Valentine's Day Sweets To Make With Your Tween

Source: Robyn Pels

(101 ratings)

To some, Valentine's Day evokes memories of loved ones strolling arm in arm, sipping champagne, swooning. To me, it brings forth recent flashbacks of spilled glue, glitter and torn bits of doilies composting in my dining room. While the mess from making cards with my kids was dizzying, the memories still warm my heart.

My kids are tweens now and the threat of glitter explosions has diminished. And given that I believe the key to a successful Valentine's Day is lots of sugar, I created a simple, sugar-filled project that says "I Love You!" While Hallmark has over 1330 different cards specifically for Valentine's Day, not one of them tastes as good as these edible versions.

Another plus: the project is easy, and filled with short-cuts so, in under an hour you can make some valentines that are not only impressive, but also, delicious.

Edible Valentine's Day Cards

Sugar cookies - store bought cookies in assorted shapes - round, square, rectangular. If you'd like to go the home made route, I've included a recipe below.

Decorations
1 Batch Royal Icing
A variety of colorful, candies. (avoid candies that are very hard and difficult to chew.)

Royal Icing
1 lb (1 box) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons powdered eggwhites OR 2 large eggwhites
Water

Combine powdered sugar and eggwhites in the bowl of an electric mixer. If using powdered egg whites, you'll need about ½ cup water. Mix until smooth. Add water as necessary so that consistency is similar to Elmer's glue.
Add red food coloring if desired.

Tip: Make your own glue dispensers by filling small plastic squeeze bottles with royal icing. The bottles are usually available at pharmacies, discount stores and art supply stores.
Note: If using the icing to write messages and make borders, dilute it less, keeping it a bit stiffer than glue consistency. It should hold it's shape when squeezed through the bottle tip.

Robyn's Sugar Cookies (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
In a mixing bowl, add:
½ cup (4oz./1 stick) butter, very soft
¾ cup sugar
Stir together until well combined.

Add:
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Stir until combined

Add:
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix until well combined.

Add:
2 cups all-purpose flour
Mix until just incorporated.

Roll out dough to about ½" thick and chill for at least an hour. Roll out now to about 1/8" thickness. If dough is too soft to work with, chill about another ½ hour. Use cookie cutters to make desired shapes. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

Tip: roll out dough on a non-stick sheet like Silpat or on a piece of parchment for easy transfer to refrigerator for chilling.

Create Your Masterpieces

Use the cookies as your canvas. The royal icing "glue" is great for writing messages, making borders and attaching the candy decorations.

Let dry for 2-3 hours, and then they are ready for special delivery.

Robyn Pels is the owner of Robyn Pels Baker-at-Large, which makes cakes, cookies and specialty baked goods to order. She also teaches cooking to young and older children alike, leads baking workshops and parties, and bakes obsessively.

For inquiries and orders, e-mail: robynthebaker@yahoo.com

Share your ideas about creating valentine treats:
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