Simple Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

emilyloggansFebruary 10, 2022

Sometimes you just want a classic vanilla sugar cookie with buttercream. Especially when the occasion calls for rush baking, and you can only work with what you have in your pantry. This buttery vanilla sugar cookie with a touch of almond paired with American buttercream is absolutely delicious, melts in your mouth, and is the perfect customizable cookie for any holiday or event, no matter the theme. This recipe has been used by my family since I was little, and although I’ve modified it over the years, it never fails.

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How to Make the Best (And Simplest) Vanilla Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

Make the Sugar Cookies

Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt until lighter in color and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no lumps of butter. (Not doing this could cause the dough to have lumps of butter that melt in the oven and cause uneven baking and spread. And nobody wants that.) Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond (optional, but totally delicious- as long as you don’t have allergies) and mix for another 2-3 minutes on medium-low speed, scraping again. The mixture should be fluffy and light.

In a separate bowl, weigh out the flour and give it a little whisk. Add half of the flour to the creamed mixture and mix on low speed until it starts to combine. Add the rest of the flour and mix on low speed until a dough forms. If any of the flour clings to the sides or bottom of the bowl, scrape it down and mix again being careful not to over mix the dough. (Over mixing dough can cause excessive gluten formation, causing the final result to be a tough cookie.)

Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper before dropping half of the dough onto the parchment. Gently form it into a flat disk and flour the surface before placing a second sheet of parchment on top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about 1/4″ thick. I like to use a guided rolling pin, like this Joseph Joseph one. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Refrigerate the sheets of dough for at least a half an hour or freeze for about fifteen minutes. Once the dough is chilled, cut out the desired shapes, placing the cookies about an inch apart.

Since Valentine’s Day is only a week away, I, of course, made heart shaped cookies. I used various shapes and sizes of heart cookies cutters that I’ve collected from Target and JoAnn Fabrics. You can find heart shaped cutters anywhere, and most small cookie cutter businesses carry various heart shapes as well.

I like to place the sheets of unbaked cookies in the freezer for five minutes before baking to help prevent spread, but it is completely optional. Bake the cookies at 400 Fahrenheit for about 8-9 minutes, or until the edges get lightly golden and the tops of the cookies are set and no longer shiny. Cool for about ten minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Vanilla Buttercream

Beat the room temperature butter and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed until light, fluffy, and smooth, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Once the butter is smooth and creamy, add half of the powdered sugar and beat on low until it starts to combine. Add the remaining powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream. Continue mixing on low until everything is combined. Scrape down once more. Exchange the whisk attachment for a paddle attachment and continue beating the buttercream on low for ten minutes. This extra mixing at the end helps smooth out the buttercream and gives a creamier result. (If you’re on a time crunch, just an extra few minutes will do.)

Frost and Decorate the Cookies

To make colored buttercream, decide into separate bowls and squeeze a couple drops of the desired food coloring into each bowl. It is important to use gel coloring, and not regular food coloring, which is liquid. Liquid food coloring can cause buttercream to separate and become too wet. I prefer Americolor gel food coloring, and I used Tulip Red, Warm Brown, and Dusty Rose to mix my colors. Start out with just a tiny amount, because a little goes a long way.

To decorate, simply grab an offset spatula (or even a butter knife) and smear the buttercream frosting onto the cookies. I like to scrape the sides of the cookie to give a clean, crisp look. If you’re feeling a little extra, you could also use piping bags and piping tips to add some rosettes and stars to the cookies. I used Wilton piping tips 22, 12, 32, 30, and 2D. My favorite was the small star tip (21 or 22), because it can be used for rosettes, little stars, and borders.

These cookies are insanely delicious and so easy to make. The *perfect* holiday cookie. 10/10 recommend. Enjoy.

A Note About Salt

I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt in all of my recipes. It should be assumed when reading the word ‘salt’ on this website that I mean Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (unless I say otherwise). If you do not have this salt, and you want to use table salt, use only half the amount called for. Regular table salt is much finer than Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, so a teaspoon of each would not actually yield the same amount of salt. A teaspoon of regular table salt vs. kosher will give a much saltier taste in the recipe. It’s no big deal, just make sure to use half of what the recipe calls for. Although, if you can get your hands on some Diamond Crystal, I totally recommend it.

A Note About Measurements

I bake using weight measurements rather than volume measurements, with the exception of teaspoons or tablespoons in small amounts of things like baking powder or salt. I prefer to weigh my ingredients in grams because it is the most accurate way to measure ingredients. Using cup measurements can vary from cup to cup, making it impossible for everyone to have accurate measurements. Weighing out ingredients using grams is accurate and also much easier. Trust me, a scale will change your baking life.

Print Recipe

Valentine Vanilla Sugar Cookies with Buttercream

Buttery vanilla sugar cookies with delicious American buttercream that will quickly become your go-to for every holiday.

Keyword: Sugar Cookies

Servings: 2 dozen

Ingredients

Vanilla Sugar Cookies

4 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
230 grams granulated sugar
2 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract optional
570 grams all-purpose flour

American Buttercream

2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
1 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
1 lb powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
4 tbsp heavy cream or milk

Instructions

Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Preheat the oven to 400 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the eggs, almond extract, and vanilla bean paste. Mix on medium speed until the mixture becomes smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
In a separate bowl, weigh the flour and give it a quick whisk. Add half of the flour to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until the flour starts to incoporate. Add remaining flour and mix on low until all the flour is incorporated, scraping the bowl when necessary. Allow dough to rest in the bowl for ten minutes before rolling out.
Drop half of the dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment, gently shaping it into a flattened rectangle. Lightly flour the surface of the dough before placing a second piece of parchment over it. Roll the dough to about 1/4".
Cut cookies and place on a parchment lined baking sheet about one inch apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until edges start to become golden and the surfaces of the cookies are dry.
Cool on baking sheet for about ten minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

American Buttercream

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat butter and salt until very light and fluffy.
Add half of the powdered sugar and mix on low until nearly combined. Add remaining sugar and mix until combined.
Add the vanilla bean paste and heavy cream and mix on medium-high speed until creamy and fluffy. Adjust cream as needed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Exchange the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment and continue to mix on low speed for about ten minutes to smooth out the air pockets.
Color buttercream as desired. To decorate, use a butter knife (or palette knife) to spread frosting over cookies or fill piping bags fitted with small tips to pipe frosting on cookies.

Notes

American buttercream is a crusting buttercream, so the frosting will develop a light crust but it can still be crushed if too much weight is pressed on them.
Frosted cookies should be stored in an airtight container either in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Kept at room temperature, they are safe to eat for up to three days. Kept in the refrigerator, they are safe to eat for one to two weeks. The frosted cookies can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.
Unfrosted cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. They can also be frozen for up to three months.