Valentine’s Cut-Out Cookies with Pomegranate Glaze

It was cold and rainy in Zagreb today so the kids and I made these delicious cookies for Valentine’s, using an all-natural food dye – pomegranate juice!  I have a recipe for the Best Sugar Cookies that we make in normal cookie form, but I used this recipe so we could do cut-outs together. It was so easy that I wanted to share the recipe with you and have it written down to be our new go-to for Easter and Christmas cookie decorating, too.  I love having John Shea help me in the kitchen (Gracie brought her toys and books and sat on the floor before “rearranging” all of the drawers again;)) and having cookies that my babies worked hard on!

If you’re looking for a simple recipe to use with your kids, this one is absolutely worth a try! I am trying to savor every day with our little toddlers before our baby girl arrives, and baking cookies and reading their favorite books about a hundred times each today was a fun way to have some quality time together. Let me know if you try this one — I am working on so many wonderful recipes behind the scenes right now that I can’t wait to be able to share with you soon!

Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs c/o Alton Brown
makes about 3 dozen

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
powdered sugar for rolling dough

(I upped the baking powder and added vanilla)

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, 180 degrees C. (Recipe calls for 375 degrees F)

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

For a simple and thin glaze, I combined 1/4 C sifted powdered sugar, 1 TBS milk and squeezed in juice from a halved pomegranate to make it pink. Use about 1 tsp for a soft pink or 1 TBS or more for a rich pink. You can double or triple this little recipe depending on how many cookies you’re frosting. Add more powdered sugar for a thicker frosting, though I prefer it thin – less sugar! 🙂