Valentine's Day Part 1 (Sugar Cookies)

Sorry about being absent this past week folks. I had a head cold and I hate baking when I'm sick. But the sniffles are gone and I'm back with my Valentine's Day Post for the year.

So to start with, I hate Valentine's Day. I have NEVER liked this holiday, yet without fail I always bake some cutesy treats and whip up a nice dinner for the family. Last year I made Penne with a homemade vodka alfredo sauce,  a green salad, Parmesan bread sticks and for dessert, chocolate cupcakes. I decorated the cupcakes to look like they came in a box of chocolates, and they were awesome. Yeah, don't you wish you lived at my house? Alas, since V-Day is on a Monday and my brother and sister-in-law are busy, there's nothing special going on. But I still made treats! (I just can't help myself)

I found this recipe in the Tate of Home Cookie book that I mentioned in this entry. It was on my list of X-mas cookies to try, and I decided to put my heart-shaped cookie cutters to work.

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Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup half-and-half cream

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in cream. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 in. thickness. Cut with floured 2 1/2 in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325 F. for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

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So, this dough was a pain in the ass, but it could be because my hand-mixer is dying a slow and painful death (one of the blades won't turn at all). This dough took awhile to blend when you have a wrist addled with carpal tunnel. Still, I let the dough chill overnight and I had to add a ton of flour to get the dough non-sticky enough to roll out. I don't know why I'm surprised, that happens to me every time I make chilled dough cookies. Anyway, they taste really good, and I kept the decorations simple. I made a glaze out of powdered sugar and milk, and topped with red-white-pink nonpareils. Super easy, super cute, and super easy to whip up to hand out as gifts.

(the finished product)