I have to admit, I had no ideas for this week’s craft. None. I was so worried about it that I fell asleep on Tuesday night thinking about it, and even dreamed about it. I know, that’s kind of sad.
So, what do I do when I have zero ideas for a fun Valentine’s Day craft? I turn to my other passion, baking. I needed an excuse to make some cookies anyway. The last time I made any cookies was, let’s see, before Christmas. When the cookie binge of 2009 happened. Now I remember what I gave up sweets for 30 days.
I decided that cut out cookies would be our craft for this week. But not just your normal heart-shaped cookies. That is way too boring for me. I decided to mix it up a little and created some fun, arty, abstract Valentine’s Day cookies.
For this craft you can make it as easy or as difficult as you want. Me, I of course made it difficult. I made everything from scratch, including the frosting. I even cut each individual heart out of the dough with a knife. Yes, I’m just a tad bit crazy. As if you didn’t already know that. You could by all means use store bought sugar cookie dough and frosting. You might however have to make the egg-wash at home, but considering that it’s only 2 ingredients, I think that just about anyone can handle it. Or go ahead and use your favorite sugar cookie recipe. Or use mine (at the end of the post).
Abstract Valentine’s Day Cookies
- Divide the dough in half. Half will be for the base of the cookies, the other half will be for the hearts.
- Roll out the first half of the dough on a well floured surface until 1/4″ thick. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut out various sized squares and rectangles. These should not be perfect, their beauty is in their uneven, odd shapes and sizes. These are supposed to be abstract after all. Let the kids get a little crazy, who says the shapes even need to have 4 sides?
[singlepic id=217 w=450] - Using the egg-wash (see below) and a pastry brush, splatter each square and rectangle. This is a really fun part for kids. They can make a mess and not get in trouble. Use 2 or three different colors, pinks, reds and purples work best for Valentine’s Day.
[singlepic id=218 w=450] - Next, with the second half of the dough rolled out, using a knife cut out hearts. Big ones, small ones, lop-sided ones. You get the picture. I suppose that you could also use a cookie cutter, but where’s the fun in that? (Ignore the coloring in the photo, I accidentally photographed an extra heart that I had egg-washed)
[singlepic id=219 w=450] - Now, bake all of those funny shapes and lop-sided hearts according to the package/recipe’s direction. For me that was 8 minutes at 350º.
- Once those cookies have baked and cooled, frost the hearts and let them dry. I used a very simple powdered sugar/milk glaze. I just dipped the cookies in and let them dry. Really easy.
- With the left over frosting/glaze, put a small dot on the back of each heart and place it on top of the egg-wash splattered base. It doesn’t have to be perfectly centered. In fact, I think the cookies have a lot more character when they are a little off balance.
[singlepic id=220 w=450]
That’s it. You are now the proud owner of some sassy looking, oh so delicious Valentine’s Day cookies. Share them or gobble them all up yourself. I won’t tell. I swear.
Sugar Cookie Recipe
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla (or any other flavor)
Cream together the sugars and butter. Add egg and mix. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4″ thick. Cut out in desired shapes. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350º, or until the edges are a light golden brown.
Egg-Wash
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon water
Mix the egg yolk and water together. Separate into 2-3 small dishes and color with food coloring. If the wash starts to thicken, add just a little water to thin it out.
Frosting/Glaze
Powdered Sugar
Milk
Vanilla or Almond
There really are exact measurements for this. You just make as much as you need. But it’s best to start out with a lot of sugar and a little milk. Add milk slowly until you reach the desired thickness.
Did you know that you can save my recipes in your very own recipe box, courtesy of ZipList? Just click on the link above, under "recipes" to get started. Want to learn more? Hop on over to read about this awesome new feature.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Lovely idea! My kids LOVE making sugar cookies. I really should be making them more often.
.-= Charlotte´s last blog ..How to Ruin Your Husbands Birthday in a Few Simple Steps =-.
Great idea. They look awesome!
.-= Spice´s last blog ..Thursday Thirteen #16.. =-.
Now this is the kind of baking that my son would LOVE! I can’t wait to do it.
.-= Christine LaRocque´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday =-.
I would definitely take way more shortcuts than you did, but these sure turned out cool! I think my daughter would really have fun making them.
.-= xenia´s last blog ..GIVEAWAY: Franklin Goose Amazing Eco-Friendly Items for Babies and Children ($25 Gift Certificate) =-.