1-First, in a bowl, whisk together the 2 and 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until they’re well combined. This step ensures your dough has the right texture, so don’t skip it!

2-Next, in another bowl, beat the 3/4 cup of softened unsalted butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar on high speed for about 3 minutes until it’s nice and creamy.

3-Then, add in the large egg at room temperature, along with 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and the optional 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract, and beat everything until it’s fully mixed. Now, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture on low speed to form a soft dough if it feels sticky, toss in an extra tablespoon of flour to fix it right up. Once that’s done, divide the dough in half and roll each portion to about 1/4 inch thickness on floured parchment paper.

4-Chilling and Baking Steps: Stack the rolled dough with parchment between the layers, cover it, and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days if you’re planning ahead. Hey, this is a great spot to add that apple spice crumb muffins recipe for more baking ideas! Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C), then cut the chilled dough into 3.5-inch heart shapes and bake for 11-12 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.

5-Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before moving them to wire racks. For the royal icing, beat 4 cups of sifted confectioners’ sugar, 3 tablespoons of meringue powder, and 9 to 10 tablespoons of room-temperature water on high for 1.5-2 minutes until it drizzles smoothly. Divide the icing, tint it with gel food coloring, pipe borders, flood the cookies, and let them set for at least 2 hours before piping messages and storing. There you go fresh, festive Valentines Day sugar cookies in about 6 hours total!