Valentine’s Cookies for Breakfast.  They are fun to make at any age and you can keep them simple or fill them with homemade caramel sauce.  Get creative and colorful in saying  “I Love You” this year.  

These yummy Valentine’s cookies are soft in the middle with crisp edges. They keep their shape after baking and are perfect for decorating or rolling very thin to make into sandwich cookies. Spread raspberry jam, dark chocolate, or caramel sauce in between them. Depending on the size of the hearts, they will make about two dozen.

Recipe for Cookies

1 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg
2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and mix well, about one minute. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and egg and beat at a low speed until blended. Separately mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Mix the dry ingredients into the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator. Sprinkle flour on a work surface to roll out the dough. Lightly flour the top of the dough to roll out to about 1/8-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out your heart shape. Reroll the remaining dough and continue to cut out the cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 9-11 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. If you want a soft center, bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool on a wire rack. Decorate with frosting or sprinkles. Or enjoy plain.

Frosting

1 egg white
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a small mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Separate in small bowls and add food coloring to make your shade of red for Valentine’s Day. Spread on cooled cookies and add sprinkles.

Caramel Sauce

This is an easy recipe and adds such a rich flavor to these cookies.
There was some left over (surprise!!!) and I dipped apple slices in for a caramel apple delight.

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter (salted or unsalted is fine), cut in 6-7 pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon sea salt

Heat the sugar in a large skillet over medium low heat. Use a stainless steel pan or a stainless/aluminum combination for the best heat conductivity. Use a wooden spoon and stir frequently. The sugar will start turning brown and get lumpy. After four or five minutes it will turn an amber color. Continue to stir. Add the butter pieces and stir. Slowly drizzle in half of the cream and vanilla. Stir until the caramel becomes thick and smooth. Drizzle in the remaining cream and salt. Remove from heat and serve when slightly cool.