Happy Valentine’s Day! I know that Valentine’s Day is really tomorrow, but I couldn’t help sharing these Chocolate Box Sugar Cookies one day early because they may just be my all-time favorite Valentine’s Day sugar cookies.
Chocolate seems to be the unofficial (or is it official?) dessert for Valentine’s Day, but two of the three most important Valentine’s in my life don’t like chocolate. So, instead of buying a decadent box of chocolates (which I would end up eating all by myself), I opted to create sugar cookies to look just like a pretty box of chocolates.
When my girls saw these, they went nuts. I think my youngest must have said, “Can I have a pink heart? Can I have a pink heart?” a hundred times in the time it took for me to grab a plate, place the cookie on it, and hand it to her.
The tops of the chocolate boxes are quilted. I used a ruler to draw a grid on the cookies with food color markers. Then using 15 second icing, I filled in every other square with pink royal icing. Once that was finished, I went back to fill in the rest of the un-iced spaces on the cookie. By icing alternating spaces on the cookie, the lines remain defined, creating a quilted look.
The chocolates were even easier to make. After flooding a large sugar cookie heart, I used 15 second icing to make the chocolates. Using white icing in piping consistency, I made some designs on the chocolates to add a little more detail. All my royal icing is vanilla, but you could easily add unsweetened cocoa to white royal icing to make dark brown, chocolate royal icing. Just make sure to sift the cocoa before adding it to the royal icing otherwise you’ll have clumps!
I made these Chocolate Box Sugar Cookies for Valentine’s Day for my husband and girls, and of course I went a little overboard and made a few extra (try two dozen!). As a thank you to my girls’ teachers, I packaged a single Chocolate Box Sugar Cookie for each teacher along with some mini-heart cookies.
While I love a box of high quality chocolates, I would definitely be thrilled to get one of these Chocolate Box Sugar Cookies as well π
- For the Sugar Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tbs good quality flavoring ( I like vanilla extract)
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use the scoop and measure method for these cookies)
- 1 tsp salt
- For the Royal Icing:
- 2 lbs (1 bag) confectioners’ sugar
- 5 tbs meringue powder
- 1 tbs vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup water
- Wilton Rose gel food color
- Tulp Red AmeriColor gel food color
- Turquoise AmeriColor gel food color
- Chocolate Brown AmeriColor gel food color
- Black AmeriColor gel food color
- For the Sugar Cookies: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, gently whisk the all-purpose flour and salt.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add the egg and extract. Mix until combined.
- Add the flour mixture in one go. Mix it on low until combined.
- Place the dough in a large bowl to rest for about 20 minutes. This dough CANNOT be refrigerated.
- After the dough rests, roll it into 1/4 inch sheets.
- Cut with cookie cutters, and place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Bake for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for about 5 minutes. Then transfer to cooling rack.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely.
- For the Royal Icing: Using a small paper towel, rub down the sides of a mixer bowl and the paddle attachment with lemon juice to ensure the bowl and paddle attachment are grease grease-free.
- Add the meringue powder and water to the bowl. Whisk until frothy. This should only take a minute or two.
- Add the flavoring, and whisk until combined.
- Place the bowl in the mixer and add all of the confectioners’ sugar at once.
- Mix on low until combined.
- Then turn mixer up, and mix until a stiff, lighter icing form.
- Next color royal icing. For the pink, I combined Rose, a touch of Tulip Red, and a tiny amount of Turquoise. Mix and allow the icing to sit for 24 hours. The color will develop over time.
- For the lighter pink, I just added some deep pink to a bowl of non-tinted icing.
- For the brown, I mixed the Chocolate Brown with a touch of black.
- For piping instructions, please refer to the post.
This post is linked to these parties.
Adelina Priddis says
Your cookies are wonderfully cute! I’m on a mission to try more cookie decorating like this, this year. Thanks for sharing on Weekend Bites!
Aida Arain says
Thanks Adelina! About a year ago or so the cookie decorating bug bit me, and I LOVE it. It’s a practical and relaxing creative outlet. I hope you do give it a try π
T'onna @ USS Crafty says
These cookies are so pretty! I’m pinning them to my Valentine’s Day board!
Navy Wifey Peters @ The Submarine Sunday Link Party
Aida Arain says
Thanks so much T’onna! I love Valentine’s Day because there are so many fun treats to make, plus I’m a sucker for all the hearts, glitter, and pink!
Miranda @ Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt says
These are so so adorable! I love them! My son is the same way with sweets. I can not move fast enough to get one to him.
Aida Arain says
Thanks so much Miranda! Yeah, I wish I could indulge in sweets the way my kids do π
Maria says
How absolutely beautiful! Your cookies are a work of art!
Aida Arain says
Thanks so much Maria! Decorated sugar cookie are the true cross-section of two of my absolute favorite hobbies – baking and crafting. The best part is that the creations can be eaten and enjoyed!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Best,
Aida
Kim @ thebakingchocolatess says
These decorative sugar cookies look very cute and special for Valentine’s Day! If I would have been there, I probably would have asked you a hundred times too. π Visiting from Moonlight and Mason Jars Link Party! Pinned
Aida Arain says
Thanks Kim! My husband didn’t ask (he doesn’t need to), and his hand was in the cooke jar eating these up also! Thanks so much for stopping by π
Manali @ CookWithManali says
These are so very cute! π love!
Aida Arain says
Thanks so much Manali! They’re a great “chocolate box” for those who don’t enjoy chocolate π
Kayla says
This is so cute!! I absolutely love it!
Aida Arain says
Thanks so much Kayla! They were so fun to make, but the very best part is seeing the reaction of my family and friends when they receive the cookies. It’s priceless!