It’s not too soon to start thinking about Valentine’s Day. And there’s no better treat to make for the holiday than these yummy love bug decorated frosted sugar cookies. These ladybug cookies are actually made with heart shaped cookie cutters which you may already have. Any size will do! I like to make up a plate with a variety of cookie sizes, but the larger cookies (approximately 3.75″) make adorable individual place settings for a party. And they are perfect take-home goodie bag treats.

Love Bug Valentine Frosted Sugar Cookies

To make these treats, I start with my all-time favorite sugar cookie recipe with gluten-free flour. These delectable treats are decorated with both vanilla and chocolate frosting.

Sugar Cookie Frosting

I simply use a ready-made vanilla frosting and mix it with hot pink food coloring for the ladybug body (or you can use red food coloring). Next I use a rich and delicious chocolate frosting recipe to make a circle shape for the ladybug face.

Decorated Sugar Cookies

To decorate the cookies, I add two small candy eyes to each ladybug face. Then I place mini chocolate chips (tip side down) to make up the dots for the wings. And last,  I melt some of the chocolate chips, transfer them into baggie and snip off the end to pipe on the chocolate antennae.

These cookies are really not difficult to make and are fun to decorate with your family. Even the youngest of children can participate by placing the candy eyes on the face and chocolate chip polka dots on the ladybug wings. You will end up with the cutest and most delicious Valentine cookies that kids of all ages will love.

Here’s how to make Love Bug Valentine Frosted Sugar Cookies.

Love Bug Valentine Frosted Sugar Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Yields: 2 dozen

Prep: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 egg yolks (discard whites)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups gluten-free all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 16 oz. tub of vanilla frosting
• Chocolate frosting (recipe below)
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips
• Pink or red food coloring
• Candy eyes

Chocolate frosting:

• 1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ tablespoon milk

Additional Materials:

Heart-shaped cookie cutters

Love Bug Valentine Cookie Directions:

1. Prepare the heart shaped sugar cookies: Add sugar and softened butter to a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix on medium speed until combined.
2. Add egg yolks and vanilla to the bowl. Mix again until incorporated.
3. Add flour to the bowl. Start mixer on low speed and increase to medium speed, mixing until fully combined.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface. Sprinkle with flour and add half of the cookie dough, placing the remaining cookie dough in the fridge. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Add parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ¼” thickness.
6. Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out cookies.
7. Use a metal spatula to carefully transfer the cookies to an ungreased baking sheet, leaving at least 1” in between cookies.
8. Place baking sheet in preheated oven and bake for 8-12 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Allow cookies to remain on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
9. While cookies are cooling, prepare the chocolate frosting: Add butter to a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted.
10. Add cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
11. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and ½ tablespoon milk to the bowl. Stir until combined and smooth. Add an extra splash of milk to the frosting if it is too thick.
12. Transfer chocolate frosting to a sandwich bag and snip off a corner. Set aside.
13. Add food coloring to the vanilla frosting. Stir in additional food coloring until desired color is achieved. Transfer the frosting to a sandwich bag and snip off a corner.
14. Melt 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips in the microwave. Transfer melted chocolate to a sandwich bag. Snip off a very small corner of the bag and set aside.
15. Decorate the cookies, starting with the chocolate frosting. Pipe a circle of chocolate frosting onto the bottom of a heart shaped cookie. Use the colored vanilla frosting to pipe the ladybug wings. Create an outline around the remaining edges of the top of the heart all the way back down to the head. Fill in the wings with frosting.
16. Add two candy eyes to the chocolate frosted circle to create the ladybug face.
17. Use the melted chocolate to pipe two small antennae onto the cookie.
18. Place mini chocolate chips tip side down onto the wings to complete the ladybug valentine cookie.
19. Repeat this process until all cookies are decorated. Enjoy!

Decorating Love Bug Frosted Sugar Cookies

Yield: 24

Love Bug Decorated Valentine Frosted Sugar Cookies

Print

These adorable love bug decorated sugar cookies are gluten-free. They are made with heart shaoe cookie cutters and both vanilla and chocolate frostings.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 egg yolks (discard whites)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups gluten-free all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 16 oz. tub of vanilla frosting
• Chocolate frosting (recipe below)
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips
• Pink or red food coloring
• Candy eyes

Chocolate frosting:

• 1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ tablespoon milk

Additional Materials

• Heart shaped cookie cutters

Instructions

1. Prepare the heart sugar cookies: Add sugar and softened butter to a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix on medium speed until combined.
   
2. Add egg yolks and vanilla to the bowl. Mix again until incorporated.
   
3. Add flour to the bowl. Start mixer on low speed and increase to medium speed, mixing until fully combined.
   
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   
5. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface. Sprinkle with flour and add half of the cookie dough, placing the remaining cookie dough in the fridge. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Add parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ¼” thickness.
   
6. Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out cookies.
   
7. Use a metal spatula to carefully transfer the cookies to an ungreased baking sheet, leaving at least 1” in between cookies.
   
8. Place baking sheet in preheated oven and bake for 8-12 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Allow cookies to remain on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
   
9. While cookies are cooling, prepare the chocolate frosting: Add butter to a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted.
   
10. Add cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
    
11. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and ½ tablespoon milk to the bowl. Stir until combined and smooth. Add an extra splash of milk to the frosting if it is too thick.
    
12. Transfer chocolate frosting to a sandwich bag and snip off a corner. Set aside.
    
13. Add food coloring to the vanilla frosting. Stir in additional food coloring until desired color is achieved. Transfer the frosting to a sandwich bag and snip off a corner.
    
14. Melt 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips in the microwave. Transfer melted chocolate to a sandwich bag. Snip off a very small corner of the bag and set aside.
    
15. Decorate the cookies, starting with the chocolate frosting. Pipe a circle of chocolate frosting onto the bottom of a heart shaped cookie. Use the colored vanilla frosting to pipe the ladybug wings. Create an outline around the remaining edges of the top of the heart all the way back down to the head. Fill in the wings with frosting.
    
16. Add two candy eyes to the chocolate frosted circle to create the ladybug face.
    
17. Use the melted chocolate to pipe two small antennae onto the cookie.
    
18. Place mini chocolate chips tip side down onto the wings to complete the ladybug valentine cookie.
    
19. Repeat this process until all cookies are decorated. Enjoy!

Will you be making these Love Bug Frosted Sugar Cookies for Valentine’s Day? Tell us how you like them!

Here are more gluten-free cookie recipes you might want to make: Amazing Bourbon Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free) and Amazing Gluten Free White Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies.

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