Treats with Love - Valentine Sweets

I’ve had my eye on two different Valentine treats from Pinterest for the past couple months and couldn’t wait to get in my kitchen this week. I wanted to make enough to share with co-workers, friends and our new neighbor.

First up, red velvet chocolate chip cookies. These looked delicious, festive and pretty simple. So, yesterday evening I put my apron on and started baking up goodies! These cookies are easy only needing a few ingredients, short amount of baking time and simple to toss together. Perfect if you had little ones that wanted to help in the kitchen. I do not, but it was fun for me!

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies
{Recipe found here}

Ingredients

1 Red Velvet Box Cake Mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips (the recipe called for semi-sweet but I used milk chocolate)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs and vanilla together.

Add the oil and the boxed cake mix and hand mix together until fully incorporated.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop the cookies in balls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Ta-da! Quick, easy and these are delicious! Kyle and I test tasted a few of them before I packaged the rest up to share with co-workers and our new neighbor today.

Next up, homemade creamed filled chocolate Valentine Love cakes. AKA homemade Ding Dongs. I could not wait to make these adorable festive bites of heaven. As the cookies, I found this recipe on Pinterest and of course I feel like I can always recreate Pinterest creations.  Let’s just get started… 

Cream Filled Valentine Love Cakes
{Recipe found here}

Ingredients

Cakes:

1 box of your favorite chocolate cake mix

All ingredients needed to make the mix as directed on the box.

Cream filling:

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbs flour

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used 1/3 cup)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Icing:

1 tub of your favorite store bought chocolate fudge icing

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Love Icing:

1 tub of your favorite vanilla icing

Directions

Prepare your boxed cake mix according to the box directions.

I used a heart shaped silicone cupcake holder but you could use a regular cupcake pan as well. I only had one pan so this was a little time consuming to do four different batches. Prepare your pan by spraying a good coat of Pam so your cakes do not stick.

I over filled my cakes on purpose so I would be able to level them off evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

After each batch or if you have just one, cut tops  off and leave to cool on rack.

Cream filling:

In a medium sauce pan whisk together milk and flour. After several minutes the mixture will become creamy as it is gravy. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

In a mixer cream together sugar and vegetable shortening.

Add vanilla and powdered sugar and beat on high until fluffy.

After you cakes are cooled completely  use a small cookie cutter to hollow out a small hole in each cake. Or just use your fingers to pinch out the middle to fill with cream.

In a piping bag using a large start tip I filled each cake with the cream filling. 

 I was having Kyle help with the pics...

Icing:

Mix together your tub of icing and chocolate chips on low heat until melted in a small sauce pan.

Dip each cake covering the bottom with the cream hole with chocolate to keep from getting hard from air. Let all dry completely. You do not want your cakes to stick to the wax paper once turning over.

 Once your cakes are completely cooled turn them over onto wax paper and begin pouring the chocolate to cover all sides of your cake. (This was the hardest part of the recipe for me, obviously.)

Once all cakes are hardened use a piping bag and fill with vanilla icing. I just ended up cutting a small tip opening in the bag instead of using a tip. Then attempt your “Love” on each cake.

Ahhh ok, these cakes were very time consuming. Fun, but time consuming.  Since like I said I only had one pan it took me an hour to just get my cakes baked. The other hard part for me was the chocolate covering. I wish I would have dunked the cakes rather than pour because a lot weren’t evenly coated and it ended up just being a huge mess. Now, the cakes are delicious but they are not the cutest coming from my kitchen. They are all being delivered to my tiniest valentines so there won’t be any judgment!

Original recipe found here.

Have you made any fun festive sweets this week? I hope everyone’s week has been filled with love and lots of pink and red hearts! XOXO