Valentine’s Slice N’ Bake Cookies

I know what you are all thinking, this recipe is going to take a while and you rather do something that is quick and easy. Didn’t they say though that food is the way to the heart? So, why not take the time to bake this delicious treat from the heart to show your special someone just how much they mean to you! Here’s the recipe:

Prep Time: 15mins                               Freezing Time: 30mins                         Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup Leaner Creamer Coconut Sugar
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons Leaner Creamer Peppermint Mocha
• pink and red gel food coloring
• valentine’s day nonpareil sprinkles

Instructions

1 In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside.

2 Place sugar and oil in a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer beat until creamy. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and LC Peppermint Mocha; beat.

3 Spoon the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix gently until incorporated and dough forms with a spatula.

4 Pull out ⅓ of the dough, divide into 2 - dye one section red and the other pink. Knead the dough until the color is incorporated, then roll the colored dough to about ½ inch thick.

5 Use a lightly floured 1” cookie cutter to cut out your shapes and then re-roll the scraps to make as many hearts as you can. Line up the hearts on a piece of plastic wrap, then wrap them in plastic and stick them in the fridge for 30 minutes.

6 Begin to roll the outside dough into long narrow ropes, 10 minutes before the hearts come out of the fridge. The ropes need to be long enough to cover all of the center cut-outs length-wise.

7 Place the ropes around the hearts and gently press until the hearts are completely covered.

8 Place some nonpareil sprinkles in a baking dish, and gently roll the cookie dough in the sprinkles, covering all of the sides. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

9 After the dough has been refrigerated, slice it into about ½” thick cookies. Place them on a baking sheet, at least 1” apart, and bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.

10 Allow the cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.