There are so many wonderfully creative Valentine’s Day cookie ideas we’ve featured over the years (we even have a whole new Pinterest board devoted to Valentine’s day treats and recipes) but honestly, I know my teen isn’t into the cutesie puns — let alone understanding cookies designed to look like snail-mailed Valentines. (A letter, what’s that?)
So I’ve scoured the web for some really cool Valentine cookies and found a few of varying levels of difficulty that I think teens will love. They’re a great weekend project for them to take on by themselves, or a cool idea to whip up for a Valentine’s gathering with friends.
Not that teens won’t devour anything at all with flour and sugar and butter at its core but you know. These are just cooler.
Related: 8 delicious last-minute Valentine’s Day treats you can eat all year long.
Like Bubble Valentine’s Cookies, The Sprinkle Factory
Toni Miller’s treats are always so creative and fun, and her site is a particularly good source for holiday treats like Valentine’s Day. How fab are these like bubble cookies? You know — that little red bubble that bounces up with a heart and a 1 in it? If you follow our own Instagram stories on @coolmompicks, you’re definitely familiar with it.
She’s got great instructions on her site for making this, but I bet you can use a shortcut if you want to skip the fondant. Just ice the cookies or use a red food-safe pen like the Wilton Food Writer (just $5 from our affiliate Amazon or find them in craft and baking shops) and draw some hearts yourself.
Feminist Valentine’s Cookies, Hello Giggles
Sure, it’s kind of just a clever rebranding of the idea of Galentine’s Day sayings on conversation heart cookies, but Hello Giggles has a fun idea for teens (and other lady-folk) who prefer a GRL on their cookie instead of a QT-PIE. The link to the recipe goes nowhere, but any sugar cookie recipe will do, then decorate with royal icing and get out that Wilton Food Writer for the sayings.
Guess what? You don’t even have to use pink!
Jughead Crown Riverdale Cookies, Just Jenn Recipes
While not specifically for Valentine’s Day, I think these are just perfect, thanks to that little heart on the hat. Leave it to my very favorite pop culture aficionado, Jenn Fukikawa, to come up with something totally awesome for Riverdale fanatics (I happen to have one at home so, I know, I know) — and also cool for boys and girls who aren’t so down with the cute pink heart stuff but still like their Valentine’s Day treats.
Sorry, they don’t come with a visit from Cole Sprouse. But hey, maybe if you make these and tag him on Insta he’ll give you a like?
Downton Abbey Black Lace Valentine’s Cookies, Bake at 350
If your teens are more Downton Abbey than Riverdale, Bake at 350 has an idea worth checking out. (She has so many great Valentine’s cookie ideas, in fact. Check her site!) These clever Valentine’s Cookies feel perfectly turn-of-the- (last) century and I love the black lace idea in general. In fact, you can just skip the Bates/Anna references and go goth with black lace Valentine’s cookies. How’s that for cool?
Related: 5 ways to turn a pan of brownies into an easy Valentine’s Day dessert for the kids.
Valentine’s Day Voodoo Doll Cookies, Sprinkle Bakes for the Etsy Blog
Want to go even more macabre? I’m down with that. So is Heather Baird of Sprinkle Bakes (oof, I love her) who put together this genius, step-by-step tutorial for a Voodoo Doll cookie. I don’t think you have to go as detailed as she did though — it’s mainly a gingerbread man cookie shape, with food pen eyes, a very clever trick for making that heart, and then a few pins. I know you can do this! Or at least your intrepid teens.
Surprise Rainbow Heart Cookies, Eugenie Kitchen
Mind…blown. In looking for some rainbow heart cookies I know my kids would love making, I found this spectacular recipe from Eugenie, that involves coloring 6 small portions of dough in the colors of the rainbow, refrigerating, then rolling each one out and stacking them until you cut through them sideways with a very small heart cookie cutter.
You could probably bake as is, but her idea to enrobe them in regular dough then roll in sprinkles before slicing so you get a “surprise heart” when you slice them, is pure genius.
Click over for a terrific step-by-step tutorial complete with photos and a video, and you may be inspired to give it a whirl. If so, tag her — and tag us! I want to see them! (Also, check the comments on her YouTube video which are helpful.)
Anatomical Heart Valentine’s Cookies, Baker:Logy
I imagine there are plenty of edgy teens out there who would prefer their Valentines’ cookie hearts to be more realistic, thank you very much. Grab this totally cool cookie cutter from Baker:Logy, roll out your favorite cookie dough recipe, and get baking!
Mini Heart -Eye Emoji Sugar Cookies, Hello Yummy
The wonderful Agnes Hsu of aptly named Hello Wonderful just launched the delicious looking Hello Yummy, sure to be filled with eye-popping treats and recipe ideas for families. I adore these made-for-teens heart-eye-emoji cookies she shared on the @helloyummy_co Instagram feed this past week. Standing by for the recipe!
Related: 12 fun and (super) easy Valentine’s Day treats for the classroom. Party saved!
Pop Art Valentine’s Cookies, Semi Sweet Designs
Semi Sweet Designs is just packed with cookie inspiration, for Valentine’s Day and beyond, but I’m blown away by these gorgeous Lichtenstein-inspired pop art cookies. They may be easier than you look, provided you have the right supplies, the main ones being stencils. And an airbrush. Okay, so click over and see if you think you could pull it off because…whoa.
