V Day Cooks

When I was about 8, my grandma made all of us Fallbrook cousins each a plate of heart-shaped sugar cookies with pink frosting. For some reason, those cookies stick out in my memory more than any others. She delivered them to me while I was spending the afternoon doing my homework at my parents' shop, so it felt like a kid-sized Fedex from one of my favorite people.

And then there was the flavor: crispy, buttery, creamy--and lots of pink icing. Of course, anything baked with grandma magic always tastes better. So in homage to my wonderful grandma, who is 85, this year, my mom and I made pink frosted sugar cookie hearts this weekend.

Here's the recipe we used:

3/4 c. butter
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 t. real vanilla (use the expensive stuff--it's so worth it!)
2 1/2 c. flour (use a little more if the dough feels too wet)
3/4 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
Extra flour for rolling

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Flour a flourcloth for rolling the dough, and dump the dough out for immediate rolling. More practical people will tell you to chill the dough at this point, but I've never been mistaken for practical.

Roll the dough out, and cut with desired cookie cutters. We used a 3" valentine's heart. Then bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for 6-9 minutes. I like to pull them out when they're still very light on top and bottom and then let them finish cooking on the cookie sheet for a few minutes.

Pull cookies onto cooling rack and cool. Then ice with a mix of 1/2 cube butter, few cups powdered sugar, and a few tablespoons milk. I mixed in some red gel food coloring to make the icing a deep pink. If you're feeling fanciful (which I was for half the batch), scatter some jimmies or sprinkles on top of the icing.

These cookies were delicious--they're now my go-to sugar cookies. Doug even liked them, and he's not a sugar cookie man. Now my dad will tell you that these cookies are best unfrosted with Mom's homemade apricot jam drizzled on top, but you frosting fans know what I mean when I say that buttercream trumps all.

We ended up eating a few and taking most to Doug's employees, who like homemade baked goodies more than anyone I've ever met (including my 8-year-old self getting Valentine's cookies!!). Just kidding!

Hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day and have a few warm memories in your heart of those special baked goods that leave such a lasting impression.