rectangles between two sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking. Chill both dough sheets in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.
- Form Swirl Log: Once chilled, stack the colored dough evenly on top of the plain dough. Gently press them together to adhere evenly. Starting from one short end, tightly roll the dough layering into a log shape. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap.
- Chill Dough Log: Refrigerate the wrapped dough log for at least 2 hours or until firm enough to slice thinly without crumbling.
- Preheat Oven and Slice: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice the chilled dough log into 1/4-inch thick rounds using a sharp knife. Place the slices evenly on a lined baking sheet, spacing them slightly to allow spreading.
- Decorate and Bake: Optionally, decorate each cookie with heart-shaped sprinkles or sanding sugar for an extra festive touch. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set and just beginning to show a light golden color around the edges.
- Cool Cookies: Allow the baked cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, ensuring they firm up to a perfect texture.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring to achieve vibrant swirls without affecting the dough’s consistency or texture.
- Dough log can be prepared in advance and frozen for up to 1 month; thaw before slicing and baking.
