Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I’m seeing pink! Not just because I recently found out that this little baby I’ve been carrying in my belly for the past 20 weeks is a girl (queue squeals of joy), but because it (and red) is the color of love and most things having to do with the holiday.
Last year I started a new tradition with my son’s little gaggle of guys – cookie decorating! I baked the cookies and prepared the frosting colors in advance and we organized a play date to decorate heart-shaped cookies for their teachers (and bellies). Even more perfect, was that the housekeepers were coming the next day… But if a party can be judged by the lingering sprinkle coverage, then I think it was a success! It was also nice to have a little something the boys helped with to show the teachers their love.
For the cookies, you can use any favorite sugar cookie recipe or store-bought dough with whatever cutter shape you prefer. If you’re making the batter from scratch, I like to use almond extract instead of vanilla for flavor.
The frosting is the more challenging piece of this puzzle. Start with a basic white royal icing recipe and get creative from there. This tutorial from Sweet Sugarbelle provides instructions for a gorgeous and unique Valentine’s palette. The blog also provides instructions on making other colors if you prefer to make your own. I liked this meringue powder which, if you’ve never used it before, isn’t difficult to work with and these squeeze bottles were good for little hands. You’ll probably need to trim the tips to make a wider opening. To frost, first draw a border around the perimeter of the cookie, let dry slightly, and fill in with the desired color. Last, but not least SPRINKLES to decorate!
I hope that you have a very happy (and sweet) Valentine’s Day! What are your favorite traditions and things to do with the kiddos?
