Quick and Pretty Valentine’s Day Cookies
Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that sneaks up on us. We breathe a sigh of relief when dreary January is over. Before we know it, February is flying by. All of a sudden, the weekend before Valentine’s Day, we start to panic…cards, candy, gifts, special meals, champagne…oh no!
Our favorite way to celebrate Valentine’s Day is to make heart cookies. Because who doesn’t like pretty, heart-shaped cookies, really? Especially these easy, last minute cookies that are so festive and sweet.
The beautiful thing about these cookies is that you can use your favorite brownie or Rice Krispies treat recipe – or you can use a box mix for the brownies if you’re really short on time. We like to make our own buttercream frosting to decorate our cookies but you can certainly get the grocery store frosting-in-a-tube to save time.
Happy Cookie Valentine’s Day!
Brownie Hearts
Rice Krispies Hearts
Brownie Hearts
Adapted from Sebastian’s Remarkably Wonderful Brownies in Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan.
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp (5.3 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (4 oz) best-quality, Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 11 tbsp (5.5 oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus more to grease pan
- 2-1/2 cups (17.5 oz) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line bottom and long edges of pan with a single sheet of parchment (parchment should hang over long sides of pan). Lightly butter the parchment.
Sift together flour and cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Set aside. In stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, sugar and salt on medium-low speed until smooth, stopping to scrape down bowl, about 3 minutes. Stop mixer and change to whisk attachment. With mixer on medium-high, slowly pour in eggs and vanilla. Beat for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down bowl once. Using silicone spatula, gently fold in dry mixture by hand until batter is uniformly wet. Pour into prepared pan and smooth out top.
Bake on middle rack, rotating pan at halfway point, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool completely on wire rack. Loosen short sides with knife and use the long edges of parchment to lift out the brownies. Cut into desired shapes.
Buttercream Frosting
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp half and half (more if needed)
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Mix on low until combined then add vanilla and half-and-half. Mix on high for 3 minutes until very fluffy. Separate into smaller bowls and color as desired. Fill small disposable pastry bags (fitted with various star and/or plain tips) with frosting and decorate as you like.
Rice Krispies Hearts
- I stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, plus more to grease pan
- 10 cups Rice Krispies
- 16 oz gourmet vanilla bean marshmallows (we like these)
- 4 oz (about 2 cups) mini marshmallows
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Valentine’s themed sprinkles
- Ghirardelli Dark Melting Wafers or other chocolate coating (optional)
Butter a 9-by-13 inch baking pan.
Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Add the vanilla bean marshmallows and stir continuously until melted. Once all marshmallows are melted, remove from heat and add the mini marshmallows. Stir very briefly just to coat (don’t let them melt all the way, you want to have some solid marshmallow). Immediately add the Rice Krispies and stir to combine. Press into prepared pan. Let them cool completely. Invert pan onto cutting board or counter top covered with parchment paper. Use heart cookie cutters to cut out heart shaped cookies. Place sprinkles in a bowl and gently press the cookies into the sprinkles.
If dipping in chocolate, melt the chocolate as described on the package. Dip one half of the cookies in the chocolate and then immediately coat the chocolate with sprinkles. Allow to set up before handling.