Looking for a fun, festive goodie for the Valentines in your life? Look no further. These easy Valentine Cookies are a scrumptious treat and gorgeous when packed up for gifts.
The recipe is a little riff on my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe – which originates from America’s Test Kitchen. The chocolate chip cookie was the recipe that piqued my interest in food science all those years ago, and cookies remain one of my favorite ways to experiment in the kitchen. However, when I need a basic cookie that always pleases…it’s this one. Fellow cookie lovers, this cookie will not disappoint.
What makes these easy valentine cookies “bakery-style?”
- Appearance. They are beautiful. The cookies are huge, studded with brightly colored candies, and perfectly golden.
- Texture. This recipe yields a thick and chewy cookie. The edges are just barely crispy enough to beg for a dunk in milk, and the centers are deliciously chewy. The extra egg yolk, high brown sugar content, melted butter, and large size all contribute to this “bakery-style” texture.
- Flavor. It’s a super-sized version of the classic chocolate chip cookie – so much to love.
A few things to point out when you make this recipe:
- You don’t have to chill the dough before baking, but it helps if you want to minimize spread and maximize awesomeness.
- Don’t add too many cookies to the baking sheet. These are BIG cookies. We usually bake 5 cookies at a time.
- We recommend baking these cookies one tray at a time because it helps ensure an even bake.
- These cookies freeze so well. You can freeze the cookie dough pre-bake, or the cookies post-bake. We always make a double-batch of this recipe. Since the cookies are quite large, the batch-yield is low. And we never have a problem getting rid of these treats!
Bakery-Style, Easy Valentine Cookies
Fabulous original recipe from America's Test Kitchen!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- scant tsp Salt
- 12 Tbs Butter Melted
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract the good stuff
- 1 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup Pink and Red Chocolate Candies
Instructions
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In a coffee mug or small bowl, melt the butter and cool.
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In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix dry ingredients with a fork to combine. Set aside.
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Add cooled butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until creamy, approx 2 minutes.
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Add egg and egg yolk to the butter mixture. Mix to combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
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One cup at a time, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in the stand mixer. Start mixing at low speed so flour doesn't fly out everywhere - then increase speed to medium until dry ingredients are just incorporated. No need to overmix.
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Pour chocolate chips and chocolate candies into dough, and mix on low speed until fully incorporated.
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Optional step: refrigerate dough for a few hours. This will help the cookies be extra thick and chewy - beautiful, bakery-style gigantic cookies. But the cookies are still good without this extra fridge step. Your call.
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Spoon dough onto prepared baking sheets. Big spoonfuls are key here - smaller cookies will not achieve the same texture as large cookies for this recipe. Use approx 1/4 cup of cookie dough for each cookie. I usually get 5 cookies per cookie tray.
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Bake cookies (1 tray at a time) for 15-20 minutes at 325 degrees F. Take them out of the oven when the edges are golden and slightly crispy and centers are just set.
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Wrap up the cookies for your Valentines! Or, eat them yourself. I always make a double batch. 😉
Recipe Notes
This recipe originated from America's Test Kitchen - Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. The original recipe is fabulous! Big, gorgeous cookies every time.Â
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