Valentine's Day Cookies (2024)

Ingredients for chocolate cut-out cookies

For the cookie dough:

• unsalted butter at room temperature
• a small amount of block cream cheese at room temperature
• granulated sugar
• large room temperature egg
• vanilla extract
• espresso powder (optional but highly recommended to enhance the chocolate flavor)
• all-purpose flour
• Dutch process cocoa powder (optional: a few tablespoons substituted with black cocoa for a deeper, richer chocolate flavor)
• baking powder
• salt

For the topping and garnish:

• melted dark chocolate
• crushed freeze dried raspberries or sprinkles

How to make Valentine’s Day Cookies

1. Prepare the cookie dough:

In a large bowl beat the butter and cream cheese together until blended. Add the sugar and beat again until light and fluffy. Combine the vanilla and espresso powder stirring until dissolved. Add the egg and vanilla mixture to the butter and sugar. Beat until combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the butter and sugar. Blend on low until incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour and blend until a soft dough forms.

Gather the dough into a ball and cut into three or four pieces. Press one ball of dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Cover with a second piece of parchment. Roll the dough to 1/4th inch thickness. Place the entire sheets of parchment and dough onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough stacking the disks on top of each other. Refrigerate for about 8 hours or up to two days.

2. Bake the Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Remove on disk of cookie dough from the refrigerator and cut into desires shapes. Transfer the unbaked cookies to the prepared baking sheet about 2-inches apart. Gather any scraps and refrigerate until you’ve cut out all remaining dough.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are set and you can small warm chocolate. For best results don’t over-bake. Cool on the pan for 1 to 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before decorating.

3. Frost and/or decorate the cookies:

Melt the chocolate according to package directions. Dip half the cookie into the chocolate allowing an excess to drip back into the bowl. Place the dipped cookie on a piece of parchment. Sprinkle the chocolate with freeze dried raspberries or sprinkles.

You can also spread half the cookie with the melted chocolate using an offset spatula. You won’t use as much chocolate with this method so I recommend only melting about 5 or 6 ounces to start.

Valentines Day Cookies

5 from 3 votes

For the cookie dough:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (226g) room temperature
• 1 ounce cream cheese room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar (222g)
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon espresso powder
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (318g)
• ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (48g) SEE NOTE #1
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the topping:

• 8 ounces chocolate melted SEE NOTE 2
• 1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries or sprinkles

To prepare the cookies:

• In a large mixing bowl beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. In a small bowl combine the vanilla and espresso powder. Add the egg and vanilla mixture to the butter and sugar. Beat until combined.

• In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and blend on low until incorporated. Add the final half of the flour mixture and beat until a soft dough forms. Add additional flour, if needed, one tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft and no longer sticky. For best results don’t add more then one or two additional tablespoons or the cookies may be dry. The dough will firm up in the refrigerator.

• Gather the dough into a ball and cut into three or four pieces. Press one ball of dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Cover with a second piece of parchment. Using a rolling pin roll the dough to 1/4th-inch thickness. Place the entire sheet of parchment and rolled out cookie dough onto a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, stacking the dough disks on top of each other. Refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours, or up to two days.

To Bake

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

• Remove one disc of cookie dough from the refrigerator and cut into the desired shapes. Transfer the unbaked cookies to the prepared baking sheet about 2-inches apart. Gather any scraps together and refrigerate until you’ve cut out all the remaining dough.

• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (depending on the size and thickness of the cookies) or until the cookies are set and you start to smell chocolate. For best results, do not over-bake! Cool on the pan for 1 to 2 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before topping.

• Gather all scraps of dough and re-roll between parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 to 30 minutes. Cut, bake and repeat as needed.

Decorate

• Melt the chocolate according to package directions. Dip half the cookie into the chocolate allowing an excess to drip back into the bowl. Place the dipped cookie on a piece of parchment. Sprinkle the chocolate with freeze dried raspberries or sprinkles.

NOTE #1 – Once measured replace up to three tablespoons of the cocoa powder with black cocoa powder for a deeper, richer chocolate flavor.
NOTE #2 – For dipping or topping the cookies you can use chocolate chips, semisweet, bittersweet, dark, white or milk chocolate depending on how sweet you’d like it. If spreading the chocolate on half the cookie (just on the top) you won’t need the entire 8 ounces of chocolate. Start with 5 or 6 ounces then melt more as needed.

• For these cookies I used a 2-1/2 by 3-inch cookie cutter with the dough rolled to 1/4-inch thickness.
• Do not put unbaked cookies on a hot cookie sheet until ready to bake. It will cause them to spread.
• DON’T OVER-BAKE! The cookies should be just set and you should be able to smell chocolate.
• Baking time will vary depending on the size and width of the cookies.
• Baked, cooled, plain cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months

Nutritional information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered as an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.