Simple gifts from the heart, made with loving hands
speak volumes about how much we care.
These sugar cookies, vanilla bean-flecked, buttery and sugary,
embellished with hearts and lace, sparkles and loving words
say so much.
They’re not perfect, but they don’t need to be
to speak the fullness of my heart,
to say,
“I care for you, I love you, be mine.”
I’ve recently discovered an amazing place where I’ve been spending lots of time exploring a sweet and pretty world. It’s the blog Sweetopia, from which I’ve drawn the inspiration and some design elements for these cookies. Do visit there; I’m sure that, like me, you won’t want to leave!
I have much to learn and skills to perfect in the cookie decorating department, but I so enjoyed creating these Valentine’s sugar cookies. Making these gave me the sense of calm and peace that comes when I engage in a creative pursuit. This was my first attempt at cookie decorating, and I’m delighted with the results. I like to think that the imperfections are part of their charm.
It was also lovely to have my Little Miss at my side Sunday afternoon while I was applying the icing, trying to get the knack of outlining and flooding with royal icing. And yes, she was rewarded with a cookie with her initial in the middle for being Nana’s colour consultant when it came to selecting which icings to use.
This evening I had the pleasure of delivering these treats to my children and grandchildren. It was such a pleasure to see their faces light up when presented with a bag of pretty cookies, tied with a ribbon. What a lovely Valentine’s gift for me!
The cookie hearts are so pretty
Thank you, Rutheh. I’m really quite pleased with how they turned out!
Cooking beside your grand children is the best!
Yes, it’s just wonderful. I’m looking forward to much more of this!
Marlene, this is your prettiest post….. absolutely beautiful!!!
Ah, that’s sweet! I’m glad you liked it (and of course, I already know how much you like the cookies!).
Cooking with kids is always wonderful. Lovely cookies.
I’m just starting to get my granddaughter involved in the kitchen with me, and it’s quite lovely. Thank you for the compliment!
They’re almost too pretty to eat… but they also look too delicious not to eat!
It seems like a dilemma, Meg, but I decided pretty quickly in favour of “too delicious not to eat”!
Well you certainly had a great Sunday with the Little Miss, didn’t you? Wouldn’t it be nice to spend every Sunday before Valentine’s Day baking with her? Fingers crossed …
You did a wonderful job on these cookies, Mar, and I bet each recipient was thrilled at such a thoughtful gift. Well done!
Thanks for the encouragement, John! It was a lot of fun making these cookies, and so sweet to have the Little MIss there to watch and pick icing colours. I’m already planning the next project where she can decorate her own cookies (not involving bags of icing!).
These are so beautiful, Marlene!
Thank you so much, Lisa. I’ve never made anything like this before, and I really enjoyed it. Wish I were close enough to drop some off at your house!
I so wish I lived nearer to you!!! Especially when you are making really visually appealing sweets…sweets, I will admit, appeal to me even when they aren’t presented so beautifully. Great job!
Thanks, Lisann! I think there’s going to be a lot more cookie decorating in my future; I really enjoyed this.
If you hadn’t said that this was your first time decorating cookies, I would have pegged you as an expert. You must be the rock star of your family right now after delivering these cookies. I’m very inspired right now Marlene …and hungry too!
Rock star! I like the sound of that! I’ve recently started exploring the world of cookie art and I’m so inspired to learn more. Even a beginner like me can make beautiful cookies.
Adam says: Nice cookies. Can you save one for me or are they all gone? (he says this on all your beautifully pictured recipes…a food connoisseur in the making, I am sure)
Oh dear, they”re all gone, but maybe I’ll be able to make something special for Easter!
Oh, Mar.. these are absolutely the prettiest Valentine’s cookies I’ve seen in a very long while!! I am so glad I didn’t miss this.. I leave for a little while and just look what you’ve been up to! A new blog make-over, these lovely cookies!! This is all so lovely! xx
Thank you, Barb; it means a lot to know you like these cookies. I was pretty happy with them as my first attempt at decorating cookies.
I just made-over the blog at the end of last week. I think the new design makes it easier for my visitors to get a sense of the variety of my posts and find their way around. Not as pretty as the old design, but more functional.
I’ve just redone mine.. after finding out that my blog had a dismal 12 seconds to load. I think it was the slideshow header. So I’m sacrificing pretty for functional.. kind of sad, but if it takes that long to load, readers will leave I think. I guess “minimal” is the new look for me, lol! I made Valentine’s cookies with my girlfriend, I taught her how to flood, etc with her kids.. and now I’ve got a batch ready to make here at home. I’m using yours for inspiration!! xx
There’s no lack of things to do (and fix) when you have a blog! Glad to hear my cookies inspired you. They were fun to make, and a think a little imperfection is part of the charm!
They sure did! Aren’t they just so much fun? Thanks for the inspiration!! xx
I know the Sweetopia site and yes, it’s amazing. I love the look of your special cookies and definitely, homemade gifts are the most treasured. They scream ‘love’. xx
My family was pretty happy to receive these. This year, I’m afraid I didn’t make anything for Valentine’s Day, so I hope I’m still coasting on the goodwill of last year’s cookies!