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 Valentine's Day Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Cookies

This Valentine’s Day, spend time with your kids in the kitchen, making delicious sweet treats together. Whether you are preparing Valentine’s Day snack for your kids to share at school or a special treat to enjoy with the family, baking a batch of Valentine’s Day goodies is the perfect opportunity for you and your kids to spend time together in the kitchen. 

When you bake together, not only do your kids learn a valuable skill, you are also able to strengthen your bond as you share the experience of creating a delicious treat together. Keep reading for tips on how to bake with your kids and delicious Valentine’s Day treat recipes.

Tips for baking with your kids:

  •  Allow your child to choose the recipe you will follow or the special ingredients you will use.
  •  Prepare enough to share with the kids at school or the family and to have a special snack together when you are done baking.
  •  If it is safe, allow your child to taste as they go, so that they become familiar with the ingredients.
  •  Prepare the snack when both of you are well-rested.
  • Remember that things do not have to be perfect.  
  • Wear clothes that can get messy. If necessary, wear an apron or smock.
  • Buy enough ingredients so that you can remake the snacks if there is some sort of disaster.
  • Prepare a recipe that you are familiar with. This is probably not the best time to experiment.
  • Try to have ingredients and equipment organized before you start.
  • Make sure that your kids can reach the preparation surface and ingredients safely.
  • Encourage your child to be safe in the kitchen, using potholders and washing hands frequently.
  • Kids only know what they have been taught. Don’t assume that they have certain cooking skills or knowledge.
  • Give your child a task appropriate to her attention span. Younger children may only be able to bake or frost a batch of cookies or brownies instead of both.
  • Work on building math and reading skills while following the recipe, as long as it is still fun.
  • Remember that one of the best parts of making snacks together is licking the spoon!
  • For easy decorating, roll balls of sugar cookie dough in red or pink sprinkles and then bake.
  • If you are pressed for time, prepare a box mix recipe of brownies, sprinkling on your child’s favorite chocolate or peanut butter candy, chopped candy bar pieces, or baking chips before baking the brownies.  
  • You could also save time by preparing a batch of cookies using a prepared cookie dough from the refrigerator case of your grocery store.
  • Don’t send your kids to school with uber-healthy Valentine’s snacks. You want to prepare something that the kids in their class will enjoy.
  • Be sure to find out if any of the kids at school have a food allergy and avoid using those ingredients.
  • Plan to use cute packaging for your snacks, from paper sacks decorate with stickers or markers to specially bought cellophane snack bags.
  • For a quick and easy Valentine’s Day Snack, make up a batch of cereal treats. Simply:
  • Melt 3 tbsp of butter, 3 Tbsp of brown sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla in a saucepan over low heat in a large saucepan.
  • Add 4 cups or 1 10-ounce pkg of miniature marshmallows to the butter and stir until they are melted. Remove the saucepan from heat.
  • Stir in 6 cups of crisp rice cereal.
  • Once the cereal is fully coated, turn out the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
  • Top your cereal treats with your child’s favorite chocolate or peanut butter candies, chopped up pieces of candy bars, or Valentine’s themed sprinkles.
  • Use waxed or parchment paper to gently press the mixture down into the pan.  
  • Once the treats have cooled, cut them into squares or use a heart shaped cookie cutter to make individual portions.
  • You could also spread the treats with your child’s favorite flavor of icing before cutting them.
  • For a fun gluten-free variation, exclude the brown sugar and vanilla and use a gluten-free chocolate crisp rice cereal, such a Cocoa Pebbles.
  • Sweet Treat Recipes:

    Cupcakes:

    Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Frosting

    Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

    Hostess-Style Cupcake

    Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

    Homemade Buttercream Cupcakes

    Buttery and Moist White Cupcakes

    Devil’s Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

    Double Kiss Cupcakes

    Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

    Peanut Butter Filled Fudge Cupcakes

    Yankee Doodle Cupcakes

    Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes 

    Cookies:

    Cocoa Cookie Hearts

    Mini Iced Shortbread Cookies

    Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies

    Vanilla-Frosted Fudge Cookies

    Frosted Fudge Brownies

    Frosted Scotch Shortbread

    Frosted Chocolate Drops

    Decorated Sugar Cookie

    Chocolate Dipped Creams

    Sugar Cookie Jewels

    Boiled Cocoa Cookie

    Peanut Butter Cookie Pops

    Reese’s Fudge Cookie

    Chocolate Slices

    Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

    Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie

    Ultimate Chocolate Brownie Cookie

    Chocolate Cone Cookies

    Drop Sugar Cookies

    Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookie Sandwich Cookies

    No-Bake Cocoa Haystacks

    Magic Peanut Butter Middles

     

    Sources:

    https://www.ricekrispies.com/recipes/the-original-treats

    https://relish.com/articles/valentines-to-make-and-bake-with-your-kids/

    https://www.ivillage.com/daily-feed-expert-tips-valentine-s-day-baking-kids/3-a-84674

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