Valentine Treats

With Valentine's Day coming in 2 weeks, yes 2 weeks. Do you have something for your Valentine yet? How about some yummy chocolate desserts? First off some homemade peanut butter cups. Yeah you could go buy some, but what is more special and to your liking. Me I like dark chocolate.


Peanut Butter Cups


1 cup peanut butter (not natural or reduced fat)
2/3 -1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt, optional
16 ounce milk or semi-sweet chocolate bar or bag of chocolate chips

1. In a medium mixing bowl combine peanut butter, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt with a fork. Taste and add additional sugar/salt if desired. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Line a mini muffin tin or baking sheet with aluminum candy cups or baking cups

3. Use a double boiler to melt half of the chocolate, or microwave, checking and stirring every 15 seconds.

4. Drop a teaspoonful of chocolate into the bottom of each liner and use the back of a spoon to draw the chocolate up the sides. A 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon works well for this. Refrigerate for ten minutes.

5. Add a spoonful of filling to each cup and flatten out the top. Depending on how much confectioners' sugar you used the filling might be thick enough to shape with your hands.

6. Melt the remaining chocolate using the same method. Drop a teaspoonful over top of each one and smooth. Refrigerate.

Makes 26-30 cups.

Recipe adapted from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

Next, some yummy brownie bites, similar to the cake bites I posted last year. I got this idea from Get Off Your Butt and Bake! She made them into brownie pops and she has some lovely pictures with a better tutorial, click here.

Step one: Make the Brownies.

Make them according to the recipe or package directions. Bake them on parchment paper or foil lined pan so you can remove them from the pan completely. Moist, fudgy brownies work best. With a greased knife, cut off the crusts and cut into small bars. Let them cool to where they are easy to handle.

Step two: Mold the brownies into balls.

If your brownies are moist and fudgy, they will cling together easily. Grease your hands to keep them from getting too sticky. Try to roll the top of the brownie into the center of your ball. The crackly top has dry edges that make it hard to make your ball nice and round.

Step three: Dip in CHOCOLATE

Melt milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips or white chocolate in microwave or double boiler. With a skewer stab brownie and dip into warm chocolate, place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper and sprinkle with colored sprinkles.

Recipe adapted from Get Off Your Butte and Bake!