These Valentine sugar cookies are lightly crisp around the edges, soft and chewy in the center, and topped with a light powdered sugar royal icing frosting. Delicately sweet without being overpowering, the cookies come together with 8 simple ingredients and are perfect for school parties, family celebrations, or just making the holiday a little extra special!

Red, pink, and white frosted heart-shaped sugar cookies with sprinkles.

Table of Contents

We do our best to make every holiday fun with festive treats, and Valentine’s Day is no exception! Every year, we go crazy in the kitchen making all our favorite Valentine’s Day recipes like our easy Valentine cookies, Valentine’s popcorn, and Valentine’s Day chocolate bark.

They’re all tasty, but these Valentine’s Day sugar cookies are a classic dessert that we turn to when we want a reliable option for a crowd. The cookies require chilling, meaning they’re great cookies to prep ahead of time. Then, they bake in minutes, and one batch makes 22 cookies! As a result, they’re perfect for gifting and parties.

Ingredients and Notes

Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the complete details!

Labeled ingredients for Valentine Sugar Cookies on a white marble countertop.

Butter – We use salted butter to infuse the cookies with a little extra flavor, but unsalted butter also works.
Granulated Sugar – This sweetens the dough and gives the cookies structure, creating classic crisp edges, a soft center, and a delicious, sweet taste.
Eggs – We’re using both egg whites and egg yolks to give the cookie dough structure and create a rich, chewy texture.
Vanilla – A must-have in any sugar cookie recipe, this adds depth and enhances the rest of the ingredients. Make sure to use high-quality, pure vanilla extract, not imitation varieties. Trust us. You really can taste a difference! Almond extract also tastes great.
Flour – All-purpose flour forms the base of the cookie dough. We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it should work as long as you use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
Baking Powder – This gives the cookies a nice lift. Make sure it’s fresh for the best results!
Salt – Don’t skip this, or your cookies will taste bland.

Labeled ingredients for powdered sugar frosting on a white marble countertop.

Frosting – We skip store-bought options and make a homemade frosting using powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.
Decorations – Technically optional but highly recommended for an extra festive touch, we use pink or red food coloring to dye the icing and finish with festive Valentine’s Day sprinkles!

How to Make Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

Egg yolks on sugar and butter creamed together in a bowl with a wooden spoon.

Combine the wet ingredients. Start by creaming butter and sugar in a large bowl. We use a spoon, but you can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer. This creates tiny pockets of air, which causes the cookies to become light and fluffy. Then, beat in the vanilla and whole eggs until well combined, and then beat in the egg yolks.

Sugar cookie dough for cutout cookies in a glass mixing bowl.

2. Add the dry ingredients. Mix in the dry ingredients just until no streaks remain. Be careful not to overmix your dough, or your cookies will be dense and tough!

Sugar cookie dough in a glass mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap.

3. Chill. Cover the bowl, and chill your cookies in the refrigerator. Don’t skip this step, or your cookies will spread as they bake, becoming thin and crisp!

Heart cookie cutter making cookie shapes in a sugar cookie dough.

4. Portion the sugar cookie dough. Divide the batter in half, and shape each half into a round disc. Wrap one half with plastic wrap, and use a rolling pin to roll the other disc on a lightly floured surface, and use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out conversation heart shapes or other festive shapes. Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough. Or, store it in the fridge or freezer for later.

Tip: Combine the scraps, roll them back out, and use them to make more cookies. That way, nothing goes to waste.

Six unbaked heart-shaped sugar cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

5. Bake. Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat mat, leaving space between each piece. Bake in a preheated oven until they’re puffed and no longer look wet. They won’t brown!

Six baked sugar cookies shaped liked hearts on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

6. Cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

A metal spoon in a white mixing bowl with powdered sugar frosting.

7. Prepare the icing. In the meantime, whisk all the icing ingredients until well combined. Then, portion the mixture into separate bowls, and add gel food coloring, if desired.

Unfrosted and frosted heart shaped Valentine sugar cookies on a cooling rack.

8. Frost the cookies. Spread the frosting over the cooled heart-shaped sugar cookies. We like to spoon it into a disposable piping bag with a round tip to make it easy to pipe designs. Add sprinkles or decorations, and let the icing set. Enjoy your Valentine’s Day cookies immediately, or transfer to an airtight container for later!

Beautifully decorated heart-shaped sugar cookies on a cooling rack.

Our Top Tips and Tricks

Use properly softened butter. Let your butter rest at room temperature before using. It should be soft enough to press your finger into, but not greasy or melted. This keeps the dough sturdy and prevents spreading. Cold butter will be too hard to cream.
Don’t skip chilling the dough! The 1-hour chill firms up the butter, making the dough easier to roll and helping the cookies hold their shape.
Flour lightly, not heavily. Too much flour on your work surface can dry out the dough. Use just enough to prevent sticking.
Roll evenly to ¼-inch thickness. Uneven dough can cause cookies to bake inconsistently, with thinner spots becoming dry.
Bake just until puffed. These cookies should stay pale and soft. If they brown at the edges, they’re overbaked.
Let cookies set before moving. Cooling them on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes prevents breakage while they firm up.
Adjust the icing. If the icing is too thin, make it thicker by adding 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time. If your icing is too thick, thin it out by adding ½ teaspoon of milk at a time. Or, use buttercream frosting or your favorite topping instead.

Decorated Valentine sugar cookies topped with royal icing in white, pink, and red.

More Delicious Cookie Recipes

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