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Enchant your Valentine with Lipsmacking Dishes
Chocolate Conversation Heart Cakes Ingredients:
Method: Heat oven to 350~ F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Stir together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla; beat with whisk or spoon until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Transfer to cutting board. Cut cake into 8 to 10 hearts using 3-1/4 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Valentine's Day Cake
SweetHeart Sandwich Cookies 1/4
lb Unsalted butter Method: Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light. Beat in eggs and vanilla; set aside. Sift the cocoa, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Stir the dry ingredients thoroughly into the butter mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 or 3 hours. Preheat oven to 375F and butter 2 cookie sheets. Using a teaspoon measure, roll level teaspoons of the dough into balls and place them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cookies are puffed and surfaces slightly dry and cracked. Cool on racks. To make the filling, cream the butter until light. Beat in the vanilla and powdered sugar, adding whipping cream and continuing to beat until the consistency of creamy frosting. When the cookies are cooled completely, spread about 1/2 tablespoon of filling on the bottom of one cookie, then top with the bottom side of another cookie. Makes about 3 dozen cookie sandwiches. Lemon Hearts
Method: Beat
butter and the cup of sugar until creamy; beat in egg yolk and lemon peel.
Then gradually add flour, blend thoroughly and stir in almonds. Gather
dough into a ball with your hands. On a lightly floured board, roll out
dough to a thickness of1/4 inch. Cut out with a 2 to 3-inch heart-shaped
cookie cutter; transfer cookies to greased baking sheets, spacing about 1
inch apart. Sprinkle with sugar. Press in half a cherry in center of each
cookie. Bake in a 325~ oven for about 20 minutes or until edges are
golden. Transfer to racks and let cool completely. Store airtight. Makes
about 3-1/2 dozen. Chocolate Pecan Valentine's Day Kisses
3 Egg whites Method: Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold in pecans, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt. Spoon into pastry bag fitted with 1/2 inch tip. Pipe 1 inch kisses, about 1-1/2 inches apart, onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake in 250F oven for about 45 minutes or until outside is firm but inside slightly soft. Let cool on racks. Store at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 5 days. Victorian Gingerbread ValentinesIn Victorian times lovers declared their affections via words, songs, pictures and foods. One such food was gingerbread "life cakes" in the shape of hearts. 2 1/2 cups unsifted flour Method: In large bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Blend together margarine and brown sugar until smooth. Add corn syrup and egg; beat well. Add dry ingredients, about one-third at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition. Chill dough one hour. Roll out half of dough on lightly floured surface to one-quarter-inch thickness. (Reserve other half for decoratins or for a second batch of cookies.) Using hear-shaped cookie cutter, press out cookie shapes or use knife to cut around a pattern. Place hearts on cookie sheet. Decorate as desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden. Remove and place on wire racks to cool. Store in covered container. Makes about eight 4 1/2 inch cookies.
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