By HALEY FRANKS
Sweets for your sweetheart
For our Valentine’s edition of Food For Thought, we reached out to one of our favorite bakers, Haley Franks, for some yummy recipes (including one for those watching their diet!) to share with your Valentine. Men, if you’re reading this and your significant other enjoys sweets, what are you waiting for?? Start baking!
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE HEART COOKIE
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup Valentine’s M&Ms (plus more for sprinkling)
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (plus more for sprinkling)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer (or using hand mixer), cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 1 egg at a time, mixing until fully incorporated. Add vanilla. Mix well. In a small bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Slowly add flour into butter mixture. Mix until JUST combined, being sure not to over-mix. (Over-mixing will make a tough cookie.) Fold in M&Ms and white chocolate chips.
In a heart-shaped baking pan, spray well with cooking spray, then evenly spread dough in pan. Bake 25-35 minutes until center is set. Let cookie cool in pan for 20 minutes. Once it is cooled, carefully run a knife around the edges and flip cookie gently onto a cooling rack. Sprinkle reserved M&Ms and chocolate chips over top.
HEALTHY PEANUT BUTTER HEARTS
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter*
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
- Sprinkle of sea salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Into a medium mixing bowl, add peanut butter, coconut flour, maple syrup and salt. Stir well until mixture resembles a dough. Press between two sheets of parchment paper until dough is about ½-inch thick. Place in freezer for 15 minutes. Once out of freezer, using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut into shapes. Excess dough can be re-pressed and cut into hearts until no dough remains.
Place cut hearts in freezer for 30 minutes until firm. While hearts are in freezer, melt chocolate chips with coconut oil at 30-second intervals in microwave until fully melted. After hearts have been in the freezer, dip each into melted chocolate till fully covered. Place back onto baking sheet and set in refrigerator until chocolate has set. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.
*Available at most grocery stores — just look for the “natural” label! Stir before using.
OOEY GOOEY INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate chips together. Once fully melted, with a whisk mix in half and half, flour, powdered sugar and cocoa. Stir until smooth. Spoon mixture evenly into 4 greased ramekins. Bake 12 minutes. Once out of the oven, trace edges with a knife and carefully flip onto a plate. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar.
Best served with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
Haley Franks is the wife of Stevie Franks. She is a dental hygienist by day but learned to love cooking and baking by watching Food Network. She recently turned her hobby into an Instagram platform for fun, and enjoys making videos of what she is cooking each day. Follow her @haleysreciperoundup!
