Sweetheart Cookies

Continued from my Sweetheart Cookie Box Post...
(To learn how I made the box or to see the box in detail, go to that post)

Once the box was completed it was time to make the cookies.   First I used my favorite roll out cookie recipe and used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut them out.

Once the cookies were baked and cooled I made my royal icing in a double batch.  Take out about 1/8th of the icing and put it into a sealed container (such as a Chinese Take Out soup container).  With the remaining icing prepare it for the cookie glaze.  To thin out royal icing for a smooth and shiny cookie glaze you only need to add more water.  Here is the trick though, add water 1 tbsp at a time until you have the desired consistency.  There is no correct amount of water to add because it can vary based on so many things, like the temperature, humidity, altitude.   Usually I find about 2-3 extra Tbsp will do it.   To much liquid will make the icing to soft and you will lose that glossy finish.  Though sometimes that look is preferred.

Pink, Orange, Blue and Purple Sweetheart Cookies.  You can see here a peach 
cookie, this is what happens when you don't add enough coloring.

Modeling off of the real sweetheart candies I divided the icing into 6 bowls.  Be sure to cover each bowl with a wet clothe when you are not using it.  I dyed each bowl a different sweetheart color... pink, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.   I used the bowl that had the most icing in it as pink, because lets face it, there are more pink sweethearts then any other color in every box.  For the orange and yellow be sure to use a lot of color but add it a little at a time.  While the sweethearts are generally pastel, they are not peach, they are orange, so you want the colors to be light but also bright.

Once you have your colors made divide up your cookies and spread the colored royal icing on each cookie.  Let them sit overnight.

Once the cookies have hardened take your remaining icing (the icing you separated out before increasing the water) and dye it red.  You want it to be vividly red so it stands out among the pink hearts.  I recommend the Holiday Red gel or even using a bit of the red liquid food coloring to get it started, though you don't want to use to much because adding any liquid will soften the icing.

Put the red icing in a piping bag and using a thin round tip (I used a 4) pipe your sayings.   I looked up sweetheart sayings and used about 30 of the ones I liked the most.  I made more say Be Mine and True Love then any other saying, because percentage wise, you see these the most.  Other sayings I used included... Only You, Sweet Talk, #1 Fan, You Rock, Love, Got Love, You & Me, Me & You, I (heart) You, Heat Wave, Miss You, Angel, Call Me, Let's Kiss, Soul Mate, All Mine, Be Good, Love Me, Love Bug, Tweet Me, Only You, Sweet Love, You're Cute, Hug Me, Smile, UR Hot, Text Me, & Cute.   Some here are so many others that I didn't even use.   Some like Tweet Me or Miss You I only used once, most I did at least twice.    There are so many other sayings I didn't even use because I didn't like them or they didn't make sense for my husband, like Pick Me, I Hope, Love Her, Love Life, UR Star, I'm Sure, Cutie Pie... the list goes on and on because they have changed the sayings with the times. 

The best part is, you don't have to write on them perfectly straight and centered every time.   Have you ever gotten a box of sweethearts where each text is printed right in the middle of every heart?  I haven't.   So no pressure.

Once the hearts were complete and 100% dry I laid the box down, opened the flap and very carefully placed each cookie into the box.  I don't recommend standing the box up as it will probably cause the cookies to break.  But my roll-out cookie recipe allows for some flexibility in cookies, while other recipes I have tried they would have broken immediately.  Once the box is fully loaded and you are happy with the way they look in front of your cellophane window, use double sided tape to seal the top flap.  Now you have a Valentines Day gift that your loved one will enjoy!