In this post, I (Lynette) will share with you a recipe for all natural valentine’s day cookies! This recipe includes no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Over the years, I have become more aware of ingredients that can be healthier options for me and my family. Finding ways to use natural food colorants can be a much healthier option for your cooking and baking needs. In this recipe, we will use natural beet juice to give our Valentine’s day cookies a lovely pink hue that is festive and bright.
To make these cookies we used organic all purpose unbleached flour, organic cane sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, orange juice, organic beets, confectioner’s sugar, and baking powder. You can find the ingredient specifications listed below:
ALL NATURAL VALENTINE’S DAY COOKIE INGREDIENTS
- 2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Unbleached Flour
- 1 Cup Cane Sugar
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/2 Sticks of Butter Softened
- 3 Tsp’s Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Cup Orange Juice
- 4 Medium Beets (Used to extract Beet Juice for natural coloring)
- 1/4 Cup Confectioner’s Sugar (Used to sprinkle over cookies after baking and cooling)
Instructions for Natural Pink Food Coloring Using Beets
- Boil 2 cups of water in a saucepan
- Add 4 medium sized beets to the water and boil for 30 minutes (You may want to peel the beets and cut them in half prior to boiling. However, when I made the recipe I boiled the beets first, then peeled and cut them. The first option is less messy.)
- Using a strainer, or other food straining method, extract the juice from each of the four beets and collect the juice in a small bowl.
- Add four tablespoons of the extracted beet juice to the recipe to add a pink hue to the cookies.
ALL NATURAL VALENTINE’S DAY COOKIE DIRECTIONS
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the flour, cane sugar, and baking powder. Whisk the ingredients together. Add the eggs, softened butter, vanilla extract, and orange juice. Then, use a hand mixer or regular mixer to mix the ingredients together until they have reached a smooth consistency throughout. Next, add 4 tablespoons of beet juice (beet juice extraction instructions above). Lastly, use the mixer to finish mixing all ingredients until there is a pink, smooth consistency throughout.
Set the bowl in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes allowing mixed ingredients to chill. Using a large table spoon, scoop cookie dough onto cookie pan, leaving ample space between cookies. Bake for 15-17 minutes. For best results, set on cooling rack for approximately 10-15 minutes. Once cooled, lightly sprinkle the cookies with confectioner’s sugar. You are now ready to enjoy these all natural valentine’s day cookies, and share them with others!
If you enjoyed this recipe, we invite you to learn more about our “Cinnamon Lover’s French Toast Recipe” as well!
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Lynette