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Home > Archive > Feb 7, 2008

Neat Treats for Valentines Day
By Bev Rankin
My children always loved this time of the year.  It starts with Valentine’s Day, then St. Patrick’s Day and finally Easter.  They particularly enjoyed making and giving lots of fun and tasty treats while celebrating these holidays.  I can’t begin to tell you how many heart shaped decorated cookies,  Blarney Bread, or homemade marshmallow eggs we have made and given away during the years!  Just because the kids are out of the house now, doesn’t mean we have to stop making those traditional treats for neighbors and friends. 
The following recipe for decorated valentine cookies is a new one for me this year.  I have always made my sister’s rolled-out sugar cookies, but change is good and it doesn’t hurt trying sometime different.  This is a buttery cookie that is eggless and uses confectioners’ sugar instead of granulated sugar for the sweetener.  It also uses oats along with the flour for a little more substantial cookie. 

Valentine Cookies
2 cups softened butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
4 cups flour
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
Confectionery coating or confectioners’ sugar icing, optional
Cream butter and sugar together.  Add flour, oats, flavorings and salt; mix well.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter; place on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  While cookies are warm, spread with melted coating, if desired.  Otherwise, frost and decorate with confectioners’ sugar icing, sprinkles, red hots or whatever to make them fancy and fun to eat and well as fun to give!
I have been looking for a home made candy recipe that is somewhat more healthy than the “store bought” stuff from the local grocery store.  I came upon a recipe for Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters and it looks as thought it might fit the bill.  Nutritional facts for one cluster are as follows: calories, 155; total fat, 10 g; cholesterol, 0 mg; sodium, 5 mg; carbohydrates, 15 g; fiber, 2.5 g; and protein 3.5 g.  I think in place of some of the chocolate sweets we make and give away,  this year the Rankins will be trying this recipe out.

Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted in a dry skillet over a medium heat until fragrant, stirring frequently, 3 to 5 minutes.
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
6 ounces dark chocolate (preferably 72 % cacao) finely chopped
Toss together the almonds and cherries.  Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.  Melt half the chocolate in the top of a double boiler .  Remove the pan for the heat and stir in the rest of the chocolate.  Stir until melted and well blended.  Stir the nut/fruit mixture into the chocolate.  Spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet and 1 inch apart.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until set.  Store at room temperature.
It always seemed like that when my children were growing up that they would come home from school and would need a holiday treat for the next day; whether it be for scouts, girl scouts, their sport event or whatever.  I became quite ingenious at making goodies that took very little preparation time and were relatively easy.  The following recipe can be used for lots of different holidays during the year by simply changing the flavor/color of the ice cream.  It is definitely  impressive and pretty enough for company yet simple enough for a quick treat.
 
Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
1 package Suzy Q’s
3 cups strawberry ice cream, softened (can use green mint for St. Patrick’s day)
12 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed, and divided
2 cups whipped topping
1/2 tsp. mint extract if using mint ice cream
Line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap.  Place four Suzy Q’s in pan, completely covering the bottom.  Spread ice cream over Suzy Q’s; sprinkle with half of the cookie crumbs.  Press regaining Suzy Q’s on top.  Cover and freeze for 3 or more hours.  Just before serving, remove from freezer and invert onto a serving plate.  Remove pan and wrap.  Combine whipped topping  and flavoring; frost top and sides of cake.  Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
If any of you readers have any recipes you’d like to share, please e-mail them to me at Bevsbread@yahoo.com.  Also, in a couple of months I will be teaching a bread class for the community.  I will show you how to make my bread recipe with its 58 varieties. More new of that later.   
Bev Rankin is a master food preserver and master gardener and has taught breadmaking for over 20 years.  She now lives in La Verkin, Utah. If you would like to submit a recipe to Bev, she can be reached by email at bevsbread@yahoo.com.

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