"All you need is love..."

"Love is all you need."  Of course, some tasty little Valentine cookies never hurt, too, right?  These cookies are buttery sweet and delicious (just like my babies).  No matter where you get your sweetest love, I hope your Valentine's Day is filled with it.  <3

Sweet Love & Cookies

(NOTE: This recipe comes from a dear high school friend, who makes them every Valentine's Day for her husband, who adores both her and her cookies!)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. butter
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt

Directions:

Cream shortening and sugar.  Add eggs  and vanilla.  Mix dry ingredients together and blend in slowly with butter mixture.  Let chill at least one hour before rolling out. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just the weensiest, tiniest bit golden on the edges. Ice with poured fondant,* a simple buttercream or royal icing.  

Consistency of finished dough should be similar to play dough.  At this point it's a little tempting to play with it like, well, play dough, but try to resist the temptation. :)

Split the dough into two pieces before chillling. This way one can stay cold in the refrigerator while you roll and cut out the other.

*I used King Arthur's recipe for poured fondant.  It was FANTASTIC. It poured well and tasted much better than other poured fondant recipes I've used in the past.  After mixing the ingredients together, keep warm in a bowl set over gently simmering water and stir often.  This will help the consistency stay smooth while you work.  

Fondant covered cookies

Royal icing...not so tasty but darn pretty. 

And now for a few more sweet treats...

Hummingbird Cake, filled with mascarpone cream and iced with white chocolate Swiss Meringue buttercream. 

Hummingbird Cake, filled with mascarpone cream and iced with white chocolate Swiss Meringue buttercream.