valentine's day treats!

CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES

20 Large, ripe but firm Strawberries

6 oz. Semisweet Chocolate Bits

3 oz. White Chocolate Bits

Wooden Skewers, if desired for serving

Parchment Paper

Melt Dark and Light Chocolates in separate bowls either with double boiler or microwave 1 minute.

Hold stem of strawberry, or place each strawberry onto end of skewer. Dip one at a time into dark chocolate, and lay on parchment paper for 30 minutes to set until chocolate is hardened.  Dip fork into melted white chocolate and drizzle over dark chocolate.   Refrigerate until served.

FRUIT KABOBS

Strawberries

Blueberries

Grapes

Any type of fruit cut into chunks such as apples, pineapple, orange slices, kiwi, etc.

Place fruit on wooden skewers, alternate fruits for a colorful display!

FRUIT PLATTER

Strawberries

Red Grapes

Raspberries

Blackberries

Wax Paper

Cut heart shaped wax paper and place on platter.  Cut whole strawberries in half lengthwise and place on outer edge of heart shaped paper.  Place Raspberries just inside strawberries on paper.  Place Red grapes just inside raspberries to continue filling in heart.  Place blackberries in center, following heart shaped arrangement of raspberries.

YOGURT CUP

Yogurt

Red Fruits, sliced

In a clear cup, alternate yogurt and red fruits, cut into slices for a festive snack!

HEART FILLED APPLES

Red Apples

Filling:  Fruit Dip or Yogurt or Peanut Butter

Topping:  Granola, chocolate bits or Chopped Nuts, if desired

Slice apples widthwise, across core, approximately 1/2" thick.  Cut out core for a heart shaped center.  Stuff filling into center of apple.  Top filling with topping of choice, if desired.

ATTACH A NOTE TO WHOLE FRUITS

""You're a Peach"  "You're the Apple of my eye"  "I'm Bananas for you"  "I think you are Pearfect"  "Orange you glad we met?" "I'm Grapeful for you!"  "Kiwi be friends?"  

BUTTERFLY SNACK BAGS

Zip lock baggies

Wooden clothespins with spring clips

Red , White or Pink pipe cleaners

Conversation Hearts

Fine lined Red Marker

Glue stick

Googly eyes 

On each clothespin, draw small red hearts and color to decorate.  Glue googly eyes to one side of the top of clothespin (or use black marker to draw eyes).  Fill each baggie 1/3 full with conversation hearts (or another snack of choice)  Squeeze air from bag.  After ivdiding half of bag contents to each side of bag, fold over zipped bag top and clip clothespin to empty space. Cut pipe cleaner in half.  Using one half of the pipe cleaner, bend into u shape and clip into top of clothespin for antennas.  Curl ends slightly.  Done!

PINK SMORES PACK

Pink puffed marshmallows

Graham Crackers

Individually wrapped milk chocolate mini's

Zip lock baggies

In each bag, place one marshmallow, a square of graham cracker, and a chocolate mini!  Add a clever tag, such as "I love you Smore and Smore every day!"  or "I need Smore friends like you!"  

VALENTINE RICE CRISPY TREATS

6 C. Rice Krispy cereal

4 C. Mini marshmallows

3 Tbsp. Butter

Wax paper

Cooking spray

Food Coloring

Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter

Sprinkles or candies as desired

Melt butter in large saucepan on low heat.  Add marshmallows and stir frequently until melted.  Add rice Krispies until completely coated.  Using wax paper, press mixture into spray coated pan.  

For PINK treats, add a few drops of red coloring while mixing.

For ASSORTED colors, separate mixtures into separate bowls, and add coloring as desired.

Add candies or sprinkles while still warm.  Cut heart shapes after mixture sets with buttered cookie cutter.  Put on sticks for "pops", wrap individually, or place on platter for "conversation heart" snacks.

DIP IN MELTED CHOCOLATE if desired, adding desired decorations immediately.

Treats may be frozen up to 6 weeks.

RASPBERRY FILLED SANDWICH COOKIES

1 large heart shaped cookie cutter

1 small heart shaped cookie cutter

Parchment Paper

1-1/2 C. Flour

1/8  TSP Baking Soda

1 TSP Ground Cinnamon

3/4 C. Softened Butter

Pinch Salt

1-1/2 C. Confectioner's Sugar

1/4 C. Almond Flour

2 Large Egg Yolks

1 TBSP Dark Rum

1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract

1 C. Raspberry Preserves

Combine flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, mix on low speed the butter and Confectioner's sugar, (put aside 2 tbsp sugar for dusting).  Add Almond flour, vanilla and rum.  Add egg yolks.  Add flour mixture.  Knead dough on floured surface.  Split into two  equal portions.  Wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.  

Prepare sheet pans with parchment paper liners and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When dough is firm, knead and roll chilled dough to 1/8" thick.  Cut with large heart shaped cookie cutter.  Space 1/4" apart on pan.  Roll out second dough ball as the first, cutting first with large heart cutter, then small heart cutter to remove center.  Place on second prepared pan.

Bake until golden brown, approximately 6-8 minutes.  Cool

Spread raspberry preserves onto flat side of cookie bottoms.  Place tops with cutouts on top of prepared bottoms.  Dust tops with Confectioner's sugar.  Pipe preserves into heart shaped cutouts.  

SUGAR COOKIES

1-1/2 C. Softened Butter

2 C. Sugar

4 Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla

5 C. Flour

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Salt

Red food coloring (if desired)

Decorative toppings:  Conversation hearts, red cinnamon dots, red or pink candies, white chocolate bits, sprinkles, Icing or other decorative  items, if desired.

Mix together on low speed, butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs and vanilla and 2-3 drops food coloring, Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.  Cover and chill 1 hour minimum.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/2" thick, then cut out cookies using heart shaped cutter. Bake 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet 8 minutes.  Add decorative toppings as desired.  Cool.  If using icing, cool cookies before decorating.

VALENTINE PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS

1/2 C. Sugar

1/2 C. Packed Brown Sugar

1/2 C. Creamy Peanut Butter

1/2 C. Softened Butter

1 Egg

1-1/2 C. Flour

3/4 Tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 C. Additional Sugar

3 Dozen Chocolate Kisses (Pink or White if desired)

Red food coloring (if desired)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat together sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, a few drops of food coloring and egg.  Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Shape dough into 1" balls, roll in additional sugar, place on cookie sheet 2" apart and bake 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and place unwrapped candy kiss into center of hot cookie.  Cool.

EASY CAKE POPS

1 Cake Mix

1 Can Prepared Frosting 

1/4 C. Candy Melts

Red, Pink, White Jimmies 

Lollipop Sticks

Mix cake mix and bake according to package.  Cool.  Crumble cake into large bowl.  Add frosting slowly, just until mixture  sticks together.   Chill in refrigerator 30 minutes.  Form cake mixture into 1-1/2" balls and place on baking sheet.  Insert a lollipop stick into each ball.  Melt candy melts.  Dip cake pops into candy, then roll in jimmies.  Place sticks in a block of Styrofoam  to hold until hardened.

VALENTINE PIE

Any pie can become a Valentine Pie with heart shaped cut outs in the top crust, or heart shaped dough placed on top of the filling!  Using a red filling, such as cherry. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.

HEART DECORATED CUPCAKES

Cake Mix

Frosting

Valentine Cupcake Wrappers

Conversation Hearts, Heart lollipops, Jimmies

Bake cupcakes in festive tins or wrappers

HEART SHAPED PIZZA

Pizza Dough

Pizza Sauce

Heart Shaped Baking Pan

Desired Pizza Toppings and Cheese

The point of this recipe is not to spend hour creating the perfect pizza dough, but to add a festive flair to y pizza that you assemble at home!  Pizza has so many combinations of ingredients, be sure to  choose your Valentine's favorites!

HEART SHAPED SANDWICHES 

Flat sandwich bread

Sandwich filling or meats.

As simple as cutting off the crust, use a sandwich sized cookie cutter or a sandwich imprinter to leave a lot of love in lunch!