Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites

I love chocolate chip cookies as much as the next person. But sometimes, a little fancier cookie option is required. 

Such was the case when I was to bring cookies for a new exhibit opening at the Vernon Filley Art Museum in Pratt. At about the same time, I saw a recipe for Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites during an inevitable Facebook scroll. The recipe looked like a potential contender. They were pretty on the outside and had a hidden surprise - a maraschino cherry. They reminded me of those boxes of chocolate-covered cherries that invariably take up shelf space at discount stores during Christmas time. But I thought they could be equally appropriate as we approached Valentine's Day. 

 I ended up combining them with a couple of other small, bite-sized cookies - Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and Pecan Tassies. I arranged them on a heart-shaped platter that I'd gotten for Brent's and Susan's rehearsal dinner supper.

They would be a "Treat for your Sweet" this Valentine's Day. I am more into homemade gifts than spending beaucoup bucks on whatever's trendy this year. If you are too, give them a try!

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites

From Butter with a Side of Bread 

1 box brownie mix (9X13 size)

Eggs according to package directions 

Water according to package directions 

Oil according to package directions
1 - 10 oz. jar maraschino cherries, drained (reserve juice for frosting)
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
5 Tbsp butter, softened to room temperature
3 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp reserved maraschino cherry juice

 

Mix brownie mix according to package directions with the required oil, eggs and water. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the batter into a well-greased mini muffin pan. Bake brownie bites at 350° for about 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Immediately after removing the brownie bites from the oven, press an indention into each one, using the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon. While the brownies are still warm, place 3 semi-sweet chocolate chips into each center. Let the chocolate chips sit for a few minutes until softened, then gently press a maraschino cherry on top of the melted chocolate in the center.

Let brownies cool completely. Carefully remove from muffin cups, then frost. To make the frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar. Once the mixture is well combined, add the reserved cherry juice and beat until smooth. Frost the brownie bites using a decorator's tube, if desired. 

 

 

A Heart-Shaped Box of Memories

When I was a child, a heart-shaped box of candy marked our place at the breakfast table each Valentine's Day, courtesy of my mom. 

So, when I was looking for Valentine's gifts for Kinley and Brooke, I couldn't resist adding a miniature heart-shaped box of chocolates to their bag - even though I knew it wouldn't be their favorite treat. And I told them that Grandma Moore always made the day special with that little box of chocolates. (They got some other things in their Valentine's sacks from me besides a history lesson.)

Eric's mom, Christy, says their family also had that tradition, though her dad was the Valentine candy buyer. The children got the miniature boxes and her mom got a larger assorted heart box. 

Those little boxes held more than confections. The outside of each candy didn't usually reveal the flavor contents of each confection. There's a lesson there, too - how we shouldn't judge what's on the inside just by looking at outside appearances.

When we were in Topeka earlier this month, I went along for the ride as Brooke chose the Valentines she would give her classmates. She chose purple Skittles, which didn't even exist back in my grade-school days. 

Some of the Valentine's from Jill & Brent's era

Back in the 1960s, our Valentines were usually of the paper variety. Once in awhile, a classmate would include a heart-shaped hard sucker, but that was a rarity, not the norm. 

(I'm second from the left, and it appears I'm wearing the red tights!. From left: Jeff Berry, Kim Moore, Carol Beberstine, Lorraine Frisbie, Eugene Stotts)

One thing that hasn't changed is the universal teachers' edict that everyone in the class receive a Valentine. Maybe your friend and you had a spat the day before and you were not feeling too loving. Or maybe you'd prefer not to give that annoying boy a "sweet" message. Even if "that boy" teased me unmercifully about my weight or my hair or my green tights, I was supposed to put a Valentine in his box. (I must admit that I would find the least sappy Valentine from the box I'd carefully selected from the dimestore at Pratt. I would adhere to the rules, but I didn't have to give him the best Valentine.)

But equal opportunity Valentine distribution was a requirement - then and now.

A few years ago on Valentine's Day, I recalled The New York Times bestselling book from 20-some years ago, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.  

I didn't learn a thing in kindergarten because Byers Grade School didn't have kindergarten. But that's not the point. In the book, author Robert Fulghum explains how the world would be a better place if adults adhered to the same basic rules as kindergarten-aged children, like sharing and being kind to one another. What a concept, right?!

As Robert Fulghum would say:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Be aware of wonder.
  
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we would remember those principles? 

Happy Valentine's Day, all! 

For the record, today's Valentine's Day includes driving Randy to Hutchinson to get a root canal this morning. Then, we're off to Great Bend to see the accountant. Doesn't all that say romance?

 

A Treat for Your Sweet: Strawberries and Cream Cookies

I read that Americans are expected to spend an average of $175.41 per person on Valentine’s Day gifts in 2023. Last year, it was $167.76.

Who are these people polling? 

Well, at our house, that does not happen. And I don't want it to happen. I have enough Midwestern thrift in me that I can't fathom spending that kind of money on a Hallmark-inspired holiday. And I seem to remember that the whole thing is tied to a massacre. (Spending that kind of money will massacre your pocketbook, all right.)

Randy usually has to settle for a treat from our kitchen. I don't hear him complaining.

If that's closer to the budget, I have an option for you: Strawberries and Cream Cookies. Freeze-dried strawberries provide the flavor bomb, along with white chocolate or cream cheese baking chips. I found Hershey's brand cream cheese baking chips one time. I'm now searching for them again. But white chocolate chips are tasty, too.

I initially tried a new recipe. But I ended up liking my old standard cookie recipe better. As I've shared before, I usually triple a standard cookie recipe and let that serve as my base. Then, I divide the dough into three or four portions and add different mix-ins. That way, I make one mess and end up with a variety of cookies. I LOVE that. (Get it: I LOVE it for Valentine's and for any time I need a bunch of cookies.)

And, yes, I use shortening. I like the texture that shortening provides. Plus, you don't have to refrigerate the dough before baking. However, if you want to substitute butter, you can do that. You'll need to refrigerate the dough before baking to prevent spreading. Recipes that use butter usually say to refrigerate at least 2 hours, then let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

Forbes magazine said that 53 percent of U.S. consumers plan to celebrate Valentine's Day, and more than three-quarters believe it’s important to show some love on Valentine’s Day given the current times.

Show some love: Make cookies. (For more Valentine treat ideas, go to the bottom of this post for more tried-and-true recipes from Kim's County Line.) And Happy Valentine's Day!

Strawberries and Cream Cookies

1 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup roughly chopped or lightly-crushed freeze-dried strawberries

1 cup white chocolate or cream cheese chips

 

Combine dry ingredients; set aside. Cream sugar and shortening in mixer until smooth and well-combined. Add vanilla and eggs; mix well.  Add dry ingredients. Stir in freeze-dried strawberries and white chocolate chips. 

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to portion out cookies and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

***

Here are some other ideas for Valentine treats: 

Why not start with breakfast? Cranberry Apple Coffee Cake

Homemade Pretzels

Decadent Chocolate Torte

Chocolate Chip Truffles

 Cake Ball Truffles

 Caramel Chip Bars

 

  White Chocolate Blondies

Caramel Puffed Corn

 
My Valentine would prefer a blueberry pie.

Either traditional blueberry ...

or crumb-topped!

There are lots of other tried-and-tested dessert recipes here on Kim's County Line for everything from snack mixes to drop cookies to bar cookies to cakes to pies. I don't post them unless we like them! There is a search function at the upper left of the blog. Or, you can always ask. Just post a comment here or email me at rkjbfarms@gmail.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

It took a couple of days for my plunger finger to recover, but the sunflower cookies were a hit in Kinley's classroom on Kansas Day.

I have an old-fashioned cookie decorator set, and my "trigger" finger got tired after carefully decorating 30 cookies, using a leaf tip. But it made the most realistic-looking sunflower petals, so a little discomfort was just the way it was!

I spoke to one of the first-grade classes at Amanda Arnold Elementary School for Kansas Day at the request of Kinley's teacher, Jennifer Monaco. Jennifer grew up in Stafford, and her dad was Jill's middle and high school science teacher.

 It truly is a small world that Kinley ended up in Jen's classroom - a definite bonus for this Grandma!

When Jen asked me to come and read my farm counting book to the students, she also mentioned that they love cookies. What kid doesn't, right?! I asked Jill if she had a sunflower cutter. She didn't either. But, after some perusal, she ordered me a daisy cookie cutter from Amazon, saying that's what was shown for making sunflowers, too.  (She has Prime -and I don't - and I am cheap, so she had it shipped to me.)

Jen gave us these awesome Kansas tea towels. I'm using mine for the first time when I host PEO at my house today!

Thanks to Jill for also revamping her work schedule so she could help with farm bingo and other logistics. Thanks to Kansas Wheat for the bookmarks and pencils, as well as the Kansas Wheat pins we used for bingo prizes.

Jill also recommended the sugar cookie recipe as one that held its shape well. She used it for her Christmas cookies this year. So I went through the extra steps of bringing ingredients to room temperature and then chilling the completed dough before cutting them out. Even though I sometimes want to skip steps, I think those tips were critical to the successful cookies.

I had enough dough left to use a couple of heart cookie cutters for some Valentine shapes, too.

It seems all the professional cookie decorators use royal icing. It does make a beautiful cookie. But I'm a fan of actually using good-tasting frosting, so I used a buttercream to ice the cookies. I like using both vanilla and almond flavorings to boost the yumminess. And it's always fun to bring out my arsenal of sprinkles, too. (I used a chocolate disc in the middle of each sunflower cookie. You could also use chocolate chips or chocolate stars.)

Both Jill and I highly recommend this cookie recipe if you're looking to make cut-out sugar cookies. Enjoy!

But, first, a little bit of housekeeping: Mary Jo Taylor was the winner in my blog anniversary drawing. She chose to receive my book, "Count on It! Adventures from a Kansas Farm." Thanks to all of you for your wonderful comments! 

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction blog

3/4 cup salted butter, slightly softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla (or vanilla bean paste)
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Using a stand mixer, beat the softened butter until smooth, about 1 minute. (Note: Don't melt the butter. Just have it softened to room temperature.) Add the sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the bowl to make sure the sugar and butter are well incorporated. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract; beat on high until fully combined. Again scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add about half the mixture, just mixing until it's barely combined. Add the rest of the flour and continue mixing until just combined.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion onto a piece of parchment paper to about 1/4-inch thickness. Put on a baking sheet and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Don't skip the chilling step!

Once chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Use cookie cutters to cut as desired. If you are using a medium-sized cookie cutter (like the largest sunflower cutter in the photos above), it makes about 18 cookies. The heart cutters were smaller, so that translated to more cookies.

Bake for 9 to 12 minutes until very lightly colored on top and around the edges. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Frost as desired, using buttercream icing and sprinkles.

Quick Vanilla Buttercream

Recipe from Food Network

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract (I used 1/2 tsp. of each)
1 to 2 tbsp. whipping cream
In a standing mixer, mix together butter and shortening. Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, incorporating after each addition. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla (or almond) and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Color the icing and decorate as desired. 

Notes:

• If you want, you can sprinkle the raw cutouts with colored sugar before baking. Then they are decorated without frosting.
• I am not a royal icing fan, but you could use a royal icing to frost these cookies. For a recipe for that, check out Sally's Baking Addiction. (Note: I did not try her frosting recipe).
• I doubled the recipe, using my Kitchenaid mixer. I would NOT try to triple the recipe because it would be difficult to get the cookie dough mixed. (Jill said she tried tripling at Christmas and it didn't work. So we are saving you the trouble!) When doubling the recipe, I divided the dough into four parts and rolled each part to 1/4-inch thickness.
• I am a big fan of vanilla bean paste. It's expensive, but it provides lots of flavor. 
• If you want step-by-step photos, Sally's Baking Addiction has those for you.

Lessons from a Valentine Box

I feel a little like a Valentine's slacker. Last year, Kinley and Brooke were here at the farm shortly before Valentine's Day, and Kinley needed a Valentine box for school. I spent some time perusing the internet for ideas and finally settled on helping her construct a kitty box.

I declared success when one of her friends told her that she liked her "kitty." I'm not known for my crafting ability, so it was a proud Grandma moment when Jill reported the conversation!

A few weeks ago, I had the girls for the week, and I decided I'd take "Valentine's box" off Jill's already full "to-do" list. But I went an easier route this time. I bought a bunch of foam stickers at Hobby Lobby and let the girls peel and stick to their hearts' content on hot pink boxes I also took off the shelf at the craft store. (We also used the foam stickers to decorate foam frames.)

They both had a great time arranging the stickers on their boxes. The glittery stickers were Kinley's favorite. (I'm sure Jill and Eric found glitter on and under their kitchen table for days afterward, and Eric is not a lover of glitter.)

But mission accomplished: They were happy to show them off to Mommy and Daddy. (Jill had to do the hard part and supervise the painstaking writing of classmates' names this weekend. I would have done it, but they didn't have the Valentines or the classmate list at the time.)

Just like the "olden days," kids are supposed to give a Valentine to each member of their class.

At tiny Byers Grade School - my alma mater - Valentine's Day provided a lesson in how we'd all like to be treated: We had to give a Valentine to each classmate. No leaving out any pesky boy who teased me about my red tights.

(I'm second from the left, and it appears I'm wearing the red tights!)

Before Valentine's Day, we carefully cut out pink and red paper hearts and used our Elmer's Glue bottles to adhere them to shoeboxes. Mrs. Bond cut a slot in the top of the lid to make a Valentine's mailbox, which we perched on our desks. Other years, the teacher might give us a white paper sack, and we'd liberally decorate with crayon hearts and cutout cupids. We'd hang them with a piece of tape from the edge of our desks and wait anxiously for holiday greetings from our classmates. If we were lucky, someone might include a heart-shaped sucker along with the holiday card.

My Mom let each of us choose our box of Valentines from the store. I'm sure I very deliberately considered my options in an effort to choose just the right box. I also contemplated which Valentine to give to each classmate. That pesky boy needed a generic greeting, and I wanted to give just the right one to each of my female friends.

Each Valentine's Day, Jill and Brent chose their box of cards, too. A few are still in a box in the cabinet, and I use some each year for this and that. It's fun to look back and think about the choices they made at the time - a football theme for Brent or Barbies for Jill.  We had the same rule at our house. Every class member had to get a Valentine - no matter what.

 

And wouldn't the world be a better place if we treated each other with a little unconditional friendship? And not only on Valentine's Day, but every day.

Maybe Valentine's Day would be a good day to dust off the New York Times bestselling book from 20-some years ago, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

In it, author Robert Fulghum explains how the world would be a better place if adults adhered to the same basic rules as kindergarten-aged children, like sharing and being kind to one another.

For the record, I didn't go to kindergarten. It wasn't an option at Byers Grade School. But the lessons are still valid - and maybe even more so in this contentious world. 
As Robert Fulghum would say:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Be aware of wonder.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

The Way to a Man's Heart

My Valentine doesn't care much about cards. Unlike me, a sappy card doesn't seem to pull at his heartstrings.

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Yep, that sounds about right, at least around these parts. (I realize that's probably a sexist thing to say. Goodness knows, there's plenty of talk about such matters in my news feed these days, so I really am not looking to start a war.)

Truly, Randy would much prefer a blueberry pie instead of a $7.95 card. (I couldn't believe how much Valentine's cards are. He added the card to my Wal-Mart cart the other day, so the $7.95 card went on my credit card bill with our medicines. Ah, true love! At least the cashier carefully pulled it out of the envelope to scan it so that I couldn't see the front!)

If he's lucky, he'll probably get a pie.  I'm not sure whether it will be a double-crust blueberry pie ...

... or a crumb-topped blueberry pie. (It depends on whether I use the frozen pie crust already in the freezer or I whip up another recipe of dough).

 

But before the Super Bowl game last weekend, I made Caramel Puffed Corn. It's a recipe I've had in a "to try" pile for awhile now.

It uses "puff corn." Though it's the same name, it's not found in the cereal aisle. It's not popcorn. Find puff corn in the chip aisle. (I used Chester's Puff Corn, which is a Frito-Lay product.) And the caramel mixture is very similar to what I use for caramel popcorn, minus the salt.

One advantage of these giant corn puffs is that there are no hulls like you find in popcorn. When I make caramel popcorn, I try to keep the unpopped kernels out of the final product. Breaking teeth is not a romantic thought. But, no matter how careful I am, there inevitably seems to be a stray unpopped kernel or two in the finished product.

True confessions:  Randy says he didn't like the Caramel Puffed Corn quite as much as traditional caramel popcorn. But it was still good. If you want to jazz it up, add M&Ms in holiday colors - like for Valentine's Day. Or before a big game like the Super Bowl or the NCAA basketball tourney coming up next month, add M&Ms in team colors.

Enjoy! (See more Valentine treats below this recipe!)

Caramel Puffed Corn

3 3.5-oz. bags puff corn (not cereal - it's in the chip aisle. I used Chester's)
1 cup butter (no substitutes)
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Spray roaster(s) with cooking spray. Put 2 bags of the puff corn into 1 extra-large or two smaller roasters. Set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla. (It will bubble up; that's why you need a large saucepan.) Gradually pour hot caramel mixture over the puffed corn, stirring to coat. Mix in the additional bag of puff corn until pieces are well coated. (I like to do it in two parts because I think it's easier to mix and stir.)

Bake in 250-degree oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn out onto waxed paper or parchment paper to cool. If desired, mix in M&Ms in holiday or team colors. Store in tightly-sealed containers or plastic storage bags.

***

Here are some other ideas for Valentine treats:

Homemade Pretzels 

Decadent Chocolate Torte

Chocolate Chip Truffles

 Cake Ball Truffles

 Caramel Chip Bars

Cranberry-Apple Coffee Cake

Blonde Brownies (add Valentine sprinkles instead of flowers)

 

Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars

If you're looking for cake, pie, cookies, coffee cake, etc., just type a key word into the search bar on the blog. It will give you lots of tried-and-true options from the County Line.