Happy Valentine’s Day!!! As a tradition at work, we decorate a brown paper bag and on Valentine’s day we give each other cards and treats. I wanted to make something special and different so I looked up some cookie recipes. One that intrigued me was stamped cookies using a cookie stamp. I decided to try them out.

The recipe I found was Almond Short Bread cookies. They looked simple to make and the pictures looked cute. I searched in many different stores to look for cookie stamps but couldn’t find any that I wanted to use. I decided to be creative and find something else that could work. After searching long and hard, I found rubber stamps that are used for soaps. Hmm… I wonder if it would work.

For this recipe I wanted to make a double batch of cookies because there was 13 bags at the office. Each recipe makes 15 cookies. First I put 2 cups of softened butter in the mixer. Then I slowly added 1 1/2 cups sugar. I mixed it until it became a light yellow colour.

I added 2 teaspoons of almond extract.

To go with the Valentine’s theme I wanted to make pink cookies. The best time to mix in the food colour would be before the flour. You want an intense colour because the flour dulls the colour.

Once the dye is evenly mixed, add 4 2/3 cups of flour slowly. Make sure the flour is mixed well. The dough should be a nice thick consistency.

To prepare the stamp, put some flour onto a plate. The stamp will be to be dusted with flour every time you stamp a cookie.

Prepare the dough into small balls. I use a small melon baller to make sure the dough is the same size. Roll the dough out into balls.

When the dough is ready, coat the stamp with flour and press into the dough.

Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes or until brown. When the cookies are ready take the pan out of the oven and let the cookies cool a bit before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Bag them up with gift tags and give them for Valentine’s day!

http://bakeat350.blogspot.ca/2014/02/stamped-almond-shortbread-cookies.html

Stamped Almond Shortbread Cookies

{makes 15}

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
electric pink food coloring 
2 & 1/3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dipping the stamps

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.  Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, salt and sugar together until fluffy.  Beat in the almond extract and pink food coloring.

{You’ll want the dough to be fairly bright at this stage, as the flour will mute the color a bit.} On low speed, add in the flour, mixing until combined.

Spoon some flour onto a plate for dipping the stamps (or the bottom of a glass) before pressing into the dough.  Use a pastry brush to brush off the excess.

Roll the dough into 2″ balls.  Press the floured stamps into the balls of dough.

Trim off the excess if desired. Bake for 12 minutes.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

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