Valentine Pigs

Two design variations: A piped heart and a cookie heart.

My daughter Eleanor and my niece Maya asked me to make them Valentine cookies that they could give to their friends at school so I came up with these cute pink pig cookies.

The girls think the pigs are perfect - not mushy,  but fun and lighthearted and appropriate for all of their friends.

I experimented with a few designs and actually like the simplest one best (this is usually the case).

All the pigs need are an eye, bright snout and piped heart. This is a good design for beginning cookie decorators.

Here's how to decorate them:

Outline the pigs using a #1 pastry tip and piping consistency pink icing.

Flood the cookies using a #2 pastry tip and thinned flood consistency icing. Let the cookies dry completely before moving onto the next step.

Using a #1 tip and piping consistency dark purple icing, add the eye and heart. Using a small brush, add a touch of hot pink icing on the snout.

Scalloped Heart Cookies

Initially I envisioned a fancy design for these heart sugar cookies but once I had applied the hot pink scalloped edge and creamy light pink base, I just couldn't bring myself to embellish them.

The simple design was just too sweet.

These cookies are perfect for Valentine's Day and a good choice for beginning cookie decorators.

All you need are two contrasting colors - a piping consistency icing for the border and a flood consistency icing for the base.

Here's how to make them:

Bake a batch of heart sugar cookies.

Outline the cookie with a piping consistency icing using a #1 pastry tip.

Fill with a flood consistency icing using a #2 pastry tip. Use a skewer to move the icing to the edges.