Favorite Valentine's Baked Good

I love all baked goods. I mean I LOVE them ALL. So it's hard to just pick one. However the first thing that came to mind were sugar cookies. They are so simple. And the beauty is that you can cut them out as hearts and decorate them with messages for that special someone in your life. Or in my case those special someones.

Here is a basic sugar cookie recipe:

For the cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until soft and creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Add in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour and continue to mix until smooth. Chill dough until firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Roll out dough on a well floured surface until it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies with floured cookie cutters and carefully transfer them to the prepared cookie sheets. Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes. Cookies should NOT brown. Let cool completely before frosting.

I got this recipe from Cake and Allie. She has a lovely picture of her cookies with royal icing. They are lovely! I just wish I had the patience to decorate that intricately.

So tell me, what is your favorite Valentine's Day baked good?

5 Valentine's Day Dates

For me, simple is better. Simple seems to take some thought, but is ultimately pretty easy. Five Valentine's Day Dates that I would enjoy are:

1. A nice long hike with my honey.
2. A picnic lunch.
3. Home cooked dinner in. And I mean home cooked by my honey.
4. A day at the beach.
5. I could even go for a movie on the couch.

I doesn't take much to amuse me. I would love to do these things with my honey alone, but they are all kid friendly "dates".

What is your ultimate Valentine's Day Date?