Red Heart Cookie Valentine's

Instead of sending the same 'ole Valentine's with my kids to school this year, I wanted to try something a little different.  I found this idea and recipe from A Spicy Perspective's Blog.  These look really cute and she has the tags you can print out to go with them also.  I think I'm going to have to triple the recipe however, to make enough for two classes :)-

Today I’ve got a little treat that is sure to make your loved ones feel celebrated this Valentine’s Day, Red Velvet Cookie Pops!

These Red Velvet Cookies are tender and moist with the subtle flavors of red velvet cake. After all, a red velvet cake is just a simple buttermilk cake with a little cocoa powder and a whole lot of food coloring.

Here I’ve mimicked the flavors of red velvet cake by adding cocoa, and a touch of vinegar to my favorite roll out cookie recipe. The vinegar gives the cookies a very mild twang, like buttermilk.

Then I made a thick (not fluffy) cream cheese frosting to “glue” the red velvet cookies together on lollipop sticks. The frosting hardens just enough to keep the red velvet cookies fastened to the sticks.

These sweet little tags, will make your Valentine offerings even more special, with space to personalize them.

I made these free printable tags using graphics from CocoaMint.com (with permission from the owner to share them with you.) CocoaMint.com offers an array of affordable cute-and-clean graphics to make homemade birthday invitations, cards, and crafts really stand out. For more Valentine graphics and ideas, make sure to check out the site!

FREE PRINTABLE TAGS FOR VALENTINES DAY

To Use:

• Click Here to Print. Print button on the top left corner. (White cardstock recommended.)
• Trim the tags and punch a hole on the top of each tag.
• Tie each tag to a red velvet cookie pop with ribbon or string.

PRINT
SAVE

YIELD: 16-17 COOKIE POPS

PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES ACTIVE TIME

COOK TIME: 6-8 MINUTES

Red Velvet Cookie(s) Pops

Ingredients:

For the Red Velvet Cookies:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1/4 tap. salt
• 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour + extra for rolling
• 1/4-1/2 red food coloring gel

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar + extra for sprinkling
• 16-17 lollipop sticks

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until extremely light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Then add the vanilla, vinegar and egg and beat until well combined.
2. Then beat in the salt, cocoa powder and food coloring, scrape the bowl and beat again for even coloring. Add the flour slowly and beat until just combined. Press the dough flat on a piece of plastic wrap, and wrap well. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Flour a work surface, then roll the dough evenly to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 inch heart cookie cutter, cut out the cookies close together. Use a small spatula to carefully move them to the cookie sheets. Gather the remaining dough and reroll and cut to get 32-34 cookies. (Cut the cookies close together and do not roll the dough more than twice, or the cookies will be tough.)
4. Bake for 6-8 minutes. They should come out of the oven soft, not crisp. Cool completely on the baking sheets.
5. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, and salt together. Slowly add the powdered sugar until smooth. Place the frosting in a piping bag.
6. Turn half of the cookies over and pipe a thick ribbon of frosting in a V shape on the flipped cookies. Press a lollipop stick into the frosting, then gently press another cookie on top to flatten out the frosting. Allow the red velvet cookie pops to dry a bit (30 minutes) for the frosting to set up and hold the cookie on the stick. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.