Learn How to Decorate Valentine Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing

Valentine themed sugar cookies decorated with buttercream icing

Decorate Sugar Cookies Just Like the Pros

You can learn to beautifully decorate sugar cookies just like you see on social media and I can teach you how! Whether you like to learn from pictures and text or videos and words, I've got you covered! I have created photo Cookie Cards and a Video Tutorial so that you can choose your method of instruction.


*This tutorial is provided for those that have purchased my annually offered Buttercream Icing Valentine Cookie Decorating Kit. If you are creating the cookies and icing on your own, I decorate with American Buttercream. 

Valentine Cookie Cutters

Cookie Cards: Sugar Cookie Decorating Guides

Use my Cookie Cards below as a guide to decorate your Valentine sugar cookies. Step by step photos plus written instructions give you all the details that you need to create beautifully decorated sugar cookies of your own.

Decorate a Lips Cookie

with Buttercream Icing

  • Pipe an outline around the entire cookie.
  • Fill in the entire cookie using a back and forth motion, creating horizontal lines of icing.
  • Pipe up and down vertical lines on the top lip, following the shape of the cookie, to create the look of lipstick.
  • Pipe up and down vertical lines on the bottom lip, following the shape of the cookie, to create the look of lipstick.
Step by step buttercream icing cookie decorating tutorial for a lips sugar cookie

 PRO TIP: For an alternate design, where the lips are closed instead of open, outline the top lip and fill in with a back and forth motion and then repeat for the bottom lip.

Decorate a Heart with Arrow Cookie

with Buttercream Icing

  1. Pipe an outline around the heart shape of cookie.
  2. In a different color, pipe a smaller heart outline in the center of the larger heart. Fill in the smaller heart using a back and forth motion,  creating horizontal lines of icing.
  3. Fill in the larger heart around the smaller heart, with a back and forth motion.
  4. Outline the arrow tip and tail and fill them in with a back and forth motion.
  5. Pipe a skinny arrow to look like it's going through the center of the small heart and coming out the back side.
  6. Pipe a heart on the arrow tip and fill it in.
Step by step buttercream icing cookie decorating tutorial for a heart with arrow sugar cookie

 PRO TIP: Be sure to cut the opening of the icing bag small enough to be able to pipe the arrow details. There are many ways that you could decorate this cookie. Get creative with different color and design combinations.

Decorate a Heart Cookie

with Buttercream Icing

  • Pipe a heart outline around the cookie just inside the edge, leaving space for a border.
  • Fill in the heart using a back and forth motion, creating horizontal lines of icing.
  • Pipe a scallop outline around the edge of the cookie.
Step by step buttercream icing cookie decorating tutorial for a heart sugar cookie

 PRO TIP: Personalize this cookie by piping a name or a sweet or "punny" Valentine saying onto the center of the heart. 

Step by Step Sugar Cookie Decorating VIDEO Tutorial

Visual Learner? Let's Decorate Cookies Together!


Follow along to my step by step video tutorial. Learn how to decorate Valentine Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing including a Heart, Heart with Arrow and Lips. I break down the decorating process into easy to follow steps and give you helpful tips along the way.

Helpful Cookie Decorating Tools:

Scrbe tool

Sprinkle Tweezers


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Want to Learn More?!

Looking for more inspiration? Check out my Royal Icing Valentine Sugar Cookie Decorating Tutorial. Learn to decorate the same Valentine cookies with royal icing in different designs that can also be translated to buttercream icing.