We have been in this pandemic for so long that it continues to amaze me that we are still going through “firsts.” First New Years in a pandemic. First Super Bowl in a pandemic (not that I watch… but that people are still actively dismissing medical advice and gathering with friends and families outside their bubble). And now, first Valentine’s Day in a pandemic.
We don’t go all out for Valentine’s Day. Sometimes we get something for each other. Sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we go out to dinner. Sometimes we don’t. Valentine’s Day has always been very fluid for us. Normal years, my son goes to his dad’s every other weekend, so that has impacted our Valentine’s Day. I shouldn’t say “impacted.” That comes off negatively. It has “swayed” our Valentine’s Day. Honestly, we very much see it as a Hallmark holiday that we pick and choose when or if we want to participate in it.
That said, it’s pandemic Valentine’s Day this year. As my friend noted when she guest blogged the other day, things look a little different this year. So even though we don’t normally, or often, jump on the Hallmark train, this year, I’m at least trying to keep things a bit more… energized?… interesting?… nice??? Something like that. I made an early Valentine’s Day dinner that I will share with you on Valentine’s Day… if you love duck, be sure to drop by! (If you love alive ducks, be sure not to stop by).
So, while my friend was busy dipping strawberries in chocolate and cookie crumbles, I decided to make cookies. And woo boy do I need A LOT more practice with frosting! (Anyone wanna send me icing tutorials?? Anyone???) I watched a YouTube blogger talk about how she grew up in a “crafty” family, and her mom talked about “homemade” and “handmade”… handmade being the higher quality version. So, these are homemade cookies. Whatevs. We each have our talents! I am a master of flavors. That does not always translate to perfection and beauty. I mean, I won’t say these are the worst decorated cookies I’ve ever seen! BUT, I obviously do need to have some practice.
Considering my baking usually takes the form of bread, bread, or, well, bread, I don’t feel too bad that I haven’t mastered the art of frosting yet! And I frankly don’t see it happening anytime soon since my next baking endeavors do not include frosting… or at least cookie frosting!
So, “homemade” Valentine’s Day cookies. I made a batch of sugar cookies for Christmas (also ugly AF 😂) that were seasoned with lemon extract. Let me tell you, if you haven’t made sugar cookies with lemon extract, you aren’t living! It adds an amazing dimension to sugar cookies! But, I didn’t do that this time around! I wanted to switch things up, of course!
When I started thinking about Valentine’s Day cookies, my mind, for whatever reason, immediately drifted to Amaretto… aka, almond liqueur. And I thought, PERFECT! And, in my mind, what pairs perfectly with Amaretto? Cherries and chocolate! Have you ever had Amaretto with Chocovine??? Divine! I was temporarily hooked on those and gained ten pounds in a month, so do be careful! 😆
I see a lot of recipes that make cherry icing with maraschino syrup. Although that makes sense, I really did not want a maraschino cherry flavor. Instead, I opted for black cherry flavoring, which ended up pairing so nicely with this cookie!
Oooo! Okay, so I have recently uncovered a trick that has blown my mind! Normally, I roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze it until it is chilled through and firm. Then, I would dust my counter with flour and roll it out. Sometimes it would be smooth sailing; other times it would be a royal headache because I would misjudge the chilling time and it wouldn’t be quite cold enough in the middle, or I would over-judge the chilling time and the ball was rock hard… you name it, I’ve dealt with something one time or another!
BUT, this time, I went with the game changer!! BEFORE throwing the dough into the freezer, I placed it between two sheets of parchment papers and rolled it out warm!!! YES, I ROLLED IT OUT WARM!!!! Then, still stuck between the parchment paper, I popped it in the freezer for about an hour. When I pulled it out, nice and chilled, all I had to do was peel off the top layer of parchment paper. From there, I was able to cut out the cookie directly on top of the bottom layer of parchment paper! No flour, no mess! This was the easiest way to roll out dough, cut dough, and then clean up! I will never, ever go back to rolling dough out on the counter. NEVER!
To scoop the cookies up, off of the parchment paper, I actually used a thin metal spatula normally used to ice a cake. It was the perfect size to carefully remove the cookies from the square of dough without damaging their shape. If you don’t have a similar spatula, then grab any thin metal spatula or even a bread knife.
I opted to decorate the frosting with white chocolate drizzle. You absolutely can opt to use milk chocolate or dark chocolate instead! White chocolate was just more aesthetically pleasing with the frosting color I chose. If you decide to go more traditional red or pure pink, then a darker chocolate would look lovely! I opted for more of a yellow rose color, which is why the white chocolate just jived a bit better. But you do you!
Don’t worry if your cookies are ugly or… “homemade” <gasp><shock><horror>… to me, it’s all about the flavor. And the mix of cherry and almond in these cookies is delightful!
However you choose to celebrate or not celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, I hope you and yours stay safe!
Amaretto Sugar Heart Cookies with Black Cherry Icing
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes + 2 hour rest
- Yield: about 32 cookies 1x
- Category: Baking, Desserts
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 TB cornstarch
1½ tsps baking powder
2 tsps ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter ~ room temperature
2 large eggs
1 TB heavy whipping cream
1 TB almond extract
½ TB vanilla extract
Frosting
½ cup (4 oz) aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 lb powdered sugar
1 tsp black cherry super strength flavoring ~ or to taste
red or pink food coloring
1 cup Nestle white chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the Cookies
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, heavy whipping cream, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Continue to whisk until thoroughly combined and light and fluffy. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, whisking until thoroughly combined.
Remove the cookie dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Rip two pieces of parchment paper to about 20 inches long. Place the ball on top of one piece of parchment paper and place the second piece on top. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick. Place the dough within the parchment paper inside the freezer until chilled through ~ about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the freezer and remove the top layer of parchment paper. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out the dough and use a thin metal spatula to gently lift the dough away from the parchment paper. Place on the baking sheets. (You can reform a ball with the leftover dough scraps and cut out additional cookies ~ I did this one time before the dough was too warm to work with further). Bake on sheet at a time for about 8 to 10 minutes. NOTE: the cookies will still be soft but will firm up as they cool! Cool on a wire rack.
Frost & Decorate the Cookies
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the aquafaba and cream of tartar. Whisk on high until it turn white and forms stiff peaks. Reduce the speed to low and add in the powdered sugar. Mix on low until it starts to blend with the aquafaba, slowly increasing the speed. Add in the black cherry flavoring ¼ teaspoon at a time until desired taste (I used 1½ teaspoons). Add in your food coloring of choice until desired color is reached. (If the frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches the desired consistency ~ a spoonful will drizzle back into the bowl in a steady stream and flatten out within 10-15 seconds).
Place a frosting bag into a tall cup, folding the top over the sides of the glass. Scoop in the frosting and twist and tie the top of the bag. Cut off a small piece of the tip of the frosting bag at an angle (if your bag has a seam, ensure the seam is facing up). Test to see if the desired amount of frosting comes out. Cut off a little at a time more of the bag tip, if needed.
Decorate the cookies as desired, using a toothpick to spread and even out the frosting. Let the frosting solidify for several hours. Once the outer layer of frosting is hard (about 1 hour), prepare the chocolate.
Place the chocolate in a microwave safe container. Microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave at 30 second bursts on 50% power until mostly melted (it took me about 5 times at 50% power). Stir and allow the chocolate to finish melting. Stir. As you did with the frosting, place a frosting bag into a tall cup and fold the top over the sides. Scoop the chocolate into the bag and snip of a small tip, at an angle (you want this to be a smaller hole than the frosting). Do a test drizzle and adjust as needed. Place the cookies, separated by a couple of inches, onto parchment paper. Quickly drizzle the chocolate over the corner of the cookie, or as desired!
Allow the cookies to finish setting for about 3 to 5 hours. Then place in an airtight container. Good for about 1 week.
Enjoy!
Keywords: vegan frosting, aquafaba frosting, no dairy frosting, Valentine’s Day cookies, amaretto cookies, almond cookies, cherry frosting, black cherry frosting, amaretto cherry cookies
