Valentine’s Day calls for sprinkles, a little mess in the kitchen, and cookies made with love. These brown sugar Valentine’s cookies are soft, buttery, and just waiting to be dressed up with pretty icing and festive flair. Grab the heart cutters, invite the kids, and let the decorating fun begin—sweet smiles guaranteed! 💕🍪
There’s something extra special about baking for Valentine’s Day—maybe it’s the pink sprinkles, the heart-shaped cutters, or the simple joy of making something sweet for the people you love. These brown sugar Valentine’s Day sugar cookiesare my go-to this time of year, and once you try them, you’ll understand why.
Unlike classic sugar cookies made with white sugar alone, these cookies get their rich flavor from brown sugar, which adds a hint of caramel warmth and keeps them soft and tender long after they’ve cooled. They roll out beautifully, hold their shape when baked, and strike that perfect balance between crisp edges and a chewy center.
Once baked and cooled, the fun really begins. A smooth decorative icing creates the perfect canvas for swirls, dots, and playful designs, while festive sprinkles add sparkle and personality. This is the kind of baking project that invites creativity—simple enough for kids to help with, yet elegant enough to gift to friends, neighbors, or teachers.
These cookies are just as lovely tucked into a bakery box as they are arranged on a plate for a Valentine’s gathering. They travel well, freeze beautifully, and feel homemade in the very best way. Whether you decorate them with hearts, stripes, or a shower of pink and red sprinkles, each cookie becomes a small edible love note.
If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day treat that’s equal parts nostalgic and special, these brown sugar sugar cookies deliver every time. Sweet, buttery, and made to be shared—just like the holiday itself. 💕🍪
Brown Sugar Valentine’s Cookies
Equipment
- Heart shaped cookie cutters any size, or assorted sizes
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Icing for Decorating
- 4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 +/- tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla powder (can use vanilla extract, but it will change the color of the icing.)
- food coloring gels for decorating (Red and Pink)
- sprinkles (to match the occasion)
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl.
- Cream together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add egg and beat well. Stir in vanilla.
- Add flour mixture, and beat into butter mixture on low speed.
- Prepare two pieces of parchment paper with a dusting of flour, and roll out half of the dough onto each parchment. Place the parchment paper with the dough on a baking sheet and completely cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to cut the cookie shapes and bake them, preheat the oven to 350℉. Remove one sheet of the rolled out dough on the parchment paper from the baking sheet and place it on the counter or a cutting board. Place a new piece of parchment paper on the baking sheet.
- Cut out the cookie shapes and place them onto the prepared pan. Gather up any extra dough and re-roll to continue to cut as many cookies as possible. With the last bit of dough, I usually just make a flat round cookie.
- Bake them cookies for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown and dough is set. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes before placing them on a rack for decorating. Repeat the process with the second batch of dough.
Icing for Decorating
- Whisk together powder sugar and vanilla powder. Slowly add milk until you get to a good icing consistency. Add whatever food coloring you have selected. I used plain white and pink. I put the pink icing in a pastry bag fitted with small a plain round pastry tip.
- Frost the cookies with your base color, (in my case the white) and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Then, using teh second color in the pastry bag, pipe designs onto the frosted cookie. Using a toothpick, swirl the pink icing to make fun designs. Decorate with the sprinkles immediately, before the icing gets hard. Allow decorated cookies to sit for about an hour before packing them into storage containers or bags.
- Theses cookies store well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week, and in the freezer for up to a month.
