OPINION: Valentine’s Day recipes to fall in love with

 

Baking is a wonderful way to show your loved ones how you feel about them, and with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I decided to hit the kitchen to whip up some delicious Valentine’s themed recipes that are sure to satisfy anyone — whether it be significant others or friends and family.

Chocolate-covered strawberry cake balls 

Ingredients:

• 1 box strawberry cake mix
• 1 cup of water
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 8 ounces strawberry frosting
• 16 ounces meltable milk chocolate
• 2 ounces freeze-dried strawberries

Recipe: 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix your strawberry cake mix, water, eggs and oil in a medium-sized bowl. Bake for 35 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).

While the cake bakes, take 1/4 cup of the freeze-dried strawberries and place them in a sandwich bag. Use a rolling pin to squish them into small pieces. Repeat and set both bags aside.

Let the cake cool completely. Take a large mixing bowl and crush the cake into a fine crumble. Mix the cake crumbles and strawberry frosting together. Then, take the first bag of the freeze-dried strawberries and mix it into the cake and frosting mixture.

Form about 18-20 spheres from the mixture and pop these in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Next, melt your milk chocolate: I use a microwavable tray version for easier usage and cleanup. Take the cake balls out of the freezer, dip them into milk chocolate and cover completely. Finally, sprinkle with the freeze-dried strawberries from the second bag as a garnish and enjoy.

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Red Velvet Kiss Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box red velvet cake mix
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 bag Hershey's Kisses

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the red velvet cake mix, eggs and softened butter together in a bowl. The mixture should be a thick consistency, like cookie dough.

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop the dough onto a cooking sheet. Place each cookie about 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 12 minutes.

While the cookies bake, unwrap the Hershey’s kisses — one for each cookie. Once the cookies are done baking, take them out of the oven, plop a Hershey's kiss in the middle of each and enjoy.

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Brownies 

Ingredients:

• 1 box chocolate brownie mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of oil 
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ⅓ cup of sugar 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Recipe:

Originally by Laura Franco’s Krazy Kitchen Mom blog, these brownies are sure to improve on the classic chocolate brownie mix. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl and set aside. Mix the brownie mix, eggs, water and oil in a separate bowl.

Pour the brownies mix into a nonstick pan. Pour the cream mixture on top of the brownie mix. Then, pour the cherry pie filling on top of the mix as well.

Using the back of a spoon, swirl the cherry pie filling and cream cheese together with the brownie mix.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy.

Elizabeth Secor is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @esecor2003 

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