Easy Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

What could be better than a soft sugar cookie topped with a pink buttercream frosting for Valentine’s day? I can’t think of much! These cookies are chewy inside and crisped on the edges, the buttercream is soft and naturally colored with raspberry juice, and both the cookies and cream are made with mixed berry Kefir, adding a little healthy touch to them!
This post is sponsored by Lifeway Kefir, but the opinions and thoughts are mine. Thanks for supporting the brands that make EyeDocBakes possible!
What You’ll Need. . .
- flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cream of tartar
- cornstarch
- salt
- unsalted butter
- powdered sugar
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- kefir
- raspberry juice or red food coloring (optional)
- sprinkles (optional)
Making the Sugar Cookies
- Add flour, baking soda and powder, cream of tartar, cornstarch, and salt to a medium sized bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Cream the butter and all sugars together in the bowl of your stand mixer until smooth (use the paddle attachment). Now add the egg and extracts and mix in, and lastly add in the mixed berry Kefir. Mix until combined and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients from step 1 to the wet ingredients in your stand mixer bowl, and mix with the paddle attachment on low until it is combined. Mixture will be somewhat crumbly. Use clean hands to smash the dough together into a large ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Push it flatter into a disc shape. Refrigerate it for 45 minutes. Side note: the dough itself actually smells really yummy, thanks to the mixed berry kefir!
- Once ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375F. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and use a heart cookie cutter (I used a 2.5-3 inch sized heart) to cut out heart shaped cookies, about 1/4 inch thick. Makes about 20-22 cookies. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheets, and bake for 9 minutes. Cookies will be a bit browned on the bottoms. Remove from sheets and let cool fully before frosting.
Making the Buttercream Frosting
- Cream the butter in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add 1/4 cup cup powdered sugar at a time while mixing on low until you’ve added 1 3/4 cups. Save 1/4 cup for later.
- Next add in the vanilla extract and kefir and mix until smooth. If not thick enough add the 1/4 cup powdered sugar until spreading consistency. Now either add a drop of red food coloring or 2-3 tablespoons of raspberry juice (I just squeezed fresh raspberries for this) for a more pale pink color and mix until uniform.
- Use a spatula to spread as much or as little frosting as you’d like on the cookies. Cover with sprinkles and enjoy!
If you like this recipe, you might want to try. . .
Tried this recipe?
Don’t forget to tag me on instagram @eyedocbakes if you made this, I’d love to see it! You can also share my recipe on Pinterest and Facebook if ya love it, and sign up for our e-mail list to never miss a new recipe!
Let’s Pin it!
Easy Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies
Soft and Delicious sugar cookies, made with kefir and topped with a smooth buttercream frosting...perfect for Valentine's Day!
Servings: 20 cookies
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 2½ cup flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp almond extract
- ⅓ cup Lifeway mixed berry Kefir
Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp mixed berry kefir
- 1-2 tbsp raspberry juice or 1-2 drops red food coloring
Instructions
Heart Sugar Cookies
- Add flour, baking soda and baking powder, cream of tartar, cornstarch, and salt to a medium sized bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Meanwhile, cream the butter, powdered, granulated, and brown sugars together in the bowl of your stand mixer until smooth (use the paddle attachment).
- Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extracts and mix in. Lastly add in the mixed berry Kefir. Mix until combined and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients from step 1 to the wet ingredients in your stand mixer bowl, and mix with the paddle attachment on low until it is combined. Mixture will be somewhat crumbly. Use clean hands to smash the dough together into a large ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Flatten it into a disc shape. Refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes.
- Remove from refrigerator. Preheat your oven to 375F. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Use a heart cookie cutter (I used a 2.5-3 inch sized heart) to cut out heart shaped cookies. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheets, and bake for 9 minutes. Cookies will be a bit browned on the bottoms. Remove from sheets and let cool fully before frosting.
Pink Buttercream Frosting
- Cream the butter in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add 1/4 cup cup powdered sugar at a time while mixing on low until you've added 1 3/4 cups. Save 1/4 cup for later.
- Next add in the vanilla extract and kefir and mix until smooth. If not thick enough add the 1/4 cup powdered sugar until spreading consistency. Now either add a drop of red food coloring or 2-3 tablespoons of raspberry juice (I just squeezed fresh raspberries for this) for a more pale pink color and mix until uniform.
- Use a spatula to spread as much or as little frosting as you'd like on the cookies. Cover with sprinkles and enjoy!