Valentine’s Day is a meaningful holiday that reminds us to show kindness and appreciation to others. Sweet treats have long been a popular Valentine’s gift, symbolizing love, care, and the joy of sharing something special. Sweet treats are like tiny love notes you can taste, making them a perfect gift for Valentine’s Day. Here are some recipes for chocolate cookies or gluten-free cookies to make for a special someone.
Chocolate cookie ingredients
- ▢ :¾ cup (170 grams) salted or unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 ½ cup (300 grams) granulated sugar
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- 2 large eggs
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- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour (see Notes about measuring correctly)
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- ⅔ cup (60 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (see Notes)
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- 1 teaspoon baking soda
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- ½ teaspoon salt
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- Coarse sugar or salt , for sprinkling (optional)
STEPS: Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment,mix the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and creamy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the mixer and mix until just combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed to make sure it’s mixed evenly.
- Scoop by the rounded tablespoon onto the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake until edges are crisp and the tops just barely appear set, about 9 minutes. Baking times may vary based on your oven and cookie size!
- Immediately sprinkle with coarse sugar or salt while cookies are still hot. If they’re misshapen, use a spatula to push them back into a circle. Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes around 5-15 , then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for several days (if they last that long!).
Gluten-free cookies:
- Gluten-Free all-purpose flour. Use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour made for baking
- Eggs
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter in these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
- Granulated sugar.
- Light brown sugar.
- Chocolate chips. Choose your favorite variety of chocolate chips.
STEPS : In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy – about 1 minute. Then, add egg and vanilla and mix it until its fully combined. Once the wet ingredients are well-mixed, add the dry ingredient mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Lastly, add the chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed throughout the dough, either by hand or by mixing them in on low speed. Use a small cookie scoop to measure out 1 ½ Tablespoon portions of dough, then roll into balls and place on prepared baking sheets at least 2” apart. Bake in a preheatedin preheated oven for 9-10 minutes, or until cookies are barely set. At las,t let the cookies cool for about 10-20 minutes and enjoy!
