Valentine's Treats for Grandmom

I've never considered myself a huge Valentine's person. I routinely profess to hate the holiday and would be completely fine if it fell off the calendar altogether. That being said, over the last couple of years, I've started to embrace it for what it is: a day to make pretty treats. In that vein, I decided to make something fun for my grandmom this year since it was her first Valentine's Day without my grandfather.


I attribute any baking abilities I have to my grandmother. She believed in my cooking abilities long before I did, so I'm always thrilled when I can share my new-found abilities with her. During a trip to the suburbs, I found this delightful heart shaped box and it became the basis for which I built my gift around. Since my grandmom can't have chocolate, I had to think a little outside the box in my treat making (and work with carob for the first time...not a fan) but it all came together wonderfully! 

Finished product, complete with homemade card (buying cards is a weird pet peeve of mine)

Treats (coconut cookies, nonpareils, and chocolate covered marshmallows) 

Coconut Cookies

Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Yields 36

Ingredients

• 1 package (14 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut (5 1/3 cups)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside 2 loosely packed cups of coconut on a plate. Place remaining coconut in a food processor along with sugar, salt, and baking powder; process until finely ground. Add butter, and process just until no lumps remain. Add egg and vanilla; process just until smooth. Add flour; pulse until a crumbly dough begins to form, scraping sides of bowl as needed (do not overmix)
2. Forming 5 or 6 at a time, scoop level tablespoons of dough, and place in reserved coconut. Roll into balls, coating with coconut
3. Arrange balls, about 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Bake until lightly golden, 23 to 25 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

*I don't care for (and in fact hate coconut) but I couldn't resist sampling one of these little balls of goodness...and they were quiet tasty! 

Chocolate Nonperils

Yields 36

Ingredients

• 1 (12oz) bag of chocolate chips (or carob chips in this instance)
• Seasonally appropriate sprinkles (I make these as part of my Christmas gifts with Christmas sprinkles) 
• Candy mold (I recommend using at least two so it'll go faster)

Preparation

1. Melt chips in microwave or double boiler according to directions on bag
2. Using a spoon, dish melted chocolate into candy mold
3. Top with sprinkles and allow to hard (to speed the process along, you can stick the tray in the freezer or fridge)

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

Ingredients

• 1 (12oz) bag of chocolate chips (or, again, carob chips in this instance)
• 1 bag of marshmallows
• Seasonally appropriate sprinkles (optional)

Preparation

1. Melt chips in microwave or double boiler according to directions on bag
2. Dip marshmallows into melted chocolate (I just held onto them, but you could also use tongs)
3. Top with sprinkles (if desired) and allow to harden on wax paper

Enjoy :)