Valentine’s Day is here and I’ve seen one too many posts on my social media of people being glum chums about it. While I can acknowledge all the negative critiques about Valentine’s Day and how commercial it is, I think there’s no use for the anti-Valentine sentiment! If your sans-romance this week, don’t fret! You don’t need a boyfriend/girlfriend to have fun this Valentine’s day; just grab some of your pals and have a girl’s night in! Put on some cheesy rom-coms, grab your face masks, and let’s get baking!
1. Sweetheart Cherry Pies
Recipe and photo courtesy: Cake Student
These sweet, little heart-shaped treats will fill the void in you with cherry-flavored goodness!
Here’s what you need:
❣ pie dough
❣ cherries
❣ ricotta cheese
❣ sugar & powdered sugar
❣ 1 tbsp of butter
Here’s what you do:
❣ Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
❣ Put some parchment paper on the baking sheet you’re using.
❣ Roll your pie dough and use your heart shaped cookie cutter. (If you don’t have one, just do your best! No one’s judging!)
❣ Chop your cherries, mix in your sugar and stir.
❣ Arrange your heart-dough on your baking sheet, spread some ricotta cheese, and then add a spoonful of your cherries on each one.
❣ Grab another heart-dough and slap it on top, then use a fork to add cute creases on the edges.
❣ Brush some butter on and place in the oven for more or less 15 minutes depending on the dough.
❣ Let it cool and sprinkle some powdered sugar on top.
2. Valentine Sugar Cookies
Recipe and photo courtesy: Geniuskitchen
Here’s what you need:
❣ 6 ½ cups of flour
❣ 1 tablespoon of baking powder
❣ ½ cup of butter
❣ ½ cup of shortening
❣ 4 ounces of cream cheese
❣ 2 cups of sugar
❣ 3 eggs
❣ 1 cup of sour cream
❣ 2 teaspoons of baking soda
❣ 1 ¼ teaspoons of salt
❣ 1 tablespoon of vanilla
Here’s what you do:
❣ Grab a bowl and stir in your flour, baking powder, and salt.
❣ In a separate, bigger bowl throw in your butter, shortening, cream cheese and sugar. Mix together for 3 minutes.
❣ Mix in your eggs and sour cream.
❣ Grab that first bowl you were working with and add that in. Mix, mix, Mix!
❣ Pour yourself a glass of wine and wait for the dough to chill for like an hour.
❣ Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
❣ Roll the dough and cut the cookies in any shape you’d like. (Xs and Os would look cute!)
❣ Put those puppies on a baking sheet and stick ‘em in the oven for 8 minutes.
❣ Decorate however your heart desires!
3. Red Velvet Cupcakes
Recipe and photo courtesy: Allrecipes
These red-velvet dreams will be the icing on the cake to your Galentine’s Day!
Here’s what you need:
❣ ½ cup of butter
❣ 1 ½ cups of sugar
❣ 2 eggs
❣ 1 cup of buttermilk
❣ 1 fluid ounce red food coloring
❣ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
❣ 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda
❣ 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar
❣ 2 cups of all-purpose flour
❣ 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
❣ 1 teaspoon of salt
Here’s what you do:
❣ Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
❣ Grease your muffin tins.
❣ Mix the butter and sugar vigorously (if you have a mixer that’d be even better).
❣ Add your eggs, buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla in next. Then your baking soda and vinegar.
❣ Add in your flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and stir, stir, stir!
❣ Pour your batter evenly into your muffin tins and let it bakes for about 20-25 minutes.
❣ Let them cool and let the artist in you take the lead with the frosting.
Happy Galentine’s Day, and have fun (sweet) treating yourself!