[Kitchen Witch]

The holidays are now over and St. Valentine's Day is coming up.

Planning a romantic dinner for two? Making a special Valentine's Day dessert? Or making cupcakes or cookies for school???

Share your Valentine's Day recipes here.

Kitchen Witch


Valentine Day Hearts

Yield: 4 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
non stick cooking spray

In large bowl with mixer at medium speed beat margarine and sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice and egg until well blended. Gradually add flour and salt; beat until well mixed. Cover; refrigerate at least at least 1 hour, until dough is easy to handle.

Preheat oven 350°F.
On lightly floured surface roll out dough, 1/3 at a time, to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into heart shapes. Place on cookie sheets coated with cooking spray. Decorate as desired with colored sugar. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and cool on wire racks. Store in tightly covered containers.


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Red Velvet Cake

2-1/2 cups flour, sifted 3 times
2 eggs
1 cup soured milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup Crisco
3 tablespoons cocoa
4 ounces red food coloring
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar added to 1 teaspoon baking soda (let it fizz before adding)

Cream the Crisco and sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then add the vanilla and salt. Add the dry ingredients alternating with wet, scraping the bowl often while mixing.
Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

For the frosting:
3 teaspoons flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter

Combine the flour, sugar and milk and cook until thick. Add the vanilla and butter, and cook until fluffy. Cool, and spread on the cake.




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Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 24 cupcakes

24 paper liners for muffin pans (2 1/2-inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) German chocolate cake mix with pudding
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter Cream Frosting

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside. 2. Place the cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, food coloring, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each liner two thirds of the way full. Place the pans in the oven. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottom of the pan using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting. Meanwhile, prepare the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter Cream Frosting. With a long metal spatula, spread a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake until smooth. Serve. Place these cupcakes, uncovered or in a cake saver, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. Then store them, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Butter Cream

3 (3 ounce) bars good quality white chocolate
12 ounces cream cheese softened
3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Break the chocolate in to squares and place in a microwave safe bowl. Cook on HIGH, stirring every 15 seconds until almost melted. Remove from microwave and stir until completely melted. Allow to cool.

Beat cream cheese until soft and creamy. Gradually beat in the cooled chocolate until smooth. Beat in the butter and lemon juice. Re-beat at room temperature to insure smoothness before frosting.

Makes 4 3/4 cups.

Store 2 weeks refrigerated or 2 months frozen.


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