A Valentine For You
Posted: February 14, 2012 Filed under: Candy, Cookies, Dessert, Holiday, The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: dessert, food, recipes, Valentine's Day 10 Comments »
….Will you be my Valentine?
I got you a little something special: sweets and treats galore!
Baked Brownie Bites
French Toast Cupcakes
Soft Sweetheart Sugar Cookies
Giant Triple Chocolate Chocolate Bookie
Princess Valentine Cookie Sammies
Outrageous Brownies
Tiramisu Creme Brulee
PB & J Tiramisu
Triple Chocolate Brownie Pie
Enjoy! Happy Valentine’s Day, my little cookies.
Like this:
Princess Valentine Cookie Sammies w/ Strawberry Buttercream Filling
Posted: February 9, 2012 Filed under: Cookies, Dessert, Holiday, Snacks | Tags: baking, cookies, dessert, strawberry buttercream, sugar cookies, Valentine's Day 8 Comments »
I apologize in advance for the epic amounts of girlishness crammed into these cookies. It just sort of happened.
I’m not five-years-old, I SWEAR.
I am, however, a kid at heart. As I explained to you while discussing my latest Wegmans finds, I am, and will forever be, a Disney girl. When I saw that Pillsbury had dished out Princess Valentine Shape Sugar Cookies in honor of good old February 14th, I just about lost my marbles. Disney Princess cookies? Is this a childhood dream come true?
On their own, these pre-made cookies are cute and girly enough. I mean, they’re pink with a little purple high heel printed on the center. Plus, the white heart surrounding the shoe makes them quite Valentine’s Day appropriate. I, however, cannot bake pre-made cookie dough with good conscience unless I jazz it up a little.
Like this:
Giant Triple Chocolate Bookie
Posted: February 8, 2012 Filed under: Cookies, Dessert, Holiday, Ice Cream, Snacks, The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: brownies, chocolate, cookies, dessert, food, Valentine's Day 14 Comments »
No typo here, my little cookies. This is a bookie: a cookie-brownie hybrid. I’ve also seen these referred to “brookies,” but that’s not a very linguistically pleasing word. Bookie is much more fun to say.
Bookie.
See?
If you’re anything like me, then choosing between cookies and brownies is tough. Cookies are so snackable* and delicious, but brownies are so chocolatey and decadent. How does one choose? The better question is, why should you have to?
That is why this Giant Triple Chocolate Bookie and I are BFF’s. I get the best of both worlds: a giant cookie that’s essentially the size of my head stuffed with two kinds of chocolate chips and chunks, and yielding such fudgy, soft, rich qualities that I can’t decide if it’s truly a cookie or a brownie.
When I created my Colossal Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae, I thought that was the greatest dessert to ever grace my mouth. Warm, gooey, chocolatey, and made from the best chocolate chip cookie dough in existence, it truly was a magical experience. However, now that this dark, fudgy, chocolafied* version has come into my life, I don’t know which I like love more.
Like this:
Soft Sweetheart Sugar Cookies
Posted: February 7, 2012 Filed under: Dessert, Holiday, Snacks, The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: cookies, food, frosting, sugar cookies, Valentine's Day 8 Comments »
People possess very mixed opinions about Valentine’s Day. Generally, they tend to support on of the following opinions:
- “Oh my god, I love Valentine’s Day! My boyfriend/girlfriend and I are so IN LOVE. I want everyone to know! Let’s eat chocolate and have an expensive dinner!” These people live for V-Day. Cupid got them bad. They can commonly be spotted adorning festive red and pink attire and jamming out to love songs.
- “I hate Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day sucks. All you love birds make me sick. I’m going to go listen to depressing music and think about how much Valentine’s Day sucks.” The passionate hatred of Valentine’s Day associated with these people is usually attributed to a recently broken heart or a non-existent love life. I think everyone dips their feet into these waters at some point or another.
- “Valentine’s Day is just a card store conspiracy. They just want to make us go buy cards and chocolate. It’s purely for the economy. You should show your love every day, not just because the calendar tells you to.” These people make a few good points, and they may be right, but it’s often times a bitter heart fueling these words rather than unbiased logic. Unless, of course, if you’re a man. Many men fall under this category. Not because they’re bitter, but because a holiday full of lovey-dovey pink and purpleness seems completely absurd in their opinion.
Which one are you? I ten to hover somewhere between 1 and 2. It’s hard not to feel a little bit of resentment towards a day that highlights one’s single status, but at the same time, I think it’s great to have a day that honors love. True, you should express your love every day, not just because of a holiday, but couldn’t the same be said for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day? I think having a special day allotted to such relationships is pure fun. Even if you lack a “lover” to spend Valentine’s Day with, surely you have someone you love to celebrate. Whether it be a friend, a sibling, your parents, or even your dog, show that special someone you care about them.
It just so happens that I have the perfect way to do so. Nothing says “I love you” quite like these Soft Sweetheart Sugar Cookies. Their heart shape is a universal sign of affection, plus pretty pink frosting and colorful sprinkles add to the overall festiveness. If you could bake love into cookie form, these would be it. Not only are their romantic aesthetics appropriate for Valentine’s Day, but baking them from scratch will show your loved one(s) you care more than any store-bought gift could.
Like this:
Wegman’s Finds: Valentine’s Day Treats & More
Posted: February 2, 2012 Filed under: Breakfast, Cookies, Dessert, Holiday, Obsessions | Tags: food, Valentine's Day, Wegman's 11 Comments »
If you are blessed enough to live near a Wegman’s, then you know just how truly magical the place can be. The moment you walk through the doors, you are greeted by a wonderland of sublime grocery goods and more. Wegman’s doesn’t just sell food, they sell the best food. Everything that comes out of that place is amazing. Moreover, they sell a plethora of other goodies like gifts, kitchen equipment, home decor, and more.
Basically, they have everything.
I made my bi-monthly trek yesterday. It was actually an impromptu trip because I happened to be in the area. I was only going to grab a few things, but what I found were treasures galore.
Wegman’s was ready for Valentine’s Day. They had a whole section of the store devoted to all things red, pink, and chocolate. Any kind of candy your sweet tooth could desire, they had it. Loving teddy bears and various plushies? They had those too. They even had an entire floral shop to buy flowers for your sweetie. However, what I really enjoyed was all of the romantic-themed eats and treats.
1. Love Bug Cupcakes
These may be the cutest cupcakes in existence. Your choice of chocolate or vanilla cupcake is topped with mounds of fluffy frosting to uncannily resemble a cute little lady bug (or, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, a love bug). Two mini chocolate curls act as edible antlers and amp up the adorableness. The best part is, unlike most elaborately decorated cakes and cupcakes, the love bug itself is all frosting, no chewy fondant or other edible but undesirable medium. So, like all of Wegman’s baked goods, these cupcakes taste amazing. They’re delicious AND cute as a bug!
