Valentine's Day Bake Off: Part 2

So what do I think about to complete the perfect Valentine's Day? 

Wine = YES

Red Velvet = YES

Chocolate = YES, please!

So why not combine both to put in a cookie? These cookies are a marriage between a recipe found at the Curvy Carrot and Keep It Simple Foods. May I present to you the Red Velvet and Wine Chocolate Cookie (with White Chocolate chips). Perhaps they make make another appearance for the Red Carpet event soon.

Ingredients: (makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies)

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick unsalted butter, slightly softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup red wine (I used pinot noir, but you could use merlot, red zinfandel or any red table wine)

~3 tablespoons of beet powder (I like to omit red dye 40) or red food coloring

½ cup of white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and prepare baking sheets.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt. and baking soda.  Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with hand or stand mixer.  Next, add in the egg, vanilla, and red wine.  Add the food coloring or beet powder. Mix until well combined.

Then, slowly add in the dry ingredients until mixed well.

Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter onto a prepared baking pan, leaving a few inches in between. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Bake Off: Part 1

I've been busy baking for the holiday of love. First up, a Pinterest inspired craft to remove excessive sugar and HFCS from this holiday, all while recycling old broken crayons.

To make:
Remove paper from crayons using a utility knife (thanks mom for that advice--my nails and finger love you!) then break up into small pieces.

Melt in silicone heart shaped mold (I hear that you should avoid metal) at 250 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until melted. I let my little Valentine fill the molds.

Place on a little bit of stock paper with a witty saying, and send off to school! I found that neither the hot glue gun nor tape adhered the crayon to the paper, so I ended up tiring them up with ribbon.

Happy Valentine's Day. More to come tomorrow!