A Valentine’s Day cookie bouquet is a great way to show how much you care, whether it is for co-workers or that special someone. Homemade cookies are almost always welcome, and the cookie bouquet is a great way to enhance an old fashioned treat.
Begin by gathering what you will need for your cookie bouquet, a basket, bowl, bud vase, an old enamel cup just something to use for a base. The size of the base will determine how many cookies you will need, for example one or two cookies for a bud vase. If a larger base is used, a piece of Styrofoam or florists foam can be covered in gift wrap or tissue paper and glued in the base to hold the cookie stems. You will need either a sugar cookie mix or use the recipe included, you can also use a sugar cookie roll found in the refrigerator section at your local grocery store. You will need a variety of heart shaped cookie cutters, wooden skewers for stems, and some decorating items, which can be as simple as colored sugar crystals or as detailed as you want. Some favorites for decorating, white and chocolate chips melted for dipping, frosting, glaze, candy hearts, and other cake décor items generally in red and white theme.
Before preparing cookies cut skewers (Popsicle sticks will work) to a variety of lengths creating a more interesting bouquet, use sand paper or an emery board on the cut end of skewers to smooth them, soak skewers in water briefly while you roll out the cookie dough. This will help prevent them from burning while the cookies bake.
Sugar Cookie recipe: First set oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together until creamy, ½ cup butter or margarine
2 egg
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder.
Stir in 2 cups flour this should make a fairly stiff dough. Divide dough into quarters, flour work surface lightly and working with one quarter at a time roll dough to about one third inch thickness slightly thicker than standard sugar cookies. Cut out heart shaped cookies in several sizes. Place cookies one at a time on a cookie sheet insert the flat end of a moist skewer into each cookie before placing the next cookie on the sheet, be careful to leave room for expansion so that no skewer goes into or over another cookie. You may choose to sprinkle colored sugar crystals on part of the cookies at this time.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Cool 5 minutes on pan then remove to cooling
rack you can also complete cookie cooling on a dish towel sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar.
Melt chocolate or white chocolate chips (use a container large enough to dip all or half of largest cookie) over warm water. Dip only cookies baked without sugar crystals or décor. Lay on waxed paper or plastic wrap place any candy decorations on at this time, the place in refrigerator until chocolate is dry to touch.
Decorate cookies with frosting as desired allow frosting to set. To maintain freshness wrap each heart cookie individually in plastic wrap, (colored wrap if you choose). Gather the wrap around the skewer at the base of each cookie, tie with ¼ inch gift wrap ribbon leaving sufficient ribbon to curl or tie in a bow.
Arrange cookies in the prepared base, start by pushing the pointed end of the skewer into the foam, tallest cookies in the center of the arrangement. It is generally more attractive if you mix different types of decorated cookies, for example mix unfrosted sugar sprinkled cookies with dipped and frosted cookies at the various levels.
Add finishing touches to the arrangement by scattering paper heart confetti, bits of curled tissue, or conversation hearts around the base. Red and/or white bows or even a red and white gingham bow can provide a finishing touch.
