Baking on Valentine’s Day for Romantic beginners without an apron to their name

by Amy Riach

For some of us Valentine’s Day is a much anticipated holiday, an anniversary of romance and love; for an unnumbered few it’s a reminder of the Roman patron Saint Valentine; and for the rest of us, Valentine’s Day amounts to little more than a colour scheme and an excuse to break out 'Love Actually' well before Christmas. And either way, baking is the key to having a great day on February 14.

VALENTINE’S BROWNIES

Unfortunately it is possible, even likely, to be both a hopeless romantic and totally hopeless in the kitchen, and if that’s the case then these are a great solution.

Any standard brownie recipe will do the trick, but these call for 1/2 cup of melted butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, and 1/2 cup cocoa powder, as well as a pinch of salt. Chocolate chips and seasonally coloured M&Ms will make them perfect and fudgey, but chocolate should always be measured by the heart, and never by what’s in a recipe.

Simply whisk together the melted butter and sugar. It’s this which gives the brownies that crackly top everyone loves!

Then, stir in the eggs and vanilla, before adding the dry ingredients until everything is combined. Fold in the chocolate chips before turning the batter into a baking pan, and top the brownies with M&M’s before baking.

You’ll know the brownies are done when the edges start to pull away from the pan, and the centre looks fudgy and cooked. And because M&Ms don’t melt, the tops of your brownies will stay pink and red and perfectly Valentine’s themed.

Chocolate Dipped Sugar Cookies

These chocolate dipped hearts start with a sugar cookie base, but if you’re not a fan of baking, or like me you actually don't own an apron and don’t particularly want to do the dishes, you can just as easily buy cookies premade and stick to just adding the chocolate dip. If you do feel like baking from scratch, you’ll need 1 cup softened butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 3 cups all-purpose flour. In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and the sugar until smooth and fluffy.

Then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt, then slowly mix in the flour until thoroughly combined. Chill the dough for at least an hour, or for up to 1 day before you plan to bake your cookies. Roll out your dough, and cut your cookies into heart shapes before baking for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the edges are just barely turning brown. Once they’re totally cool, the decorating begins. Yes, you will want to dip and eat them hot. Yes, they will be better if you wait. Melt your chocolate, in a double boiler over the stove, or more simply in the microwave; and dip half of each cookie into the chocolate, tapping against the bowl to remove the excess. Place the cookies on a sheet of baking paper, and quickly add your sprinkles onto the wet chocolate. Let them set completely before storing (or eating!) Pink and red sprinkles will add enormously to what is admittedly a very colour-dependent holiday, but anything at all is fine, unless you’re planning to make them just to look at.

Filled Shortbread Hearts

These jam filled shortbread hearts are easy to make, and they look like they aren’t, which is always a bonus. Whether you’re baking for one or for two it doesn’t matter, you’ll find that although they keep well they won’t last long. Make your shortbread dough using 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup softened butter, 3/4 cup icing sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup of seedless jam; or even seeded jam if it takes your fancy. It won’t look so smooth but it will taste just as good. First beat butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy; by hand works just fine, but a mixer will cut down on the time spent at the bench. Beat in the vanilla, and then the flour, until the dough is just blended.

Half the dough and refrigerate until firm, for at least 2 hours or overnight. Then with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out your cookies.

Store bought or handmade from cardboard strips, it makes no difference!

Cut out the centres of half the cookies, and remove the heart-shaped scraps, before baking the shortbread. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden, and allow them to cool before starting on the fun part.

Sift icing sugar over all the hearts with a missing centre, and add a teaspoon of jam to all the hearts left uncut.

Then match one sugar topped cookie to one jam topped counterpart, and make shortbread sandwiches! Human soulmates may or may not be real, but all of your biscuits at Valentine’s should have a perfect “other half”.