Saint Valentine’s Day – the annual celebration of romantic love. This special day dedicated to lovers was first observed back in approximately 500 AD. Obviously today’s festivities are not anywhere near what they used to be back in the good ol’ AD days, when it was more of a religious than romantic celebration.
Yet even during modern times this popular holiday has continued to undergo a steady evolution, with the majority of today’s valentines being mass produced rather than personally handwritten. We have also witnessed the increased involvement of the business world, which has contributed to and capitalized on the pressures of needing to make February 14 an uber special occasion for sweethearts. Simple heart-shaped cards and flowers have given way to desires for expensive jewellery, extravagant flower arrangements, high-end restaurant reservations and even marriage proposal expectations. Poor Cupid!
In our house we like to keep things simple, and with two small children and a lack of unlimited resources we try to focus on being creative rather than spendy. This year’s treats were inspired by ideas from Martha Stewart’s website which is a wonderful resource for all of your crafting, culinary and decorative needs for Valentine’s Day.
First up? Adorable mini chocolate cupcakes with heart cutouts!
These treats are quick and easy, perfect to make with your little ones and would be an instant hit at any Valentine’s Day party or even a bake sale. Simply whip up a batch of your favourite chocolate cupcakes (feel free to use a box mix), slice off the tops and punch thru with a heart-shaped cookie cutter.
For the buttercream icing I added a couple of drops of food colouring to create the perfect pink, and spread the icing on the bottom half of the cupcake before gently placing the tops back on again.
Coffee was the ultimate companion for these cute little cupcakes, topped off with a fun marshmallow cutout!
Take a heart-shaped cookie cutter and press into a marshmallow, placing both pieces into a steaming cup of coffee or hot cocoa. Enjoy!
Loading ...
This is so sweet, simple and fantastic. I would especially never thought of the marshmellow cut outs. So creative!
Thanks Ashley! They were very simple to make and very tasty too 🙂
Hmmm…I think I see Chocolate Quinoa Cupcakes in my future! Now where to find a miniature heart cookie cutter? I love the marshmallow idea and I’ve been craving hot chocolate lately. How perfect…thanks for the great ideas! Since Ashley met you I now spend more time in the kitchen than I have for years!
The marshmallow cutouts are too cute! I love the idea.
Thanks Sylvie – they were a big hit in our house!
Bee – I bet if you took the quinoa chocolate cake batter and made cupcakes they would turn out beautifully! And of course they would pair perfectly with that hot chocolate you’ve been craving!