February 11, 2015
Whether your sweetie goes for chocolate or prefers that cookie jar, I’ve rounded up some sweet ideas for your love(s) this season.
Let’s start with the easiest, inspired by cupid…
…simply pluck the stem off a strawberry, stab with an arrow and voilà, Mother Nature just gave you a perfect heart — no cookie cutter needed.
Add to those pretty strawberries (which are unbelievably good for this early in the season) a little dip into sour cream and brown sugar and you’ve got our longstanding family favorite no bake treat.
Or dip the point of the berry into melted dark chocolate chips and sprinkles. Here’s how I made these for my daughter’s class party.
If you need a more serious chocolate experience, try these decadent brownies. To make them Valentine’s Day ready place a heart shaped doily over the top and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Carefully remove the doily and serve up a piece of your heart.
Or you could go the cookie route. These sugar cookies are a classic for a reason. I learned from Elizabeth the secret to baking beautiful cookies is to get your dough nice and cold — it creates clean edges when you cut out your shapes. When you decorate, outline the area you want to fill first leaving some space around the edge of the cookie, then flood with royal icing.
Why not go for it and bake a chocolate cake? If you want to go for pure romance use this rosette frosting design to top your favorite cake recipe.
An ombre of pink rosettes on a cake says I LOVE YOU…a lot! (I have to admit, I was a little bit impressed with myself for pulling this one off.)
This how to video from Cake Style made this totally doable. She stresses making the rosettes perfect- however, mine were anything but perfect and the cake still looks love-ly. The Martha Stewart Swiss Meringue Frosting made the prettiest, almost luminescent flowers.
Photo by Evan Janke
However you celebrate those valentines in your life — I hope you enjoy all the love and sweetness that surrounds you. Bisous!
