Shortbread Valentines Cookies and Lots of Love

The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread. ~Mother Teresa

Everyone longs for love, is pre-wired to need love, yearns to be known and still loved. The only one-word definition in scripture about God is: God is love. Jesus tells us in his last prayer, the high priestly prayer, that God has loved Him since the foundation of the world.

But true love initiates.

Take time today to send love emails, love phone calls, to leave love cards under pillows, to fill someone's cup of their heart with love that they so need to hear. You will be God's hands, his voice, His touch today when you seek to give love.

These are easy cookies you can also make to give to someone with your love cards!

Easy Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of flour (measure exactly or your cookie dough will be too dry)

1 stick or (1/2 cup butter)

1/4 cup powder sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract or 1/2 -1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, depending on your preference!

A dash of salt

Optional: If dough is too dry to handle, put a table spoon of half and half, cream or milk, one at a time and mix well before adding another if needed. Dough will be quite dry and you can shape it with your hands.

Step by Step:

The first thing to do is to combine the flour and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl or food processor combine the butter, almond extract and sugar. The consistency should be creamy in appearance. Make sure it has a whipped up look and appearance. The final stage requires you to gradually add the flour and salt mixture into the creamy mixture. As you add in the dry mixture, make sure you are thoroughly mixing in the ingredients. As the consistency seems to thickens up, use your hands to essentially kneed the mixture.

After you have kneaded the mixture, place it on a flour surface. The next step requires a rolling pin or you may use your hand to flatten it out in the shape of a large circle or square. The flattened out mixture should be about 1/4 inches thick. Use a cookie cutter in the shape of a heart or a round cookie cutter than you can modify in the shape of a heart.

Sprinkle the cookies before you bake them and press the red sugar into the dough so it won't roll off.

Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes, but don't over-bake.

A Happy Valentine's Day to you all--with lots of love memories all day long.