
Even I'll admit it, I went a little bit overboard with the cookies for Valentines day. I prepped back in January when I did some test concepts and made a 5X batch of vanilla sugar cookies, but then I got the brilliant idea to try chocolate... and made 2 more batches. Basically too many shapes, too many cookies - I wound up with 150+ cookies after all was said and done, which is really more than anyone in their right mind really needs to decorate and give away.
As far as the chocolate goes, the color is a nice contrast, but I there's not enough cocoa in there to really give it a true chocolate taste (I replaced half a cup of the 3 cups of flour in my sugar cookie recipe with cocoa) and the use of vanilla really didn't improve the taste. I'm not really a chocolate cookie fan, but I'll try again in a couple of months.
As far as the chocolate goes, the color is a nice contrast, but I there's not enough cocoa in there to really give it a true chocolate taste (I replaced half a cup of the 3 cups of flour in my sugar cookie recipe with cocoa) and the use of vanilla really didn't improve the taste. I'm not really a chocolate cookie fan, but I'll try again in a couple of months.

I thought some of the best results I got were on these ruffled edge cookies. I started with a center heart shape as above in 15 second icing, but then I struggled with how to achieve the ruffled look. I initially tried scalloping the edge and beading around the center, then flooding the area in between but it was difficult to get the proper definition. I also tried scallops filled in with piped icing to create more depth but there was too much definition between the edges of the scallop and it made an unsightly 'bump'. Finally I think I got the proper method using a #2 tip and created a ruffled edge using a zig zag motion between the edge of the cookie and the initial shape. When that was dry I used lightly thinned piping consistency in white with a #1 tip to create a beaded accent between the two.