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:

1 (16 oz.) package Angel Food Cake
3/4 cup Strawberry Fruit Preserves
3 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
No-Stick Cooking Spray

Directions:

Heat oven to 325°F. Coat baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray.

Beat together cake mix and preserves (do not add water) at low speed of electric mixer 1 minute or until evenly moistened. Continue to beat an additional 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are just lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet. Place on cooling rack to cool completely. Cookies will be soft and chewy.

Tip: Store between sheets of wax paper to keep from sticking together.

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.

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cookie dough pieces 2 inches apart. Into side of each piece of dough, insert wooden stick 1 inch, overlapping wooden sticks as necessary.
2. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely, about 10 minutes.
3. Spread frosting on one side of each cookie; decorate with candies. Tie 18 inches of red ribbon into bow around each stick next to cookie.

Macaroon Ingredients:

3 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 tbl. cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Chocolate Dipping Sauce:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, broken up (you can use different chocolate- dark chocolate is decadent and a lighter sweeter chocolate like semisweet is great too).

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F.
Mix coconut, cornstarch, sugar, egg whites and vanilla in heat proof bowl.
Set bowl over a pot of boiling water or double boiler. Heat, stirring until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Spoon out macaroons, about a tablespoonful each, and place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 10-15 min. Remove to wire rack.

Place chocolate in small micro-safe bowl and heat on HIGH power for 1 min. Stir until smooth. Dip bottoms of cookies in chocolate, allowing excess to drip back into bowl.
Place on waxed paper lined baking sheet and set in refrigerator.

Baked fresh daily, this cookie gift bouquet is made from delicious butter crème cookies. Icing artists will hand-decorate each cookie just for you. Cookies are approximately 4-5” tall, depending on shape and design. Bouquets containing 3 or 5 cookies arrival in a white ceramic coffee mug with a red bow. If you have the time and the talent, you could easily use one of the sugar cookie recipes found here, add some sticks and creative icing and make your own!

Love Letter Sugar Cookie Recipe:
2 c. flour
½ c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. butter or margarine
2 tsp. finely grated lemon rind
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oven 475°F.
Blend flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter and rinds until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Blend sour cream in evenly. Gather dough into firm ball. Divide in half.
Roll out onto well-floured board to 1/8″ thickness. Cut in 3″ x 2″ pieces and form the shapes of letter or use cookie cutters if you have them.

Place on ungreased baking sheet. Brush tops with water; sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 6-8 min or until golden brown.

You can make them super special by writing a one of a kind message to your loved one… something in which they will never forget. You can purchase fortune cookies with a special message or make your own! The recipe is making your own Chinese Fortune Cookie is below.

Chinese Fortune Cookie Recipe:

1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 400° F. Butter/grease about 2 cookie sheets and place aside. Write fortunes on strips of paper about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.

Mix the egg white and vanilla until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white mixture. Place teaspoonfuls of the batter at least 4 inches apart on one of the prepared cookie sheets. With the back of a spoon flatten the batter into round shapes about 3 inches in diameter. Be careful to make batter as round and even as possible. Do not make too many at a time because it takes time to fold each one immediately as the come out of the oven.

Bake for 5 minutes or until cookie has turned a golden color 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the circle. The center will remain pale. While one sheet is baking, prepare the other.
Remove from oven and quickly move cookie with a wide spatula and place upside down on a wooden board. Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, close to the middle and fold the cookie in half. Place the folded edge across the rim of a measuring cup or small glass and pull the pointed edges down, one on the inside of the cup and one on the outside.

Place folded cookies into the cups of a muffin tin or egg carton to hold their shape until firm and voila, you’ve got Chinese Fortune Cookies!

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Heart Cookies are made using two different types of dough and are so much to bake and share. My son’s preschool teacher just begs me make them for the Holiday parties every year!

If you are really a chocolate or peanut butter fan you can add a lite cream flavored frosting to really make the taste pop.  We hope you love this Valentine Cookie Recipe as much as we do~.

Chocolate Cookie Dough:

* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 oz chocolate, melted and cooled
* 2 1/4 cups plain flour
* 2 tbsp cocoa powder
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp salt

Peanut butter Cookie dough:

* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup smooth peanut butter
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 egg
* 3 tbsp milk
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 cups plain flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp salt

Mix chocolate dough: 1. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla extract and melted chocolate. 2. In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. 3. Add flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and beat until combined. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Mix peanut butter dough: 1. Cream butter, peanut butter and sugar. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla extract. 2. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. 3. Add flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat until combined. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Assembling: 1. Roll out doughs to about 1/2 inch thick and use a large cookie cutter to cut the large shapes. 2. Use a smaller cookie cutter to remove the centers and switch them, creating a two-toned effect. 3. Bake at 350F for 12-13mins, until the edges of the peanut butter cookies are golden brown.