Valentine’s Day Gift Tag Cookies

Decorated Valentine’s day gift tag cookies can help you convey a special message with your gift, small or big. This sweet gesture goes a long way. Today I’ll share several cookie decorating ideas on how to creatively decorate cookie gift tags for Valentine’s Day.

updated from 2013

HOW TO DECORATE VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT TAG COOKIES

First, let’s talk about cutters you can use to make these adorable edible sugar cookie tags. Several cutters are suitable aside from an obvious choice – gift tag cookie cutter shape.

Gift tags can be any shape, from rounds, squares, and hearts. Look for medium-size cutters. Small plaque cutters are great, and the Halloween tombstone perfectly fits. Simple pencil cutters work, also.

Gather several cutters or use one cutter you want to use. Roll the sugar cookie dough to about ¼-inch thick. Cut out cookies and transfer them onto a baking sheet. I have my baking sheet lined with a perforated mat, or you can use parchment (steps 1-2). Make a small hole in each cookie before you bake them. I used an oversized drinking straw and a mini heart plunge cutter to make holes in an unbaked cookie (steps 3-6). Bake cookies as usual (step 7). Let cookies cool completely. Store them in an airtight container until ready to use, up to 2 weeks (step 8).

• Cookie Decorating Guide
• Beginner’s Guide To Cookie Decorating
• Ultimate Guide to Cut-Out Cookies (tips, tricks, troubleshooting)
• Royal Icing Recipe
• Small Batch Royal Icing Recipe
• Cookie Icing Recipes (includes vegan royal icing, glaze, fondant)
• Guide To Royal Icing Consistencies with Visual Help(what is stiff, flood icing, etc.)
• How To Freeze Royal Icing
• How To Make Royal Icing Transfers
• Royal Icing FAQ ( for example: how to make black icing, color bleeding, storage, and more)
• How To Make a Cookie Cutter Template
• Ultimate Guide To Cookie Decorating Tools

BEE MINE AND WITH LOVE GIFT TAG COOKIES

Outline and flood the cookie with teal colored 15-second consistency royal icing and let the icing dry (steps 1-8).

Secure a honeycomb stencil into a stencil holder or use magnets to anchor it down. Place the stencil on top of the cookie. Pipe thick yellow royal icing onto a small spreader and spread it over the stencil (steps 1-3). Carefully lift the stencil (step 4), and with a spatula or a small 2-in-1 decorating tool (boo-boo stick, cookie scrapper) scrape off any excess icing (steps 5-6).

Trace the oval shape using a cutter onto the cookie. This can be done right after stenciling; take a small oval cutter and make an outline indentation in soft yellow icing. Alternatively, let the yellow icing dry for 30 minutes and then trace the oval outline onto the cookie with an edible marker (step 1-2).

Outline and flood oval shape with 20-second consistency icing. Let dry (steps 3-8).

With black edible marker write Bee Mine onto the dry oval shape. Use the same marker to make dashed heart and lines above the oval (steps 1-8).

Lastly, pipe a small heart with 20-second consistency icing inside the dashed heart outline.

To create the following design I used piping consistency icing to write “with” (steps 1-5).

And to make a heart outline. Then I filled the heart outline with 20 second consistency icing (steps 1-4). Outline with piping consistency icing (steps 5-8).

PINK BEE MINE PLAQUE GIFT TAG COOKIE

I used a small plaque cookie cutter to make this cookie tag. Outline and flood the cookie with 15-second consistency pink royal icing. Let the icing dry (steps 1-6).

With a fine tip edible marker, write “Be Mine” (steps 1-2). And then pipe a large red heart with 20-second consistency icing (steps 3-4). I also used red jewel dust to add sparkle–dip a food-only paintbrush in dry jewel dust. Position the paintbrush above the wet red heart, gently tap the brush handle and sprinkle dust onto the icing (steps 5-8).

BLACK AND WHITE STRIPE GIFT TAG COOKIES

To make even stripes, I use a simple grid template. Center the cookie and draw the lines onto the cookie with an edible marker (step 1). Use 15-second consistency black and white icing to outline and fill stripes, alternating colors. Don’t wait for the layers to crust. Use a metal scribe to smooth and distribute the icing (steps 2-8). Let icing dry.

With a fine-tip edible marker, write I love you on white strips (steps 1-3). Fill the black stripes with tiny hearts. Use piping consistency royal icing to pipe the hearts. Each little heart consists of 2 teardrop shapes connected at the bottom (steps 4-5). And lastly, pipe black lines across with piping consistency icing (steps 6-8).

HEARTS AND KISSES COOKIE

This shape comes from my Halloween collection. It’s a tombstone cookie cutter. Isn’t it a perfect fit for a cookie tag?

Outline and flood the cookie with 15–second consistency white icing. Let the icing dry overnight (steps 1-8).

Now with a black edible marker, write rows of xoxoxo across the cookie, from top to bottom (steps 1-3). Follow with writing love in cursive across the middle, and add two tiny hearts. Use piping consistency icing (steps 4-8).

LOVE LETTER COOKIES WITH A SEAL

Like in previous designs, start by outlining and flooding the cookie with 15–second consistency icing. Let the icing dry (steps 1-8).

Trace the outline onto the icing using a paper template or a small rectangular cutter. Scratch the surface with a metal pin or a scribe (steps 1-2). Then fill the bottom half of the envelope with white icing of 20-second consistency. Let icing crust (steps 3-4). Fill the top triangle of an envelope and let dry (steps 5-8).

To make the envelope seal, I used a stencil to make tiny hearts. Pipe red icing of piping consistency onto the small spreader. Place the heart stencil onto parchment paper. Spread red icing over the stencil in an even layer. Carefully lift the stencil and let the little hearts dry for about an hour, then remove them from the parchment (steps 1-4). To build an envelope seal, pipe heart shapes onto parchment with piping consistency icing and then gently push stenciled dry shapes into the middle of the freshly piped red heart. Let dry (steps 5-7). Carefully remove the heart envelope seal from the parchment (step 8).

Finish the envelope design by adding details using a fine-tip black edible marker (steps 1-3). Pipe a small dot of icing onto the envelope and attach the seal (steps 4-6).

Write Forever with teal-colored icing of piping consistency (steps 1-3). Outline with piping consistency gray icing (steps 4-6).

LINEAR HEART COOKIES

This cute plaque-cutter cookie would be a perfect canvas for Cameo Cookies. Outline and flood the cookie with 15–second consistency teal royal icing. Let the icing dry (steps 1-6).

Trace the heart shape onto the icing. I used a cookie cutter and a metal scribe to scratch the icing, leaving a clear but not too obvious outline (step 1). With piping consistency icing pipe straight lines across. I used two shades of red and teal (steps 2-8).

Aren’t these cookies adorable!? Use them to adorn gifts for Valentine’s Day, holidays, or birthdays.

HOW TO USE EDIBLE COOKIE TAGS IN PACKAGING

What counts as a good gift for Valentine’s day? Is it flowers? Chocolates? Cupcakes? Cookies? Maybe your loved one or a friend loves a good book, so a book is a suitable gift for them. Or why not give fresh oranges, apples, or pretzels? Not all gifts have to carry an expensive price tag. Make “ordinary” gifs special; embellish your gifts with DIY homemade edible gift tag cookies.

COOKIE PACKAGING IDEAS WITH COOKIE GIFT TAGS

First, tread a ribbon thru the gift tag opening and place the cookie into a clear poly bag (steps 1-3). Tie the bag, make a simple bow, and trim the tails (steps 4-5). Then use the ribbon tails attached to the cookie, wrap them around the packaged oranges, and tie them in the back (steps 6-8).

Here are more pictures showing the process.

Apples carry a hidden idiom message – you are the apple of my eye.

PRETZEL SNACK MIX

Why not make the snack mix and use it to make teacher gifts? Prepare homemade snack mix using chocolate, pretzels, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberry, white chocolate, peanuts, and giant chocolate pearls. Combine everything in the bowl (steps 1-8).

Pour about 1 cup of snack mix into a clear poly bag (steps 1-2).

Add Valentine’s Day Gift Tag Cookie to the snack mix bag (steps 1-8).

Attach the gift tag cookie onto the bag with snack mix. Tie it to the bag and trim the ribbon.

MORE COOKIE DECORATING IDEAS

• Be Mine Heart Cookies
• Triangle Santa Cookies
• Simple Butterfly Cookies
• Lego Pinata Cookies
• Decorate Heart Cookies via Sweet Ambs

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TO MAKE GIFT TAKE COOKIES YOU NEED

• Gift Tag Cookie Cutter
• Plaque Cutters
• Black Edible Marker by Rainbow Dust
• Mini Heart Stencil
• Sparkle Dust
• Gel Food Colors
• Honeycomb Stencil
• Stencil Holder
• Ribbons
• Scissors
• Tipless Piping Bags
• Mini Spreader or Palette Knife/Spatula
• 2-in-1 decorating tool (boo-boo stick)

This post was originally published on January 16th, 2013. On February 10th, 2023, I updated this post with new step-by-step photos and written text.