Valentine's Day Treats

Bake Valentine’s Day Cookies Instead of Buying Candy

You know you’re going to give those little ones that Valentine’s Day party.  It’s just a must.  Buying all that candy can be expensive, not to mention they will be getting candy from everyone else.  Why not make some delicious cookies in valentine shapes as an alternative?  It’s easy, inexpensive and something different.

Use your favorite sugar cookie recipe or a boxed sugar cookie from your local store.  If you go to a dollar or craft store you can purchase cookie cutters that are made just for Valentine’s Day.  A lot of these cutters come in packages that include hearts, cupids, arrows and much more. 

Bake your cookies according to the directions in your recipe or on the box.  Once you have the dough together use the cookie cutters to cut out your designs before putting them in the oven.  Once the cookies have cooled enough to work with, ice them with special icing.  Use a typical white icing recipe and color red and pink with food coloring. 

Cover the top of the cookies with icing and add a few sprinkles or use icing gel to place cute little sayings on each cookie.  You can outline cupid and add an arrow with different colored gels if you’re really creative. 

No matter how you decorate the cookies it will be something different and exciting for your preschoolers.  They will like the look of your cookies and will want to gobble them up as fast as they can.

Make Your Own Valentine Candy Recipe

Creating homemade Valentine’s Day candy may sound hard and time consuming but it’s not.  It can also be pretty inexpensive, depending on what you use to decorate your candy and the types of flavored extract you use.  The best part is that it’s candy you made with your own hands for your little preschoolers to have at the party.  It may be the only homemade candy they will ever have but is certainly candy they will never forget.

Making chocolate truffles is easy and you can make the actual candy ahead of time and wait until the night before the party to decorate them.  They taste wonderful and can become very addicting so be careful not eat too many yourself.

This recipe will make 2 lbs of candy, ensuring you have enough to go around. You will need:

• 2 lbs of chocolate (Any kind of chocolate will work but if your adding flavorings such as vanilla or peppermint then unsweetened chocolate is best.)

• 1/4 lb heavy cream

• 1/4 lb of unsalted butter

• Any flavorings you would like to add to the candy 

Melt the chocolate and heavy cream together.  Melting chocolate can be tricky so take your time with this step.  Most chocolate will have directions for melting on the label.  You can melt it in the microwave or on the stove using a double boiler pan.  If you don’t have a double boiler pan you can use 2 saucepans.  Place water in the bottom pan and then place the second pan over the top of the pan with the water. 

Add the chocolate and cream to the top pan and simmer over low heat until the chocolate melts.  Be sure to stir often to keep the chocolate from burning and to mix the chocolate and cream together.  Once the chocolate has melted, add butter and whisk until butter is melted and all the ingredients are mixed together well.

Remove the pan and separate the chocolate into separate bowls.  You will need a bowl for each of the different types of flavoring you will be using.  You can use any flavors you want just remember you are making these for small children and some flavors might not appeal to their likes.  Once you separate the chocolate, add the flavorings and stir well. 

When you have all the chocolate and flavorings mixed together place each different bowl into a container that you can cover.  Place the containers in the refrigerator until you are ready to decorate your candy. 

When you decorate use powdered sugar, sprinkles, nuts and even coconut that has been colored with food coloring in pink and red.  Use melon baller to get the chocolate out of the container.  Roll the ball in your favorite decoration and then place it on a piece of wax paper to set.

That’s all there is to making chocolate truffles.  Make some this year for your preschoolers Valentine’s Day party.  The children will be in seventh heaven with homemade candy made from the heart. 

Make Chocolate Lollipops for Your Students

Chocolate lollipops are so much fun to make and even more fun to eat.  Your preschoolers will be excited to get these on Valentine’s Day. 

Melt 2 lbs of chocolate, any kind will do, by placing it in the microwave or using a double boiler.  Most chocolate packages will have directions on them telling you the best way to melt the specific type of chocolate you choose.  You can also use white chocolate to mix your lollipops up a bit.  If you want to add flavorings to your chocolate separate the chocolate into separate bowls and add a different flavoring to each.  Be sure to stir the chocolate well to make sure the flavoring is incorporated into the chocolate well. 

Pour the chocolate from the bowl into plastic baggies.  This will make it easier to place the melted chocolate into the heart shaped cookie cutters.  On a cookie sheet covered with wax paper lay your heart shaped cookie cutter.  Slide a popsicle stick under the cutter and up to the center of the cookie cutter.  Pipe the chocolate through a hole cut in one corner to fill in the cookie cutter.  Continue this until all the chocolate is used. 

Now decorate your lollipops using different colored sprinkles, nuts, powered sugar, coconut or any decorations of this type. 

Once you have the lollipops decorated, place them in the refrigerator or freezer to set.  On the day of the party remove the lollipops and cover them with plastic wrap being sure to leave enough to tie around the stick.  Tie a ribbon around the stick.  Now you have Valentine’s Day lollipops to hand out to each of your little Valentine’s at school.  They will love them and remember them for years and years to come.

Individual Valentine Cakes

Trying to come up with something for each of your preschoolers for Valentine’s Day can be a frustrating, not to mention expensive endeavor.  Why not make each child their very own Valentine’s Day cake?  It’s easy to do and can be personalized to make all the children feel special.

You can use your own cake recipe or buy a prepackaged cake mix at the store, whichever is easiest for you.  Be sure to get cupcake liners that are pink and red or in some places you can find them with little heart patterns.  Any type of cake mix will work. You can even use a white cake mix, separate it into 2 bowls and add food coloring to make the cakes pink and red.  Bake the cupcakes as directed in your recipe or on the box.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, decorate them for each individual child.  You can ice them with pink and red icing or just use white icing if you have colored the cake.  Many stores have different types of cake decorating items that fit any child’s individuality.  You may have a couple of students who are into soccer or maybe one who has started to read and has prided themselves in this accomplishment.  Whatever the case may be, try to find decorations that match the child and their individual interests. 

Before placing any decorations on the cupcake, use gel icing to print each child’s name on top.  This will let the children know you were thinking of only them when you made their special Valentine cake.  Then go ahead and decorate the cake as only that child would enjoy.

On Valentine’s Day the kid’s special treat will mean a lot to them because you singled them out with your gift.  They will enjoy the attention, know they are a special valentine and gobble up their little cake with a smile and a warm heart.