Valentine Sugar Cookies

For my Valentine cookie, I made King Arthur Flour's sugar cookies, following the tip to make your cookies chewier and "bendier." These really were quite delicious -- good flavor, texture, and bend. The recipe calls for cream cheese, almond extract, and a bit of corn syrup for chew, and these little special ingredients may have made this recipe my new favorite. And my hubby agreed: although he said chocolate chip will always be his go-to cookie, this would be his next choice for a sweet treat.

Tip: If you get down to the last of your cookie dough and don't really want or need to use it, roll it out real thin and bake as a pie crust. I did this, let cool, then covered with a thin layer of melted chocolate, which hardened beautifully. Some homemade banana pudding and whipped cream on top made this an amazing little treat. And the cookie pie crust stays nice and crisp, so it can sit in the fridge a couple of days without getting mushy.