Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. I forget every year. Before I know it the day is here and my kids are supposed to have cards and treats and decorated mailboxes. I blame my husband. When you don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day in any way, it’s easy for it to slip your mind. No flowers, no candy, no…fun.

But it is fun to celebrate the holiday of love with my littles, and celebrate we do. Cookies come up first. These ones are easy to get put together and are great for Valentine’s Day snacks, as the thick sides make for easy grabbing by smaller-sized fists. Just one batch of dough pressed in a pan. No rolling and cutting, for that comes after. It leaves plenty of time for signing cards and cutting out paper hearts.

Now, time to find a few empty shoe boxes and the aluminum foil for that mailbox decorating session.

Valentine’s Day Heart Sugar Cookie Bars
adapted (barely) from My Baking Addiction
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream together butter and sugar. With the mixer still running on medium speed, add in one egg at a time. Add vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and cardamom. Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir until incorporated. Spread on a greased 13×8 baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-17 minutes until top just starts to turn golden brown. Cool and cut heart shapes in the dough. Worried about the extra scraps? Set those aside and see below.

Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons milk
red gel food coloring

Beat together butter, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time until combined. Mix in milk until smooth and desired spreading consistency. Add in food coloring until pink or red. Spread over cookie hearts or pipe with a decorator’s bag and tip. Sprinkle with silver ball decorations or other Valentine’s Day sprinkles.

What to do with the leftover cookie scraps? Sugar Cookie Truffles, of course! Or use them for a cheesecake crust. Cheesecake with a cookie crust? Drool. Photo courtesy of the talented Katie of GoodLife Eats.

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