pink Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

It’s officially one week until Valentine’s Day and I have got some serious planning to do! I have yet to make a single treat or card and our V’day menu remains a blank sheet of paper. I figured a Valentine’s Day round-up was in order to spark some serious inspiration!

Cutout Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

These heart-shaped Cutout Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting have recently been our most popular post and for good reason! They are amazingly delicious cutout cookies without all the fuss that royal icing requires.

Valentine's Day M&M Cookies {from 2 Sisters 2 Cities}

I also love these these M&M cookies. While I made them for the first time last year for Valentine’s Day, I made them throughout the year with various colored M&Ms.

Golden-Oreo-Truffles

These Golden Oreo Truffles are only 5 ingredients and are perfectly easy to make for your sweetheart!

chocolate_covered_strawberries

It’s also a great time of year to make Chocolate-Covered Strawberries (or pretzels or bananas!)

3 Layer Brownies- chocolate chip cookies, Oreos, and brownies together in one bar!

Or you could package up these amazing Three Layer Brownies to give out as gifts for Valentine’s Day! The three layers include chocolate chip cookies, Oreos and brownies…wow!

Our Red Velvet Cupcakes were recently selected as part of the Blog Better Boston {hub}LINKS newsletter as part of their “Let’s Talk Love” round-up. Here were the other blog posts that were selected as part of this week’s theme:

hublinks-featured-blogger-LOVE

Looking to buy your sweetie a V-day gift? Mandy’s Money has a guide that covers gifts of various price points.
Who doesn’t love wedding photos? Lindsay’s Look takes us back to her wedding, 3 years ago.
DIY to your heart’s content with these Valentine’s Day DIYs (that aren’t cheesy) from Design Fixation.
Three words: Red. Velvet. Cupcakes. Two Sisters Two Cities has the recipe…and it involves cinnamon cream cheese icing.
This Valentine’s Day themed shoot from Stephanie Rita Photography is just too cute!
Want kissable lips? Cobbs Hill has the recipe for this two step process.
Inspired by grammar school valentines, Glitter Trim cooked up these adorable envelope cookies.
Wearing your heart on your sleeve is so last year! Style Tab recommends wearing it on your sunglasses instead.

Happy Valentine’s Day planning!

sister m signature

Cutout Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

As M and I have said previously, I have a freakishly good memory of my childhood, especially when food is involved. What can I say…I have always been a foodie! My family likes to play this game with me and quiz me on what I had to eat at specific times in my life.

I had a cup of Kool-Aid in my cabbage patch mug before my third birthday party. Then, when I was nine my mom took us to Friendly’s and I thought I was too old for the kids menu. I really wanted to order from the adult menu so I could get the slice of their watermelon ice cream cake that came with the meal. My mom had me split a BLT with her and then also split the watermelon roll. For my 10th birthday, we were in Annapolis MD because M was going to a lacrosse camp and I had popcorn shrimp and chocolate chip cheesecake at a nice restaurant near the water…. Need I go on?

Buttercream Frosted Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies

When I think of Valentines days, I automatically think of two things. One, chocolate covered potato chips that my dad use to bring home for us…. mmmm. Two, the heart-shaped sugar cookies with pink buttercream frosting and red sprinkles that my mom would make for us for when we got home from school that day.

I love all the variations of sugar cookies that are out there now. We have the soft sugar cookie with buttercream frosting and then the cut-out sugar cookie with the beautiful royal icing. Although my royal icing skills are getting a lot better and I was able to teach my sisters how to decorate cookies with royal icing over Christmas,I have to say that I am a little piped and flooded out. Plus, I made four batches for a baby shower in August. I have been meaning to show you how they turned out:

Baby Shower Cutouts

So I decided to make cookies like my mom use to and boy were they amazing. I actually ate them instead of drinking wine for the whole weekend and worked out extra to eat more. Now that’s a special cookie because I love my wine and don’t really enjoy working out. So with that being said, you need to make these cookies because they are delicious and super easy.

I Heart Buttercream Frosting
Plus, if you have children they will remember them forever and get a little weepy when thinking of how much they miss their mom across the country. Oh yeah, I went there. Happy Valentine’s Day Ya’ll. Also, I am thinking about everyone back East without power still from the storm (M being one of them Sad smile ) . Hope you get your power back to so you can get your house heated up and make these cookies, exactly in that order.

Cutout Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

A delicious buttery cutout cookie with buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies:

2 stick of unsalted butter (1 cup), at room temperature
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 egg
1½ tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp of salt
2½ cup of flour

Frosting:

½ stick of butter (1/4 cup), at room temperature
1½ –2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract.

Instructions

Cutout Sugar Cookies:

In a mixer bowl, beat the butter until smooth.
Add powder sugar and continue to mix. In a separate small bowl, beat egg.
Mix in beaten egg, both extracts, salt, and flour until combined.
Make dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, and then flatten dough to a disc (this will help it to chill faster in the fridge.) Place dough in the fridge until hard.
Preheat the 375 degrees.
Once the dough is ready, place on a well floured surface and roll out to ¼ inch thickness.
With cookie cutter, cut into shapes and place them on a greased sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until set, do not allow to brown.
Place cookies on wire rack to cool.
This makes around 20-24 cookies.

Buttercream Frosting:

Cream butter in bowl of mixer, add in 1 cups of confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla on medium speed. Beat until smooth and creamy, making sure to scrape down the sides to incorporate all of the ingredients. Gradually add in remaining confectioners’ sugar until the frosting is a good spreading consistency. Beat on medium high speed until light and fluffy, making sure not to over beat.
Add in food coloring to make desired color.
Spread frosting on cooled cutout cookies with an offset spatula or butter knife.
Sprinkle with your choice of sprinkles.

Source– Cookie adapted from Annie’s Eats, and frosting is a 2 Sisters 2 Cities’ original

Heart- Shaped Sugar Cookie with Buttercream Frosting
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