Valentine’s Day has a way of sneaking up on us, and when it does, something sweet and homemade always feels right. These love bug frosted sugar cookies are a festive, playful treat that’s perfect for celebrating the season — whether you’re baking with the kids, hosting a small party, or just want a fun project in the kitchen.

These ladybug cookies are made using heart-shaped cookie cutters you may already have on hand. Any size works, but I love mixing a few sizes together on one plate. The larger cookies (around 3.75″) make especially cute individual place settings or take-home treats for Valentine’s parties.

Note: This recipe was originally shared in January 2024 and is being reposted today with updated notes, tips, and shopping links — just in time for Valentine’s Day baking.

Love Bug Valentine Frosted Sugar Cookies (Gluten Free)

I start with my all-time favorite sugar cookie recipe made with gluten-free flour, then decorate with a mix of vanilla and chocolate frosting. The result is a cookie that’s just as delicious as it is charming.

Shortcut: You can use a gluten-free cut-out sugar cookie mix to save time with baking. But homemade sugar cookies are so delicious!

Sugar Cookie Frosting

For the ladybug bodies, I use ready-made vanilla frosting tinted with hot pink or red food coloring. The faces are made with a rich chocolate frosting piped into simple circles.

How To Turn Heart-Shaped Cookies Into Ladybugs

Once the frosting is set, add two small candy eyes to each face. Mini chocolate chips (tip-side down) make easy polka dots for the wings. To finish, melt a few chocolate chips, transfer them to a small baggie, snip the corner, and pipe on the antennae.

These cookies are easier than they look and are such a fun project to make together. Younger kids can help by placing the candy eyes and chocolate chip dots, while older kids (and adults) can handle the piping. The end result is a plate of adorable Valentine’s cookies everyone will love.

 

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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

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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