By Charlotte Gerber
Whether you have to provide a snack for your children at school or you just want to have fun cooking, Valentine's Day is the perfect holiday for making sweets!
My family has a tradition of making shortbread cookies for Valentine's Day because the recipe is incredibly easy. The basic recipe is as follows:
1 cup of softened salted butter ½ cup of granulated sugar 2 ½ cups of sifted all-purpose flour
Cream the butter and sugar together with a blender until light and fluffy. Add flour at slow speed until blended and a pea-like consistency. Divide the dough in half and roll into balls. Flatten the balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill. Once the dough is chilled for at least 1 hour, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board until it is 1/3 inch thick. Use a variety of heart, cupid or alphabet letters to cut out the cookies. Place on a greased cookie sheet or use a Silpat liner so the cookies will slide off easily. Cook 20 to 25 minutes until they are a light golden color. Cool completely.
Children love to decorate these cookies! Purchase a variety of colored sugars and cake decorations. Retail stores that carry Wilton baking supplies have a great variety of Valentine's Day decorating supplies. Vanilla icing tastes best on these cookies; don't be afraid to use food coloring to create various shades of pink and red for your culinary creations. Let your creativity flow!
Another fun family project is making chocolate candies and lollipops. Kits for these chocolates can be found in many retail and grocery stores. Since this project is a little more time consuming, it is best suited for older children. Purchase several of each type of candy mold as it will speed up the process. This is important if you are making these sweets for a large group of people! I have also found it is easier to make these chocolates by using the squeeze bottle containers that are sold along side of the molds. The squeeze bottles are designed to be used in the microwave and make the process of melting chocolate wafers much quicker. Choose a variety of chocolate wafers for your project; remember not everyone can eat milk chocolate so be sure to pick up some white chocolate wafers as well.
Presentation is an important part of the package, so be sure to buy wrappers befitting your Valentine's Day creations. Cute cellophane bags and matching ties can be found in many baking or candy making areas of your favorite store. If your child is taking the desserts to school try packaging them in a sturdy container, especially if your child rides on a bus. Decorate a large shoebox with pink construction paper and cute Valentine's Day stickers. Place the decorated box in a plastic shopping bag and secure it length-wise and width wise with large rubber bands. Instruct your child to carry it level, especially if they are carrying the decorated cookies.
Lollipops or other chocolates can make a trek to school or a party when carried in a picnic basket lined with a new red-gingham dishtowel. For added security you can use a wire twist-tie to keep the basket securely shut until it gets to school or a party. Be sure to remind your child that the chocolates can melt easily so be sure to keep them away from any heaters.
Try one of these easy and inexpensive treats for your next party or school snack. Your children will enjoy making them, and you may just start a family tradition!
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