Ingredients:

1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
1/2 cup sugar
4-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup red maraschino cherry juice
12 red maraschino cherries, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream the shortening while gradually adding the sugar. Add egg, milk and vanilla to the mixture. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and then gradually add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, for filling, combine sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan. Add juices, cherries and butter. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-in. thickness; cut with a 2-1/2-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter dipped in flour.

Place half of the cookies on greased baking sheets; spoon 1/2 teaspoon filling in the center of each.

Use a 1-1/2-in. heart-shaped cutter to cut small hearts out of the other half of the cookies. Place the remaining hearts over filled cookies; press edges together gently. Fill centers with additional filling if needed.

Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Yield: about 4-1/2 dozen filled cookies.

Ingredients

* 16 ounces milk chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons shortening
* 1 pound fresh strawberries with stems

Directions

1. Grasp the stem or green leaves of the strawberry and dip into the chocolate and swirl in chocolate to partially cover.

2. Give the strawberry a little shake as you withdraw it from the chocolate so the chocolate will be evenly distributed.

3. When the strawberry is completely withdrawn from the chocolate, swirl it in a quick, clockwise motion to let the excess chocolate drip off.

4. Place on the wax paper covered cookie sheet an repeat with the rest of the strawberries.

5. Once complete either place strawberries into refrigerator or set aside to allow the chocolate to harden, about 30 minutes. Transfer fruit onto a serving platter to serve.

NOTE: The chocolate dipped strawberries are best if eaten within 24 hours – refrigerate for longer storage, but serve at room temperature for greatest flavor.

These cookies are actually pretty easy to make despite how they look and they will surely make a terrific impression on your receiver. This is also one of the best sugar cookie recipes with icing that can be made to ship. So if you want to surprise your aunt or friend in Kalamazoo, these are the cookies to make. Just let them sit for about 24 after you have decorated them and then you can wrap and ship them.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups unsalted butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Cream sugar and butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl and add to butter mixture. Mix well.
• Put a handful of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to desired thickness. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Put the rolled dough, including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes or longer. Your dough will be chilled and ready to cut and bake with now wait and no added flour! Repeat with scraps after cutting cookies.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 8 -10 minutes. Let cool.

*Puzzle Cookie Cutter from Amazon.com

Royal Icing

Ingredients:
• 1 pound confectioners sugar, sifted
• 5 tablespoons meringue powder
• 1/2 cup of water, and more if needed

• Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth and creamy, about 7 to 10 minutes. If icing is too thick, add more water. If too thin, beat icing 2 to 3 minutes more. Add just a drop of red or pink icing, mix until you get the desired color.
• Begin piping the the cookie around the edges and then slowly fill in. Once the layer has set (about 30 min,) you can then add the names or decorate further.

Valentine Jelly Filled Heart Sandwich Cookies Ingredients

Cookie Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for work surface
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup confectioners (powdered) sugar, plus additional for dusting
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract

Filling:
½ cup seedless raspberry jam

Valentine Jelly Filled Heart Sandwich Cookies Directions:

Cookie Dough:
1. In a medium bowl, sift flour and salt together. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine butter and confectioner sugar; beat together until mixture is smooth. Add vanilla extract and almond extract; stir until blended. Add flour mixture; stir to mix.
3. Press dough into a ball, cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Baking sheets may be ungreased, or lined with parchment paper.
5. On a lightly floured surface, and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut dough into hearts or other desired shapes using a 2½ inch cookie cutter that has been dipped in flour (to help prevent dough from sticking to the cutter.)
6. Using a 1 inch heart shaped cookie cutter that has been dipped in flour, cut out the center of half of the 2½ inch cookies. Re-roll the scraps, or bake the 1 inch heart shapes separately.
7. Place cutout dough 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set and the edges are very lightly browned. Remove cookies from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

Filling and Assembly:
8. Leaving a ¼ inch border uncovered, spread about 1 teaspoon of the raspberry jam over each cookie without the middle cutout.
9. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the tops of the cookies that have the middle cutout with confectioners sugar. Place the cutout cookies on top of the jam-covered cookies.

*Makes about Valentine Jelly Filled Heart Sandwich Cookies

These are the most awesome Valentine Cookies I have ever tried and the butter icing makes them sinfully deliciously. Make them extra unique by writing out your words of love on them, make fun designs, or just sprinkle some sugary crystals or sprinkles on top. Just a note that these are not super sugar-y like standard sugar cookies but make perfect cookies for frosting.

Valentine Cookies Ingredients

* 7 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups white sugar
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 1/2 cups shortening
* 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 cup milk
* 3 eggs

Butter Icing for Valentine Cookies

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
3 drops red food coloring
sugar decorations or sprinkles if desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Slowly beat in shortening. Once the shortening is well blended, stir vanilla extract, milk, and then eggs into the dough.
Roll out dough onto a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin. Roll the dough thick. Cut out cookies with cookie cutter and arrange them on a baking sheet sheet.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or just until bottom is golden. You want the cookies soft and chewy not crispy.
4. Once cookies are cooled frost with butter icing and add sprinkles, candies, or other fun treats!

Keep the cookies in an air tight container and they will last about 5 days. The cookie recipe makes about 40-48 cookies depending on size and you can adjust the frosting amount as needed.