Sweets for your sweetheart: an (almost) belated Valentine's Day recipe

As an amateur baker, I’ve been obsessed with constantly learning what makes a good, fool-proof recipe for all my favorite things, and for the longest time the biggest intimidator in all the world for me was cookies. More specifically, rolled cut-out cookies.

Also as an avid reader, I’m obsessed with reading cookbooks like novels. I go through them from beginning to end and read each recipe, even if I’m not interested in making a specific one for myself.

When it comes to a beginner-friendly cookbook, Crazy about Cookies by Krystina Castella is exactly what I was looking for in a collection of recipes. Not only are the directions thorough and to the point, the recipes I’ve tried so far– including these cookies– taste great, which is the most important thing for me.

Castella’s format for recipes remind me in a way of a “textbook” style cookbook, where the ingredients are listed to the side of the instructions in their own box, which saves space on the page in case you’re like me and prefer to read from the book as you go. (No turning pages with floured hands!)

Not only are there tons of great recipes in this book, but the beginning section gives great tips on kitchen tools and baking techniques. The last section focuses on the ‘basic’ recipes for doughs, frostings, fillings, and icings.

And that’s where this recipe finally comes in. The base for these cookies is Castella’s basic Rolled Cutout Butter Cookie Dough, and to be honest it’s the best recipe I’ve found so far for a cutout cookie that doesn’t taste like cardboard.

To find recipe ingredients, grab yourself a copy of Crazy about Cookies, or check out the link to the recipe, which we found here at the Denver Post, for measurements and directions.

I also borrowed Castella’s recipe (from the book) for royal icing to decorate the cookies. I didn’t have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, so I created my own template and cut the hearts out by hand.