Valentine’s Cookies
This is an easy, colorful, and delicious Valentine’s Cookies recipe that delivers soft and tender cookies with bursts of color and sweetness from the Valentine sprinkles. These adorable vegan cookies are much easier than cut-outs. Your sweethearts will be yours when you give them a batch of these red and pink cookies.
Who doesn’t love bright and colorful Valentine’s Cookies? I love fixing a whole tray of cookies and goodies. You can take them to school parties, or have folks over to enjoy the goodies.
My only problem? I don’t really love the idea of rolling out sugar cookies. I mean, I like bright and colorful cookies, just not the rolling and the cutting. It makes such a mess.
So, what’s a person to do?
I decided rather than cutting cookies and then decorating them with frosting and sprinkles over the top, why not just put the sprinkles right in the cookies?
I’d say “brilliant” but I’m comfortable acknowledging that this is an idea already out in the universe. In fact, I have other recipes myself that incorporate sprinkles into cookies. For example, there are my Confetti Cookies. Mmm. Happy memories there. And then there’s my Vegan Chocolate Chip Sprinkles Cookies.
The trick is creating a flavorful sugar cookie base so that adding the sprinkles creates both added bursts of flavor, color, and holiday-themed decor.
This is an easy recipe to make — simply make the dough, add the sprinkles, and use your cookie dough dispenser (or roll into balls) and bake. Voila! You are done.
Step One: Cream the Fat and Sugar
The first step is to cream together the fat and sugar. To do this, add the sugar, vegan butter, and coconut oil to a mixing bowl. Use either a handheld or a stand mixer and beat these ingredients until smooth and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Then, add the vanilla and applesauce and beat again to combine.
Step Two: Combine Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder. Stir to combine. Then stir in the colorful sprinkles.
Note on Measuring Flour: Use a whisk to lightly “sift” the flour. Then spoon flour into measuring cup. Use a butter knife to level it off. That way you get a precise amount of flour for this recipe.
Step Three: Make the Batter and Bake
Pour the flour mixture into the mixing bowl with the butter/sugar mixture and stir to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.
Note: If you have more time, you can chill the dough overnight.
Once the dough is chilled, roll the dough into 1½” cookie dough balls. I used a cookie dough dispenser to keep the sizes equal.
Place the cookie dough balls on a prepared pan, about one inch apart.
Bake the cookies for 8 to 9 minutes or until they are a light golden brown on the bottom. Remove from oven and cool for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will firm up as they cool.
Marly’s Tips
There are a few tricks to getting this cookie recipe right, however. Keep these in mind when you’re making these valentines cookies:
- First, reserve some of those sprinkles so you can add more to the cookie dough balls before baking them
- I highly recommend using non-refined coconut oil because it has a slight hint of coconut, which adds a delicious flavor profile
- Be sure not to over-bake these cookies. It’s tempting to leave them in the oven a little longer, but they firm up as they cool, so if you want a soft and tender inside to your cookies, be sure not to leave them in the oven too long
- Want soft, high cookies? Double-check these steps:
- Don’t skip the step of creaming together the fat and the sugar
- Make sure to use fresh baking powder. It’s easy for baking powder to get past its prime and thus lose its key role – creating a rise
- Double-check your oven temperature. Ovens can be unreliable with temperature settings. Use an oven thermometer to see if yours is right. If the oven temp is too low the fat in the cookie dough melt too slowly, causing flat cookies
- For some almond flavor, substitute this in place of 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract: 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
I shared these Valentine’s Cookies with several friends who came over to hang out and watch the Australian Open. I can report that everyone thought they were amazing. Of course, I whole-heartedly agree. For me, I’m usually a “one and done” kind of cookie eater, but I had to go back for seconds (and maybe even a third) with this one!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegan butter , softened
- ¼ cup coconut oil , softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup applesauce , unsweetened
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup Valentines Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the sugar, vegan butter, and coconut oil into a mixing bowl. Using your mixer, beat until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla and applesauce and beat again to combine. Set aside.
- Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and sprinkles and stir to combine. See Notes for tips on measuring flour for this recipe.
- Pour the flour mixture into the mixing bowl with the butter/sugar mixture and stir to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Roll the chilled dough into 1 ½" cookie dough balls. I used a cookie dough dispenser to keep the sizes equal.
- Place cookie dough balls on the prepared pan, about one inch apart.
- Bake cookies for 8 to 9 minutes or until they are a light golden brown on the bottom. Remove from oven and cool for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will firm up as they cool.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
- Don’t skip the step of creaming together the fat and the sugar!
- Make sure to use fresh baking powder. It’s easy for baking powder to get past its prime and thus lose its key role – creating rise!
- Double-check your oven temperature. Ovens can be unreliable with temperature settings. Use an oven thermometer to see if yours is right. If the oven temp is too low, the fat in the cookie dough melts too slowly, causing flat cookies.
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Enjoy!
Trying to find a vegan cookie recipe for my children for Valentine’s Day. I’m not usually a person you find in the kitchen, but I haven’t seen them in over a year with Covid, so I made this recipe. Very easy and delicious! Thanks for the tips to make the cookie-helped me a lot!
Hi Lisa. I’m so glad this recipe worked for your family’s Valentine’s Day festivities. Food brings us together in important ways!
I like!
Thanks!!