Valentines’ Sweets

With Valentine's Day creeping closer and closer, why not take initiative and bake something sweet for you and your special someone? If you have a valentine, whether it be a significant other or a friend, and you’re wondering what you could give them or do for them to show some love, it could be a good idea to put in some effort to bake them something. Valentine's Day is the day of the lovers or even just special connections with others, so I’ve compiled two recipes for that special someone that you can bake. While it may not be the easiest task, baking can be an amazing way to show someone that you care. Even if you don’t have a valentine, why not treat yourself and bake these sweets for yourself!

“Sweetheart” Vanilla Cookies:

Similar to its sister cookie, sugar cookies, this cookie is a buttery-delight that would easily please that special someone. These vanilla cookies are a treat for anyone who eats them, as they’re crisp and crunchy on the outside but have a buttery and soft texture when you bite into them. Also for an extra “touch” if you want to add some decoration to your cookies, I added a drizzle of melted white chocolate dyed red. If you want to wow your valentine or even just treat yourself, these cookies will leave you more than satisfied even if it seems like quite a bit of work at first. But, once you have your finished product of a beautiful vanilla cookie, you won’t be unsatisfied with the amount of work you put into them, and neither will your valentine!

Ingredients:

3 ⅓ sticks butter

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

1-2 large eggs

3 ¼ cups flour

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

3 oz white chocolate melts

3-4 drops of red food coloring

Directions:

1. Either wait until your eggs and butter are room temperature and the butter is softened, or put each stick of butter in the microwave for 10-15 seconds

2. Add your butter to a large bowl and slowly add your powdered sugar and mix with a hand mixer, whisk, or kitchen aid if you have one

3. Add in the eggs one by one, mixing each time you add an egg

4. Just as you mixed in the powdered sugar, pour in the flour little by little and mix it together until fully incorporated (batter should be sticky but not so much that it fully sticks to hands)

5. Add in the salt and vanilla extract then transfer to either a piping bag to pipe the cookies or take about a golf ball size of batter and roll it in your hands into a ball

6. Place or pipe the cookies onto a baking sheet and bake at 340°F for 10-15 minutes

7. *OPTIONAL* Once the cookies are done and cooled down, melt 3 oz of melting white chocolate in a medium-sized bowl and dye it red with red food coloring once melted

8. *OPTIONAL* drizzle the chocolate onto the cookies with a spoon and enjoy!

“Cupid’s” Red Velvet Cake Pops

Cake-pops are similar to cake since it’s the same as baking a cake only without the more complex icing aspect of it. These valentine red velvet cake-pops are especially delicious, as they’re covered by a hardened-layer of delicious white chocolate or candy and clumped together with decadent buttercream. If you’re deciding whether you want to bake a special treat for your valentine or just to treat yourself, then baking these cake-pops could be an amazing idea. The cake is airy and soft to bite, and the hint of chocolate from the red velvet flavor may be subtle, but is always an amazing touch. If the cake is a bit too much work for you, just substitute it for a boxed cake mix and follow the instructions on the back.  If you’re looking for another recipe to bake for that special someone, feel free to wow them with some delicious Valentine themed cake-pops!

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 ½ sticks butter

5 tbsp sugar

4 egg yolks

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

⅛ cup milk

3-4 drops red food coloring

¾ cake flour

4 tsp cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

4 egg whites

¼ cup sugar

OR

Substitute with boxed cake mix

Buttercream Frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter (softened)

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp milk

Chocolate Coating:

12 oz white chocolate/candy melts

1 ½ tsp coconut oil (or substitute any other flavorless oil)

Toppings of choice (sprinkles, candies, etc.)

Cake-pop sticks

*OPTIONAL* styrofoam

Directions:

1. Follow instructions on the back of the boxed cake mix

OR

1. Make sure the butter and eggs are room temperature and the butter is softened

2. Separate the egg yolks from the whites

3. Add the butter to a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer, whisk, or kitchen aid until it turns a light yellow and seems airy

4. Once the butter is whipped, add the sugar and mix until combined

5. Add the egg yolks one by one, mixing with every yolk you add-in and add in the vanilla extract

6. Pour in the milk and red food coloring then mix

7. Use a sift to sift in the CAKE flour (a type of flour made to make an airy cake), cocoa powder, and baking powder then use a spatula to fold it in or mix it in then set aside once combined

8. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, pour in your egg whites and use a hand mixer, whisk, or KitchenAid and whisk until the egg whites become frothy/bubbly on the top

9. Once the egg whites look frothy, add your sugar in ⅓’s and 30-second intervals into the egg white mixture (meaning once the whites are frothy add in about ⅓ of the ¼ cup sugar every thirty seconds and mix in between the thirty seconds) until the egg whites form a meringue (or when you take out the mixer they’ll form hardened peaks at the tips of the whisk or mixer attachment, if still confused look up “how to make meringue” on YouTube or Google)

10. Once the merengue is complete, add it in thirds with a rubber spatula into the cake mixture until combined

11. Prepare 2 cake tins with butter or PAM spray and bake the cake at 335°F for 30 minutes

12. Combine the ingredients for the buttercream in a medium-sized bowl while the cake is baking, mix the butter and the sugar together for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy then add the rest into the mixture

13. Melt the white chocolate/candy melts with coconut oil in the microwave for 30 seconds each time you place it into the microwave until smooth and fully-melted then add either red, pink, or white food coloring

14. Once the cake is out of the oven and cooled, take it out of the tin and into a large-sized bowl and mash it until it’s crumbled, and set it aside

15. Add the frosting into the bowl with the cake until combined

16. Form about a golf-ball sized ball of cake for each cake pop and place a cake pop stick into each ball

17. Dip the cake-pop balls with the sticks on them until it’s fully covered then add decorations of your choosing

18. Either place the cake pops on a baking sheet to dry by smushing the top part onto the baking sheet so that it’s flat or stick the cake pop stick into the styrofoam

19. Place the cake pops in the freezer/fridge for 20-40 minutes until dried, and once dried, enjoy!