Please don't make me choose between sugar cookies or flowers on Valentine's Day... they're both wonderful but... cookies would win. 🙂 If you're looking for an easy activity to do with kiddos, a simple gift for your friends, a teacher gift or even something to do at a Galentine's brunch- making a DIY Valentine cookie decorating kit is something anyone can do! And anyone would love to receive! You'll only need a few things to get started.
Make Your Cookies
This is my sugar cookie recipe, and it will make you around 2 dozen normal sized heart cookies. Here's a link to my go-to heart cookie cutter, it's a classic and available at most stores. Depending on how many kits you're making you may want to make a double or a half batch. Typically I think 4-6 cookies per kit is the perfect amount! Although I am incredibly partial to this recipe... if you aren't wanting to make cookies from scratch you can definitely just use a mix. 🙂
Prep Your Icing
Before you start making your icing, make a list of the colors you're wanting to make. I recommend gel food coloring, and one thing I love about it is that you can make various shades of your color based on how much food coloring you use. A little goes a long way, start with one small drop! For example, for Valentine's cookies you may want to have some white icing, a pink and a red icing. For a cookie decorating kit maybe add 3-4 things of icing.
Here's my royal icing recipe you can use. It's really simple because it's a one-consistency icing, so you don't have to make separate colors for the outline and flood. Once you have your base icing ready, divide it into your 4 bowls, or however many colors you're planning to add with each decorating kit.
From there, you'll take your piping bag (I love this brand of disposable ones, you can also find these piping bags on amazon if you're in a time pinch) and fill it with 2 tbsps (or pour about 2 spoonfuls) into the bag. Tie tightly to close. Repeat with each color until you have 16 bags, or as many for the kits as you're wanting to make. You can also use zip lock baggies for this step if you don't have access to piping bags, just close it firmly and include directions to snip the end off.
Add a little baggie of sprinkles and you have everything you need to build your Valentine's cookie decorating kits!
Looking for other Valentine's content?
Packaging the Kits
Box up your cookies, adding some shredded paper or tissue paper, some fun sprinkles, your icing and the cookies. You can use all kinds of things for packaging. I had these kraft paper boxes on hand so am using them and simply tied the box with yarn and a packet of sprinkles on top. The Target Dollar spot is a great resource! This year they have all kinds of fun things like little mailboxes and heart boxes that would be perfect.
Tips
- If you're cookies are going to be sitting for a few days I'd recommend heat sealing them, or at least putting them in zip lock baggies so that they stay fresh.
- If you don't have piping bags you can use ziplock baggies too. Just make sure it's sealed really well and snip the end off the bag with scissors.
- If you want an extra little touch of magic you can add a few design ideas/suggestions and a cute note. Tada! You have Valentine's cookie decorating kits ready to share.
- Mix up the colors! If you're making this for a teacher use your school colors, if for a sports fanatic go with their favorite team or add a football helmet cookie for your biggest football fan. This is such an easy way to customize a Valentine's cookie kit and a benefit to making it at home!
- Pair this with some melted crayons in a cute baggie and whatever friend you give this to will have an activity AND a fun treat.
This would be such a fun activity for a Galentine's party too! If you have any questions let me know in the comments, I hope you try these Valentine cookie kits, thanks for letting me share!
xoxo,
Claire
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