Valentine’s Day Lollipop Cookies Recipe
Ingredients (for one dozen cookies):
12 craft sticks
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 (1 ounce) squares white chocolate
1 egg white
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 drops red food coloring
Directions:
- Soak craft sticks for one hour in a bowl of cold water.
- In small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stir chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; let cool.
- In large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Beat egg in well; beat in cooled chocolate. With mixer at low speed, beat in flour, cocoa powder and salt until smooth. Divide dough in half.
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) and grease 2 large cookie sheets.
- Roll each half out to 1/8 inch thickness between 2 sheets of wax paper; freeze, in wax paper, 5 minutes. Peal top sheets of wax paper off dough; cut dough out using 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Reroll scraps; freeze again 5 minutes; cut out. Place half of the hearts 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.
- Drain sticks, pat dry. Place one stick on each heart to make 2 1/2 inch handle, pressing lightly into dough. Place remaining hearts on top; press edges gently to seal. Bake about 12 minutes until firm to touch. Cool on wire racks.
- In 2-quart heavy saucepan over very low heat, or in top of double boiler set over barely simmering water, stir white or milk chocolate until melted and smooth; if using both chocolates, melt in separate 1-quart pans. Remove from heat.
- Holding each lollipop by handle, dip into chocolate to coat on both sides; let excess chocolate drip back into pan. Place each lollipop as it is coated on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet; refrigerate 20 minutes until chocolate is set.
- To Make Icing: In large bowl with electric mixer at high speed, beat egg white and confectioners’ sugar until very smooth. If desired, remove small portion of icing to separate bowl; tint with drops of food coloring. Spoon icing into decorating bag fitted with small writing tip; pipe over lollipops in desired patterns. Decorate with assorted candies and decors; attaching with dots of icing.
Valentine’s Day Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients (2 dozens cupcakes):
cooking spray
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
24 maraschino cherries
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 (18.25 ounce) package pineapple cake mix (such as Duncan Hines® Pineapple Supreme)
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups pineapple juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar for dusting, or as needed
Directions:
- Move an oven rack into the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Spray 24 muffin cups with cooking spray.
- Line a work surface with waxed paper.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon melted butter into the bottom of each sprayed muffin cup.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon brown sugar in each muffin cup.
- Press a maraschino cherry into the center of the brown sugar in each muffin cup.
- Spoon a heaping tablespoon of crushed pineapple over the cherry and compact it with the back of a spoon into an even layer.
- Mix pineapple cake mix, eggs, pineapple juice, and vegetable oil in a large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Turn mixer speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes.
- Pour pineapple cake batter into the muffin cups, filling them to the top; do not overfill.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
- Allow cupcakes to cool at least 5 minutes before inverting muffin cups onto the waxed paper to release. Serve with pineapple and cherry sides up. Sprinkle cupcakes lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
Valentine’s Day Red Velvet Cookies Recipe
Ingredients (36 servings):
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoonbaking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, broken into pieces
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon red food coloring
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoonvanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) with the rack in the middle position. Grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Break the chocolate squares into chunks, place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on High until the chocolate melts, about 90 seconds. Stir the chocolate until smooth and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy; pour in the egg and beat until smooth. Mix in the red food coloring and chocolate, scraping the bowl down regularly, until evenly blended, about 30 seconds. Add half of the sifted dry ingredients, stirring until well incorporated. Beat in the sour cream and mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake one sheet at a time in the preheated oven until they spring back when pressed, about 9 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the cream cheese frosting, whip 1/4 cup butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Blend in the powdered sugar in half cup portions until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.
Valentine’s Day Brownie Hearts Recipe
Ingredients (6 3in-cookies):
1 (19.8 ounce) package fudge brownie mix, batter prepared as directed on box
1 (14 ounce) package caramels, unwrapped
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat an oven to 350 F (175 C). Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with foil. Pour prepared brownie batter into foil-lined pan, and bake until brownies begin to pull away from the sides, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.
- Lift brownies from pan in one piece. Use a 3 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut 6 brownie hearts.
- Combine caramels and whipping cream in a large bowl. Microwave on High for 1 to 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until caramels are melted and cream is incorporated. Drizzle caramel sauce decoratively on brownie hearts. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, if desired.
