Greeting, Bobcats! Since Valentine’s Day has come and passed, I wanted to find some recipes that everyone can make to make sure the rest of your February is as sweet as it can be. All three of the recipes require minimal effort to make and will taste amazing!

The first treat I found is a peanut better jam cookie. It is a peanut butter cookie base with a heat in the center filled with jelly. It takes about an hour and 15 minutes to make and yields 2 dozen (24) cookies. To start, you want to find a great cookie recipe that you like, and add in 1 cup of peanut butter to it. Once the batter is finished, form it into a cookie shape and use either your hands, or a premade shape, to make a heart in the center. Bake for 12 minutes on 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and pull them out. When they are slightly cool, fill the center with jelly and continue to bake for 6 – 7 minutes more, and your cookies are good to eat. To find the full recipe, here is the link to the article: http://www.marthastewart.com/356375/peanut-butter-and-jam-heart-cookies#close

The next recipe I have is a three-layer heart red velvet cake. It is a simple cake batter with drops of red food coloring added. Therefore, you want to make enough batter for three cakes. Once the batter is made, put it into three cake molds, or just bake one at a time, and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the cakes cool when they are finished, and while they are cooling, draw a heart, or pint out once, onto a piece of parchment paper. When the cakes are fully cooled, place the heart on top of the cakes and cut out the heart shape on the cakes. Next, take some frosting and, in between each layer, spread it out so it acts like a glue to keep the cakes together. When the cakes are stacked, and “glued” together, you can choose to eat it as is, or go the extra mile and add cookie/granola crumble around the cake. To find the full recipe, here is the link to the article: http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2011/02/heritage-red-velvet-cake.html

Finally, the last recipe I have is a candy heart cheesecake. To start, find a cheesecake batter recipe, or just use your favorites. The thing that is different about this is that you are not putting it into a cake mold to bake, but instead putting it into cupcake molds that are shaped like hearts. You can fill the molds completely with batter, or you can place a small layer of granola at the bottom to act as a base to the cakes. Either way, they take 18-22 minutes to bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you choose to make one giant heart instead of the mini cupcake mold hearts, it takes 42-50 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit to bake. Once your cakes are done, let them cool for five minutes and it is time to start decorating. Take some edible food paint, and decorate them to look like candy hearts, or do a custom design. However you chose to decorate it, it will still taste amazing. To find the full recipe, here is the link to the article: http://hungryhappenings.com/2012/02/conversation-heart-cheesecakes-valentines-desserts.html/

Have a great rest of your February! Spread the love and enjoy the treats, Bobcats!