Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

Valentine's day or the Feast of Saint Valentine is just around the corner.  As I am single, Valentine's Day isn't a huge holiday for me, but it's fun to think of holiday themed food. 

Valentinus was an early, Roman Christian imprisoned for performing marriages for soldiers and ministering to other Christians.  While imprisoned he healed one of his jailer's daughters.  It became a romantic holiday during the middle ages.

The sugar cookie recipe came from all recipes.  I rolled the dough in red decorating sugar.  After the cookies were baked I pressed a chocolate heart on the top of each one.  I used a foil wrapped Heresy's hearts.

The ingredients are red decorating sugar, chocolate hearts, 1 cup soften butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 3/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

I creamed the butter and sugar.  I tried to cream it a little longer then usual.  I have heard it is good to cream for several minutes.

I added the egg and vanilla and stirred after each addition. 

I added the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and stirred until it was thoroughly combined.

I formed 1 inch balls from about a tablespoon of dough.  I rolled the dough in red decorating sugar.

I daintily placed them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

While I baked the cookies for 8 minutes at 375 degrees F, I unwrapped the foil covered hearts.

 I immediately pressed the hearts in the hot cookies directly taken from the oven.

How festive!

 This is a good yet easy sugar cookie recipe.  About a million people have highly rated it on all recipes.  It is a drop sugar cookie recipe; it's much to soft to try to roll out.  This is an easy way to make sugar cookies, but still have a fancy product. You don't have to roll out cookie dough or make frosting.