Happy Hearts Day! My family does not go over the top for this celebration. But I do respect those who are into details and preparations in celebrating it with their loved ones.

For me, I will prepare a home cooked dinner and indulge in something sweet after. Nothing fancy, the most important thing, I will be sharing it with the most important people in my life. My parents, husband, and daughter. My son, however is away for a four day retreat but I know he will have a great Valentine’s Day as well.

To share the love, I baked Heart Stained Glass Cookie for my daughter’s classmates and teachers at school. I used the recipe for the No Fail Sugar Cookie of Fancy Flour. For the stained glass effect which really add drama, I crushed the Jolly Rancher (or any hard candies like Lifesaver) and sprinkle it to the hollowed-out centers of the cookies. By the way, I used a smaller heart cookie cutter to cut into the centers of cookies. Just a note, try to keep the crushed candy within the center to avoid coloring the cookie. Let the cookie cool completely before removing to avoid the candy from separating from the cookie dough. Also, line your cookie sheet with Silpat or parchment paper so cookies will not stick to the cookie sheet.

Sprinkles can be added to the cookie also for fun and color. It may not have the stained glass effect but makes the cookie look pretty. It is easy to create a heart shape using the sprinkle by pressing the smaller heart cookie cutter gently to the cookies before baking. Doing so will leave a mark or guide in the center of the cookies and it is easy to just fill it with the sprinkles.

Again, Happy Valentine’s Day!