The Shoemaker Bugle

By Ximena Cabrera

Valentine’s Day is the time to celebrate love and friendship, and what better way to celebrate it than by making some homemade desserts for your significant other, friends, and loved ones.

Here are four recipes under $25.00 that you can easily make at home.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Cooking Classy)

Ingredients:

1. 1 ⅓ cups of all purpose flour
2. 4 tsp of cocoa powder
3. ½ tsp of baking soda
4. ¼ tsp of salt
5. ½ cup of unsalted butter
6. ½ cup of granulated sugar
7. ¼ cup of brown sugar
8. 1 egg
9. 1 ½ tsp of gel red food coloring
10. 1 ½ tsp of vanilla extract
11. 1 tsp of lemon juice 
12. 1 cup of white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined by using an electric mixer.
3. Once you have a cream-like texture, mix in the egg. Add in red food coloring, vanilla and lemon juice.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Mix in ¾ cup of white chocolate chips.
5. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 1 – 2 hours or until the dough is nearly firm. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Scoop dough out and shape into balls about 1 ½ tbsp each. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between each. 
7. Bake one sheet at a time, until cookies appear set on the edges but slightly underbaked in the center, about 10-11 minutes. 
8. Remove cookies from the oven and carefully press some of the remaining white chocolate chips into the top.

Cake Pops (from I Heart Naptime)

Ingredients:

1. 15 ounce box white cake mix, bake it according to the package instructions in a 9×13” pan.
2. Two 10 ounce packages of white chocolate chips melting wafers.
3. Oil-based food coloring of your color of choice. 
4. 1 stick salted butter
5. 2 ½ cups of powdered sugar 
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
7. 1 Tablespoon of milk 

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whip the butter. Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar. Mix until combined. Add the vanilla and additional powdered sugar, a little at a time. Add 1 Tablespoon of milk to make the frosting thick and creamy. 
2. In a separate bowl, crumble the prepared and cooled cake into fine crumbs. Add 2 spoonfuls of the frosting to the cake. Combine with your hands or a spoon. Keep adding frosting until the cake holds together if squeezed. 
3. Measure medium size balls of the cake mixture, and roll them until you have created your desired shape. 
4. In two small microwave safe dishes, melt a few of the white chocolate wafers. Begin by heating for 30 seconds and then stirring. Repeat until all the wafers are melted. 
5. Add about 2 drops of the food coloring to one of the bowls with the melted chocolate and stir. Keep adding food coloring until you have reached your desired color. 
6. Dip the end of the cake pop stick into the melted chocolate and then push the stick into the cake pop. Repeat until all cake pops have a stick. Place the plate of cake pops in the freezer for about 20 minutes. 
7. Right before taking the cake pops out of the freezer, melt more chocolate if needed. Melt enough for the cake pops to be dipped in the bowl. Use a spoon if needed to completely cover them. 
8. Once coated in chocolate, gently tap the stick on the side of the melting bowl to let the excess drip off. 
9. Let the chocolate covering harden on the cake pop. Then, using a spoon or fork, drizzle some chocolate on top. 
10. Push the cake pop stick into a styrofoam block or use a glass filled with rice to hold them upright.  The chocolate will be set in about an hour.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries (from Food Network)

Ingredients:

1. 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips.
2. 3 ounces of white chocolate chips.
3. 1 pound of strawberries with stems, washed and dried very well. 

Directions:

1. Put the semisweet and white chocolate chips into two separate microwave safe bowls. Begin by heating for 30 seconds and then stirring. Repeat until all the chocolate chips are melted. If your chocolate is too thick you can add a bit of vegetable oil to make a smoother. 
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip it into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly yo let any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set the strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining strawberries. Dip a fork into the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.
3. Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

Cheesecake (from my family recipe!)

Ingredients:

1. Premade cheesecake crust 
2. ½ a bar (8 oz) of cream cheese 
3. 1 can (14 oz) of sweet condensed milk
4. 5 oz of evaporated milk 
5. 3-5 drops of lime

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and the drops of lime until they are all combined together. 
3. Pour the mixture into the premade crust and put it in the oven.
4. Bake the cheesecake for 20 – 25 minutes or insert a toothpick, and if it comes out clean the cheesecake is ready.

I hope you enjoy these treats for Valentine’s Day, or throughout the month of February. Happy Valentine’s Day!