A Valentine Extravaganza
I Valentines
Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite “cookie” holidays. This year I decided to decorate my creations in a variety of ways to celebrate the sweet side of love ... and to let my inner Cupid out to express the joy of the day. I chose Brown Butter Cookies as my canvas because the flavor is nutty, complex, and irresistible — a lot like love itself.
“Variety is the spice of life.” William Cowper
To add to the variety “theme,” I brought out several different big and small cookie cutter shapes: whimsical (a skinny heart), elegant (a fluted heart), simple (a square), predictable (a perfect heart), and surprising (j-o-y). To my love-obsessed mind, each shape suggested a unique design, which was exactly what I was looking for.
Cookie specifics
Brown-Butter Cookies. Made with brown butter, which gives them a deep, rich caramelized flavor, these cookies are unique and delicious. Thank you, Sugar Hero, for this delicious recipe. For the icing and decorations, I used a mixture of glaze (love the shine), royal icing (perfect for the pink roses), and white chocolate dough mixed with homemade fondant for the embossed hearts.
Shapes
big and small hearts, fluted square (for the LOVE stamp), and j-o-y (a word cookie cutter)
Sizes
Sizes range from small (2 inches) to large (4½ inches). 2½ to 3 inches is my favorite size for decorating and eating!
Greetings & Messages
fluted square for the LOVE stamp and the word j-o-y, where the cookie itself is the message
Cookie Recipe from This Talented Cookie Artist
Brown-Butter Cookies. Original recipe from Sugar Hero.
Icing and Embellishments
Royal Icing for accents and ribbon roses. There are a ton of recipes for royal icing out there. Experiment and find one that works for you!
Homemade Fondant and White Chocolate Dough. Mixing homemade fondant (so much tastier than store-bought) with white chocolate dough makes for a perfect cookie covering. It lends itself easily to embossing, which I did for the fluted heart cookies, and it is delicious to eat.
Vanilla Glaze: This glaze/icing dries hard enough that you can stack or package the cookies without damaging the embellishments. But it also dries smooth and a bit shiny, which I love. For this project I used thick red glaze to cover and decorate some of the hearts and I also used Royal Icing to embellish several of the other cookies.
Glaze for Piping Recipe
Cookies
Brown-Butter: flour, brown butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, cornstarch, vanilla, salt
Icing & Decorative Embellishments
Royal Icing: confectioners’ sugar, egg whites, corn syrup, pure vanilla extract or almond extract, cream of tartar, food coloring (red and green)
Glaze for Piping: sugar, water, corn syrup, food coloring (red and white), vanilla extract for flavoring (raspberry would also have been tasty, but I didn’t think of it in time.)
White Chocolate Dough: corn syrup plus delicate Guitard white baking chocolate
Homemade Fondant: sugar, corn syrup, cornstarch, gelatin, water, vanilla extract, food coloring (optional)
Plate, Box or Bag?
Heart-Shaped Platter. I shared some of these sweet Valentines at a gathering of friends and displayed them on a heart-shaped plate. The pretty cookies were a very festive addition to the party.
Bags. I wrapped most of the cookies individually in clear, food-safe bags, secured with a twist tie. Some of the bags had tiny hearts on them, which created a very romantic effect. Then I packaged them for mailing. Nothing expresses my affection better than these sweet bites.
Mailing. I placed the bags of cookies between layers of bubble wrap inside sturdy boxes and used the U.S. Postal Service to mail them to family and friends. This is a good way to share cookie love with those I cherish. I know the packages are appreciated when they arrive because of the texts I get with all those smiling faces.
What I’ve learned...
These cookies were made with the best ingredients I could find and baked in a small batch of two dozen. I’ve experimented with less expensive ingredients, but have come to the conclusion that flavor is best when I use the best. Why spend all this time baking and decorating if taste and texture are just so-so? Decorating the cookies takes time, but it’s an enjoyable process for me and I know that those who receive them appreciate that. Life is just better when you can share something you love with someone you love. Don’t you agree?
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