A lil bit of Valentine Sugar for the SWEETEST MONTH

 

I've been putting my HOUSEWIFE on and spending some sweet time in the kitchen making pretty sugars for Valentine's Day. I recently attended a Girls Jammie and Cookie Exchange Valentine Party! How cool is that?! I'm a party-lover and that concept is brilliant.  I've never heard of a pajama exchange before and it is an extra fun idea for girls.  I'm sharing with you some of the cookies I brought along.  I came home with SO many delicious treats, cookies, and a cozy pair of pink jammies too.  Valentine's Day pampering for sure. 

I took classic, round, crackle-topped, sugar-covered, peanut butter bites and topped them with
M & Ms.  Topping with the various pink candies is such a quick way to transform a classic cookie into a festive treat.

Cute as a button!

I used the bowl of leftover M&Ms to make tiny baby treats of candy for friends.

One of my all-time favorite cookies are Cherry Chocolate Kisses.  If you're a forever reader of my blog, I'm sure you've seen them here before.  For Valentine's Day I pushed a chocolate heart into the middle of the cherry goodness instead of the traditional chocolate kiss.  

Same cookie, different holiday.  ;)  

For Cherry Chocolate Kiss cookie recipe SEE previous post HERE.



I amped up the pink food coloring to yield HOT PINK cookies...some sassy and sophisticated glam for these little bites. 

I was excited to try a new cookie this year as well:
Butter Almond Shortbread with Raspberry Jam

Valentine Thumbprint Cookies
(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb and finger, and fill the hole with preserves.
Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.



 Before baking, do a double thumbprint to form an adorable sweet heart of raspberry jam.

Just a little bit of sugar in your cup of tea...

The last sweet treat is a sophisticated dessert that would fit perfectly for a romantic Valentine's Night dinner: Rich Chocolate Kahlua Tart.  I immediately stole this recipe from one of my {most loved} baking websites, Bake at 350.  

I poured sprinkles of gold over the top to make it super special, because this dessert deserves to have extra sparkles. It is extremely rich and one bite is satisfying enough!  

For more Valentine sweet treats, view archives below:

Oreo Truffles

  Contemporary Hearts Chocolate Mousse

Buttermilk Syrup XO pancakes

archives

 

little loves

tea time

sugar

 hearts

Happy Sweetest Month!

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This post is linked to:   Under the Table & Dreamin, Think Pink Sundays, Seasonal Sundays,  Met Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Organize and Decorate Everything, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff,   Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design