Baseball Valentine Cookies are a great treat for baseball fans and cookie lovers alike. The marbled red and white design, combined with the baseball stitching, adds a creative touch to your Valentine's Day festivities.
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour. 1 teaspoon baking powder. 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1 cup unsalted butter, softened. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar. 1 large egg. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Red food coloring. White icing for decorating. Red icing for stitching.
Instructions: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a dough forms. Divide the dough in half. Add red food coloring to one half and knead until the color is evenly distributed. Wrap both dough halves in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350F 175C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take a small amount of each dough and roll them into thin ropes of equal length. Twist the red and white ropes together to create a marbled effect, then shape into a heart shape on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cookies are completely cool, use white icing to outline the heart shape. Use red icing to create baseball stitching on top of the heart shape. Allow the icing to set before serving or packaging the cookies.