Valintine's Day Sweet Treats

So today I really wanted to do a post about marshmallows; strawberry marshmallows to be exact. I was actually really excited and got up early to make them so I could take pictures when the lighting was at its best. Sadly, my marshmallows didn’t turn out so nice. I don’t even think I can call them marshmallows. After the bubbling sugar was poured into the gelatin, things were doing great, then tragedy struck and my marshmallow batter cream thing-whatever-turned into a giant wad of pink, chewed-up bubble gum. Seriously, it looked and felt like the world’s most ginormous piece of bubble gum. I have yet to tackle the problem of scrapping and chiseling the mess out of my mixing bowl…I’m scared.

So instead of terrifying you with pictures of giant gum ready to engulf you and your loved ones, I crawled through some old (not really so old) posts to give you some ideas on what to give your sweetie and a sweet treat this Valentine’s Day.

Warning: Heavy use of sugar-coated pet names and ooey-gooey love descriptions. <3

Strawberry Cookies

First up: Strawberry Cookies. These are from last year. I didn’t have time to make them again this year, but I remember them being awesome, and a little salty…but that’s because I ran out of salt and thought a good substitute would be salt from the grinder, bad idea. Don’t use that kind of salt unless you want a giant chunk of saltyness. But do make these. The recipe calls for strawberry milk powder, which gives it a subtly sweet strawberry flavor and its color.

Dark and Dense Brownies

Valentine’s Day is all about chocolate, am I right? These dense and fudgy brownies are perfect for Valentine’s Day. They are easy to whip up, take no time to bake, and come with that perfect papery-thin chocolate crust on top. Pair it with some ice cream and hot fudge sauce and you and your honeybun can share a nice little dessert after a romantic meal.

Chocolate Almond Cake

Not in the mood for brownies after dinner? What about this decadent, nearly flourless, chocolate almond cake. It has that uniquely sweet and aromatic smell of almond and it’s as dense as you can get. Plus it’s topped with the creamiest ganache I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Slice it up and serve with some slivered almonds.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s another cookie recipe for you, but instead of it being flavored with strawberry, these soft treats get their chocolatey flavor three different ways. Bittersweet chocolate and butter are melted together, while unsweetened cocoa powder gets added with the dry ingredients, then semisweet chocolate chips are added to the dark cookie batter at the last minute. These did not last long in my house, and I bet your love muffin will love you even more if you make them these as an afternoon treat.

Whole Wheat Baked Doughnuts

So dessert not your thing? Maybe you’re going out for dinner, and dessert is included, but you still want to show your sugar pie some homemade lovin’ from the oven. How about breakfast in bed? These aren’t chocolate, and they aren’t fried, but I’m sure your sweetheart will appreciate you even more when you present them with these doughnuts first thing in the morning.

Thanks for reading this and I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. And don’t be discouraged if you don’t have someone to snuggle up to on this pink and frilly day. It just means you get all these chocolatey (and one strawberry) treats to yourself :)