Valentine Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Adorn a batch of heart-shaped cookies with candy melts and sprinkles to create these pretty little Valentine Chocolate Sugar Cookies. They're a perfect simple treat to share the Valentine love!
Happy February, everyone! It's that time of year to turn our attention to sharing the Valentine love. But when it comes to Valentine treats for me, I just don't get into elaborate desserts or super-fancy handmade treats.
No, I'm a simple treats kind of girl.
And I don't feel simple treats show and share my love any less than the more grande ones do! So when I shared my Chocolate Sugar Cookies earlier this week, I was inspired to take them one simple step further to create just such an easy little Valentine's Day treat.
With a little dip in white chocolate or colored candy melts and a little touch of sprinkles, heart-shaped chocolate sugar cookies are transformed from plain-Jane cookies into a pretty share-the-love Valentine treat.
These Valentine chocolate sugar cookies have all the same deliciousness, wonderful texture, and tenderness of classic original sugar cookies, all while incorporating my favorite flavor chocolate.
By simply swapping out some of the flour for unsweetened cocoa powder in a traditional sugar cookie recipe, you can whip up a batch of this super tasty chocolate version.
To make them perfect for Valentine's Day, cut heart shapes from the rolled dough. I like to use a few different sizes of heart-shaped cookie cutters because I think it looks pretty to vary the cookie sizes. I have and use this Wilton nested heart cookie cutter set you can find on Amazon (affiliate links).
Once the cookies are baked and cooled, it's quick and easy to dip half of each cookie in red or white candy melts and add a pinch of pretty sprinkles. I used a combination of sugar sprinkles and white nonpareils sprinkles (affiliate links). The white nonpareils are my favorite! ... I go through a lot of these in my baking and decorating adventures.
The candy melt coating sets up quite quickly, but the process can be sped up to be even quicker by popping the dipped cookies in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
And that's all it takes to whip up these cute little Valentine Chocolate Sugar Cookies to share the Valentine love. Once the cookies are baked, it's quick, easy, and simple. Just the way I like to make my treats!
Thank you for stopping by . We'd love to have you back soon!
Yield: varies
Valentine Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Adorn a batch of heart-shaped cookies with candy melts and sprinkles to create these pretty little Valentine Chocolate Sugar Cookies. They're a perfect simple treat to share the Valentine love!
prep time: 1 H & 45 Mcook time: 8 Mtotal time: 1 H & 53 M
ingredients:
- 3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 3/4 c. unsweetened baking cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 12 oz. candy melts (red, pink, or white)*
- 1/2 tsp. canola or vegetable oil
- assorted red, white, pink, and/or purple sprinkles
instructions:
How to cook Valentine Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- In a mixing bowl, beat softened butter for about 30 seconds with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating until just combined.
- Divide dough into two equal parts and use your hands to form each part into a disc. Working with one disc at a time, place on a sheet of parchment paper and roll to 1/4-inch thickness; dust your work surface and rolling pin with cocoa powder instead of flour to avoid white spots on your chocolate cookies. Carefully slide parchment paper {with rolled dough on it}onto a baking sheet. On another piece of parchment paper, roll the second dough disc to 1/4-inch thickness. Carefully slide parchment paper {with rolled dough on it} on top of the first rolled dough, keeping the piece of parchment paper between the doughs. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. {NOTES: It may be tempting to skip the chilling time, but chilling the dough is essential to keeping the cookies from spreading while baking. Also, you could certainly chill the dough first and THEN roll it out ... but I find it easier to roll first while the dough is pliable and then chill.}
- Use heart shaped cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes. Transfer cut hearts to a baking sheet with a small spatula. Re-roll the remaining dough scraps and continue to cut cookies until all the dough is used.
- Bake cookies at 350℉ for 8 minutes. The cookies will still appear soft. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place candy melts and oil in a small microwaveable bowl. Heat at 50 percent power for 1 and a half minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir. If not completely smooth and melted, return to the microwave and continue heating at 50 percent power for 30 to 45 seconds at a time until melted, stirring after every interval. {OR, place candy melts and oil in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Heat, stirring frequently, until completely melted and smooth.}
- One at a time, dip half of each cooled cookie in the candy melt coating. Gently shake the cookie a couple of times to allow excess coating to drip off. Place dipped cookie on a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper and immediately decorate with sprinkles.
- Allow cookies to stand until candy melt coating is completely set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
- * You could also use white almond bark coating instead of candy melts.
- Makes about 36 cookies when 2-inch cookie cutters are used. Yield will depend on size and shape of cookie cutters used.
Amazon affiliate links are included in this post. I receive a small amount of compensation for anything purchased from these links, at no additional cost to you.
Read more..