Red Hot Shortbread Bites

Has everyone been glued to the Olympics these past few days? I think they're the only thing getting me through this terrible Winter. We still have at least 6 weeks of probable snow left and I can't remember ever feeling so stir-crazy for so long.  I feel especially bad for my kids being cooped up.  I mean in winter at least I can still do my favorite activities. (Baking, reading, and bubble baths.)  But bike riding, tree house building, and bug-hunting are kind of out for my kids.  Somebody tell me it's going to end!  I don't even bother checking the weather anymore.  I'm not sure my soul can take any more.

I've been distracting myself from the cold with lots of Valentine's baking this week, and these are one of my favorites. These are yummy little shortbread cookies, but I think they'd be equally delicious if you just added Red Hots to your favorite sugar cookie recipe.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Also, prayers for an early Spring are much appreciated.

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

My six year old is upset this week about a certain shape.  A heart to be exact.

According to him, it looks nothing like an actual "heart", which has ventricles, arteries, and connective tissue.

Personally, I'm fine with a symbol of love that doesn't include graphic diagrams of my insides, but apparently I'm the crazy one.


It's hard having a kid that's so literal.  What am I supposed to get him now for Valentine's day? A box of candy with human organs drawn on the outside?

He would actually like that, is the scary thing.


Concerning brownies though,

I took these to my cute girls I teach at our church and they went crazy for them! What's not to like about milk chocolate chips, fresh raspberries, and cheesecake anyways?  Oh, and brownies of course.    

You can even cut them into heart shapes if you want.  

Other organs are fine too.

Red Hot Krispy Treats

I'm not usually a big fan of Red Hots. I'm kind of a wuss in that way.  But I do love them in other treats. If you've never tried putting them in ice cream for example, I totally recommend it.  When they're combined with other ingredients they mellow out and transform into something perfectly sweet and cinnamony.  Plus something about Valentine's day always makes me want to play with Red Hots.


That's normal right?  To want to set things on fire round about Valentine's day?


Just kidding.  ;)

Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

I love February because pink is everywhere.  After 4 months of winter it's just a nice little reminder that the world is not all drab and gray.  This raspberry cheesecake ice cream is probably totally inappropriate for a day with a 20 degree high, but it's so pretty I don't even care.  I'm pretty proud of this one.  For a super cheesecakey flavor, I added cream cheese and cheesecake pudding to my normal ice cream base and then mixed in some raspberry pie filling and homemade graham cracker pie crust.

Ice cream perfection, I tell you.

Like any good ice cream it takes a couple days to make, so if you want it tomorrow you better start now!  :)

Dark Chocolate Donuts

Does anybody even care that it's Groundhog's day?  Why are we not all celebrating by eating hot dogs? Did everyone realize without me that ground hog is actually disgusting?

Or am I supposed to be watching the Superbowl?  I might be from Colorado but the second grade bully used to wear Bronco's jerseys basically every day so they've been my nemesis for awhile now.  I just can't support that kind of thing.  Plus horses have never been my favorite.

Can we just talk donuts instead?

A baked donut will never be a fried donut.  But that doesn't mean they can't be delicious.  Mentally prepare yourself for a little round cake with a hole in the center, instead of a crispy fried donut and these will wow you.  These are SO easy and only take 30 minutes from start to finish. This is the kind of treat you can whip up on a whim and not have to spend the entire day cleaning the kitchen afterwards.

The donuts themselves are dark and not super sweet, so the ganache glaze compliments them perfectly. I tried to put a clear glaze on a few and there was an uproar.  Point taken.

If you have kids they love to decorate their own donuts.  Read: They like to dump as many bottles of sprinkles as they can on top of their donuts.

You will need a donut pan to bake these in.  I bought mine at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon, but I've also seen them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and store likes Walmart and Target.

Now back to your chip dishes people!  May the best team win.

Cordial Cherries

Happy February!  This might be the first year ever I am ahead of the game and ready to post holiday treats before said holiday actually occurs. 

Ok, actually these are from Christmas, but whatever.

Pretend I'm cool.

These cherries are so pretty but they're kind of a pain in the butt to make.  Just being honest there.

They do make a great Valentine's day present if you have a significant other who loves cordial cherries. My husband for example, could probably live off of them along with sunflower seeds and beef jerky.

That makes the hassle alll worth it, right?

The recipe has multiple parts but can be spread over several days.  Be aware that some of the steps require freezing ingredients for several hours or overnight. The cherries are delicious as soon as you dip them, but it can take up to a week for the centers to liquefy, so if that is important to you, you may want to make them well in advance.

You will need a food-safe paintbrush and a candy mold.  If you want, you can skip that entirely and just dip the cherries by hand using a toothpick, but I love the nice professional look that a candy mold gives.