What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Time To Eat: Valentine State-Of-Mind! There’s no need to wait for February every year for “My Heart” sugar cookies. Anytime you want to share the love with friends and family, coworkers and neighbors, whip up a batch and see the magic. Sugar cookies are delectable simply because their buttery goodness is slightly sweet, soft, and chewy with hints of vanilla and almond. They practically melt in your mouth. And the sprinkles……talk about a way to lift your mood. The visual alone creates giggles and laughter. You’ll see.

VALENTINE STATE-OF-MIND

Ingredients for Cookies:

1 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 large egg yolks

2 1/4 cups flour

Ingredients for Frosting:

1 ounce cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk, as needed

Pink Sprinkles, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, and egg yolks until blended. Add flour, one cup at a time, mixing as you go, until just combined. Shape dough into a ball. Place on top of a baking mat and roll out to 1/4” thickness. Chill dough 15 minutes. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, place cookies about an inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. While cookies are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, combine together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add almond extract and salt. Stir. Add I cup of powdered sugar, followed by one tablespoon of milk until all the powdered sugar is used. Mix on high speed, using a hand mixer. For light and fluffy results repeat until all milk is used. Spread frosting on cooled cookies. Add sprinkles, if desired. Store in an airtight container.