Spend Valentine's Day Baking as a Family

Remember when Valentine's Day meant a class party with lots of homemade cookies and a carton of milk? Times have changed and most schools don't allow such activities anymore, but that doesn't mean kids of today need to miss out. Our own kitchens are great party venues. Our REALTORS® would like to share a few tips with you to help bring those parties home! For easier clean-up after the fact, line the counters with waxed paper before you begin. 

• Classic Sugar Cookies
  Hands down the most popular valentine's cookie of all time, sugar cookies are simple to make, inexpensive, and versatile enough for the youngest children to participate in the process.  Traditionally decorated with a buttercream frosting tinted pink, you don't need to feel tied to that.  There are plenty of options for toppings or add-ins. Toddlers are delighted to spread colored sugar sprinkles on top to bring them to life. Bonus: to let children decorate cookies without making them from scratch, you can always purchase pre-made dough and count on perfect results every time. Add a can of pre-made frosting and some writing icing in a tube and inexperienced bakers can look like pros.
  
  
• Chocolate Chip Keto Cookies
  Even though someone in the family needs to follow a sugar-free or gluten-free diet, they can still have a cookie! These delicious cookies use erythritol as a sweetener and almond flour as a base, killing two birds with one stone. If there are any nut allergies in the family, sunflower seed flour works well as a substitute, as does coconut flour, but it does leave a slightly different flavor. Even die-hard cookie monsters won't complain because they are really yummy!
  
  
• Haystack Cookies
  No time for baking? How about these no-bake cookies? Begin by melting one cup each of butterscotch and chocolate chips in the microwave. Heat for thirty seconds, stir and heat in fifteen-second intervals, stirring until they are completely melted. Stir in two tablespoons of peanut butter. In a separate bowl, mix one cup of peanuts, lightly crushed, and one six-ounce package of chow mien noodles. Pour melted mixture over the noodles and nuts slowly, stirring until completely covered. Drop by tablespoons onto two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Chill until firm. Variations include miniature marshmallows, pretzels, and cereal. Change the flavor by using dark or white chocolate chips.
  
  
• Cherry-topped Brownie Dessert
  If you would rather have an after-dinner dessert than a full cookie jar, you might enjoy this quick and easy option. Start with the brownie mix of your choice and bake it according to directions. While it is cooling, mix two eight-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened, with one tub of store-bought frosting. Spread it on the cooled pan of brownies. Then spoon a twenty-one-ounce can of prepared cherry pie filling on top of the layer of frosting. Store any leftovers for up to five days in the refrigerator. 
  
  
• Heart-shaped PBJ
  One of the first things many kids learn to make for themselves is a peanut butter sandwich. With so many peanut allergies out there, fortunately, sunflower butter provides a terrific alternative. You can help them make Valentine's Day sandwiches for an afternoon snack by providing a red jelly option, such as strawberry, cherry, or red currant. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, help them create sandwiches. They are elegant and special, but won't spoil dinner!

If you're considering one of the beautiful Mansfield and Ashland homes for sale, you may have noticed a lot of kitchen upgrades that offer conveniences like convection ovens, handy islands and so much more! Contact us if you're interested in hearing more.