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Valentine Ladybug Cookies

Just in time for Valentine's Day, add a special touch of fun to your home with these adorable ladybug cookies.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 24
Author Melissa Coleman

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 egg yolks discard whites
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups gluten-free all purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 16 oz. tub of vanilla frosting
  • Chocolate frosting see additional ingredients
  • ½ cup mini chocolate chips
  • Pink or red food coloring
  • Candy eyes

Chocolate Frosting:

  • 1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¾ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ tablespoon milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • To make your Valentine ladybug cookies you will first want to prepare the heart sugar cookies.
  • Add sugar and softened butter to a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to mix on medium speed until combined and looks fluffy and light.
  • Add your egg yolks and vanilla to the bowl and beat for an additional 30 seconds.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk your salt in with your flour. Start the mixer on low speed and gradually add in your flour increasing to medium speed, mixing until fully combined.
  • Lay a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface.
  • Sprinkle with flour and add half of the cookie dough, placing the remaining cookie dough in the fridge.
  • Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour.
  • Add parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ¼” thickness.
  • Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies.
  • Use a spatula to carefully transfer the cookies to an ungreased baking sheet, leaving at least 1” in between cookies.
  • Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 8-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.
  • Allow the cookies to remain on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
  • While the cookies are cooling, prepare the chocolate frosting.
  • Add butter to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted.
  • Add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
  • Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and ½ tablespoon milk to the bowl. Stir until combined and smooth.
  • Add an extra splash of milk to the frosting if it is too thick.
  • Transfer the chocolate frosting to a sandwich bag and snip off a corner. Set aside.
  • Add the red food coloring to the vanilla frosting. Stir in additional food coloring until the desired color is achieved.
  • Transfer the frosting to a sandwich bag, snip off a corner, and set aside.
  • Decorate the cookies, starting with the chocolate frosting.
  • Pipe a circle of chocolate frosting onto the bottom of a heart-shaped cookie. 
  • Use the red vanilla frosting to pipe the ladybug wings. 
  • Add two candy eyes to the chocolate-frosted circle to create the ladybug face.
  • Place mini chocolate chips tip-side down onto the wings.
  • Melt 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips in the microwave and transfer the melted chocolate to a sandwich bag.
  • Snip off a very small corner of the bag and pipe two small antennae onto the cookie to complete the ladybug valentine cookie
  • Repeat this process until all cookies are decorated.