How to Make a Valentine Cookie Bouquet From Scratch

Jean—a creative self-taught cook with a passion for helping people develop their cooking skills—has worked as a cooking instructor.

Make This!

Or This!

This is an Intermediate Cookie Bouquet

Today we will be using an electric mixer. We will also be using a regular oven for the upright cookie bouquet as the cookie sticks won't fit in the toaster oven. It won't matter which oven you use for the flat bouquet we are going to make.

This recipe also requires freezer space for the cookie sheet of cut-out cookies before they are baked.

We will be using either icing bags or squeeze bottles for the border and the flood icings on the cookies, so steady your hand and get ready!

A Word About Upright Cookie Bouquets

If you have never make cookie "pop" type cookies before you have to be very careful inserting the sticks and making sure the sticks are firmly in the cookies. There is nothing like having the cookies break, after you have taken the time to make and decorate them.

All the instructions you will need are below but it may be wise to experiment with the cookie sticks when there is more time and this is not a gift. The flat version will be just as welcome as the upright version.

It is very wise to make a few more cookies than you will need in case there are any accidental breakages.

How Long Does it Take, how Much Does it Make?

Directions for Flat Cookie Bouquet at a Glance

• Gather your ingredients together.
• Measure the flour and salt, sift them together, then set aside.
• In an electric mixture measure the butter and sugar into the mixing bowl and beat until it is light and fluffy.
• Beat in the egg, scraping the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Keep mixing until it is well blended.
• Carefully dump the reserved flour mixture into the bowl and mix on low speed until it is combined. Low speed reduces the flour cloud that could develop.
• Scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure even mixing.
• Add the vanilla and lemon extracts and mix well.
• Remove the beaters from the bowl and scrape the dough from them.
• Gather the dough into a ball, then divide the dough in half.
• Form each half into a ball, flatten with your hand until it is about half as high as it was.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes, just long enough to set up the dough.
• Remove one dough ball from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface (or parchment paper) until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
• Slide the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, if you have not already done so, then onto a flat baking sheet with no sides, cut out your heart shapes.
• Remove the dough trimming and freeze the cut-outs for about 15 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 325 degrees F., remove the cookies from freezer and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.
• Let them cool for about 15 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
• Let them cool completely before decorating.
• Repeat with the dough scraps and the remaining ball of dough.
• Design how you want your cookie bouquet to look.
• Cut a piece of cardboard into the appropriate size.
• Cover it with colored gift wrap, then a layer of clear basket wrap
• When the cookies are cold, prepare your outline and flood icings

Directions for Upright Cookie Bouquet at a Glance

• Gather your ingredients together.
• Measure the flour and salt, sift them together, then set aside.
• In an electric mixture measure the butter and sugar into the mixing bowl and beat until it is light and fluffy.
• Beat in the egg, scraping the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Keep mixing until it is well blended.
• Carefully dump the reserved flour mixture into the bowl and mix on low speed until it is combined. Low speed reduces the flour cloud that could develop.
• Scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure even mixing.
• Add the vanilla and lemon extracts and mix well.
• Remove the beaters from the bowl and scrape the dough from them.
• Gather the dough into a ball, then divide the dough in half.
• Form each half into a ball, flatten with your hand until it is about half as high as it was.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes, just long enough to set up the dough.
• Remove one dough ball from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface (or parchment paper) until it is 1/4 inch thick.
• Cut out the hearts with a cookie cutter.
• Using an egg lifter, lift enough hearts onto the parchment paper lined cookie sheet to make one row on the long side of the pan.
• Taking a cookie stick, place your hand gently on the pointed end of the heart and push the stick into the cookie for at least two inches.
• Carefully lift the cookie with the egg lifter and peek underneath to see if any of the stick is showing through the cookie dough.
• If it is, gently flip the cookie over and lay it back on the cookie sheet, carefully patch over the area where the stick is, with scraps of dough, smoothing it with your fingers. There is no need to flip the cooking back over.
• Add a second row of cookies, in between the cookie sticks and the cookies, with the sticks going in the opposite direction to the first row.
• Freeze the cookie sheet for about 20 minutes to set up the dough.
• Remove the cookie sheet from the freezer and bake 325 degrees for about 13 to 15 minutes.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing. Do not remove the cookies from the cookie sheet until they are iced.
• Wrap each cookie stick with basket wrap or cookie bag.
• Place them decoratively into a vase or other container, stuffing the sides with tissue, paper, confetti or wrapping tinsel.

What you Will Need

The Ingredients (the Icing Ingredient List is Below)

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

The Tools you Will Need (The Icing Tools List is Below)

• an electric mixer
• a flour sifter or sieve
• a dry ingredient cup measure
• a teaspoon measure
• a half teaspoon measure
• an quarter teaspoon measure
• an egg lifter
• parchment paper
• a flat baking sheet with no sides

Measure one cup of Room-Temperature Butter Into the Mixing Bowl

Add one cup of Sugar and Half a Teaspoon of Salt

Beat With an Electric Mixer Until Well Combined and Fluffy

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Add the Egg and Beat Until it is Well Combined

Add the one and a Half Teaspoons of Vanilla and the one Quarter Teaspoon of Lemon Extract mix to Combine

It is Well Mixed

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Add the Three Cups of Sifted Flour and Slowly Mix to Combine