Udderly Sweet Cow Valentine Sugar Cookies
If you’re looking for Valentine sugar cookies, this farm theme with cows is adorable. There are so many ways to decorate cut out cookies, but if you like punny, we’ve got something for moo! (Okay, I’ll see myself out.)
See how you can make these tasty Valentine’s Day sugar cookies and decorate them with colorful and delicious buttercream frosting.
Cow Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
Sweets for your sweeties on Valentine’s Day is always so much fun. I love all things animals, so these cows are udderly perfect for this time of year.
These cute treats are sure to brighten the day of anyone decorating or receiving them. You can create a cute gift basket for sharing or serve them up on a pretty plate for your family.
Cow Sugar Cookie Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this recipe. The measurements are in the printable recipe card below.
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- confectioners’ sugar
Cow Valentine Sugar Cookies Directions
Sugar cookie recipe directions:
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until combined and the dough starts to stick together.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
Prepare a surface by sprinkling lightly with flour. Place some of the dough onto the flour-coated surface to roll it out.
Sprinkle the top of the dough with more flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
To get soft and thick cookies, it’s recommended to use a rolling pin with thickness rings. Use the 3/8″ thickness ring to get an ideal thick cookie.
If you do not want thick cookies, you will need to adjust your baking time accordingly. The rolling pin used here and suggested is linked in the recipe card.
For these cow cut out sugar cookies, you will want cookie cutters in the shapes of circles, hearts, and squares. The circles and squares shown here are about 3.5″ in size.
Place the cut out cookies onto the prepared baking sheet. Place them close together for this step and place into the freezer for 20 minutes before baking. This step is important since it helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Place some of the cookies onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 15-17 minutes (for thick cookies) or until the edges are slightly brown. The middle of the cookies should still be soft to the touch, but will still continue to bake after they are removed from the oven.
Bake one sheet of cookies at a time to ensure an even baking time.
Repeat the baking steps with the remaining cookies.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating.
Buttercream Frosting Directions:
In a large bowl, beat together the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
This should take about 5 minutes.
Cookie Decorating Steps:
Place icing into separate small bowls to color each one.
Use food coloring to color the icings in the desired colors. Stir completely to evenly distribute the food coloring.
Place the icings into tipless piping bags and close the ends using clips or elastics.
Cut the tips of each of the icing bags. For the background colors, you can cut larger tips. For the icings you’ll be printing with, cut small tips.
If the icing is not squeezing out of the bags smoothly, roll the piping bags between your hands to warm up the icing a bit.
Start with the background colors on all of the cookies. For example, the white for the squares that you will print on. If you want to smooth out the icing a bit before you print on it, place the cookies in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Then you can pat the icing down lightly using a spatula. You can also place a piece of parchment paper over the top and smooth down the icing with your hand. Do not do this after the finer details are added, this is only for the first layer.
Work on decorating the cookies in layers. Do all the backgrounds, then ears, eyes, printing, etc.
The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Make sure to store the cookies in a single layer to make sure you don’t squish the frosting details.
Valentine’s Day Cookies Recipe Notes and FAQ
What supplies do I need to make this sugar cookie recipe?
To make these cut out cookies you will need the following:
- measuring cups and spoons of various sizes
- mixing bowls (large and small)
- electric mixer
- spatula
- rolling pin with thickness rings
- cookie cutters
- baking sheets
- parchment paper
- tipless piping bags
- scissors
- food coloring
What should I do if my dough is crumbly and not sticking together?
If your dough is dry and crumbly, beat in an additional 1/4 cup of melted butter.
What should I do if my dough is too sticky to roll?
Sticky dough is usually due to using too much butter or the butter was too melted. Sprinkle extra flour onto the surface and knead the dough to fully combine before trying to roll it out again. When you’re ready to roll it out again, make sure the table and the rolling pin are both sprinkled with extra flour to help prevent the dough from sticking.
Do these cut out cookies need to be refrigerated?
No, the butter to sugar ratio in the frosting makes it safe to leave the cookies out at room temperature for up to three days. However, it’s recommended to refrigerate them before packaging as that will help prevent the icing from getting smudged during handling.
Can I freeze these Valentine sugar cookies with buttercream frosting?
Yes, you can place the completed cookies into an airtight, food safe container and store frozen for up to two months. Bring them back to room temperature before serving.
Can I freeze this sugar cookie dough to use later?
Yes, I’d recommend cutting it into shapes first, freezing the shapes in a single layer for 30 minutes, and then adding to a food safe container. Freezing the shapes first will help prevent the raw cookies from sticking together.
Can I freeze leftover buttercream frosting?
Yes, place buttercream frosting in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Bring it back to room temperature before using.
Cow Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
Equipment
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Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 cup butter unsalted, slightly melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cup flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cup butter slightly melted
- 5 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Food Coloring
Instructions
Sugar Cookies:
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smooth. (About 1-2 minutes)1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar
- Beat in eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. (About 2 minutes)2 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.3 cup flour, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp baking powder
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat until well combined and dough starts to stick together. (About 1-2 minutes)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prepare a surface by sprinkling flour on it and place some dough to roll out. Sprinkle more flour to top of dough to prevent sticking.
- For soft, thick cookies as seen here, use a rolling pin with thickness rings and use the 3/8" one. If you choose to make thinner cookies, adjust baking time accordingly.
- For these sugar cookies, use cookie cutters in shapes of circles, hearts, and squares. The circles and squares shown here are 3.5" in size.
- Place cut out cookies onto prepared baking sheet (place close together for this step) and freeze for 20 minutes before baking. (This step helps prevent spreading while baking.)
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Place some dough shapes on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 15-17 minutes (for thick cookies) or until the edges are slightly brown. Middle of cookies will be soft to touch, but will continue to bake once removed from oven. Bake one sheet at a time to ensure even baking times.
- Repeat baking steps with remaining cookies.
- Let cookies cool completely before decorating.
Buttercream Icing:
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. (About 5 minutes)2 cup butter, 5 cup confectioners sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Separate icing into smaller bowls to color.
- Use food coloring to create desired colors in each bowl. Stir completely to be sure food coloring distributes evenly.
Decorating Steps:
- Place colored icings into tipless piping bags and close the ends using clips or elastics.
- Cut small openings into tips of each icing bag. For background colors, the tips can be larger. For printing colors, keep the tip cut small.
- If the icing doesn't squeeze out well, roll piping bag between hands to warm it up.
- Start with background colors on all cookies. For example, white background on squares with text.) To smooth out background icing before printing, place those cookies into fridge for 15 minutes. Then, pat icing down lightly with a spatula or place parchment paper over icing and use hands to smooth down. Do not do this once the finer details (like text) are added or they will smudge.
- Decorate cookies in layers – first the background colors on all cookies, then ears, eyes, words, etc.
- Store cookies at room temp in a sealed food container for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. Store in single layers to not smash icing details.
Nutrition
More Valentine’s Day Desserts
- Layered jello shooters
- X’s & O’s cupcakes
- Heart marble iced sugar cookies
- Strawberry cake mix and Jello cookies
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Let me know if you make these cow Valentine sugar cookies.
