Anjeli Sambasivam ‘18
EE Senior Lifestyle Editor
Valentine’s day is right around the corner! When I think of Valentine’s day, I immediately think of chocolate and sweet pink treats. You can never go wrong with chocolate covered strawberries and heart-shaped sugar cookies. Short on time? Here are some delicious desserts that everyone will definitely enjoy!
Recipe #1: Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Ingredients:
16 ounces of chocolate: white, milk, or dark chocolate
2 tablespoons of shortening/butter
1 pound of strawberries
Sprinkles (optional)
Crushed almonds/peanuts (optional)
Ready in: 15 minutes
Instructions:
- In a double boiler*, melt the chocolate and shortening/butter, stirring occasionally. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth.
- Using a toothpick, dip a strawberry into the mixture and set on a tray or plate lined with parchment paper.
- Now it’s time to decorate! Decorate using sprinkles or other toppings. You can also use any extra chocolate to drizzle onto the strawberries.
*You can make a double boiler by placing a metal or heatproof bowl over a boiling point of water. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water.
Recipe #2: Heart-shaped Sugar Cookies
Ingredients: (courtesy of allrecipes.com)
1 ½ cups butter, softened
5 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups white sugar
Icing (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)
Ready in: 30 minutes (excluding time for dough to chill)
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until smooth. Then, beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) in a separate bowl. Once combined, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until fully mixed.
- Cover the dough and place in the fridge to chill for about 1 hour (or overnight).
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is around ¼ to ½ inches thick. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place 1 inch apart on a tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely.
- Decorate! Using pink icing and sprinkles, decorate the cookies to your liking.