Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookie

• 2.5 cups premium flour + extra for working with the dough
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp coarse salt
• 165 g butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• Special equipment: heart-shaped cookie cutters in different sizes (e.g. 7 cm and 4 cm)

Glaze

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. l. milk
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• Red gel food coloring
• Pink gel food coloring
• Toppings (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cookie:
   
   In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture, and mix until the dough comes together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes.
   
   
   When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and remove any excess. Scooping flour directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact it, resulting in dry baked goods.
4. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper to a thickness of 0.3 cm. Cut out hearts from the dough and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2.5 cm apart (a spatula will make it easier to transfer the dough). Once you've cut out the hearts from both pieces of dough, combine the scraps, roll out again, and cut out as many cookies as possible.
5. Bake until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking, 12-14 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. If you prefer softer cookies, bake them for 2-3 minutes less..
6. Glaze:
   
   Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. The glaze should have the consistency of slightly thinned yogurt and coat the back of a spoon. Add more powdered sugar or milk if needed.
7. Place 2 tablespoons of frosting in two small bowls. Add 4 drops of red gel food coloring to one bowl and 2 drops of pink gel food coloring to the other and stir until fully incorporated. Using a small spoon, drizzle each color of frosting onto the white frosting, then run a toothpick through the frosting several times to create a marbled effect.
8. Working with one cooled cookie at a time, carefully dip it face down into the icing, letting any excess drip back, then return it to the wire rack. Add more red and pink icing to the large bowl of white icing as needed to maintain the marbled effect.
9. Decorate the cookies with sprinkles (if using) and let the icing set completely, about 4-5 hours.