Valentine's Day Surprise

I gave Steve an early Valentine's Day surprise on Sunday. Since he isn't a fan of V-Day, I thought I could go ahead and give him his gift early (and this way I can share it with you before the 14th)!

I'm really big on homemade and thoughtful gifts especially when you're on a tight budget. Freshly baked goodies along with some cute craft ideas, make this one great Valentine's Day gift! Grab your favourite tray or platter and start filling it up with fun treats!

1. Make your own home-made Valentine card with a die cut punch, coloured paper and rubber stamps.


2. Fortune cookies made from felt with a personalized message inside. Click here for instructions.

3. Bake some yummy fudge or your sweetie's favourite treat and present it in a heart shaped candy box. The recipe for this chocolate peanut butter fudge is below. This is the second time I used this recipe and it's definitely a keeper!

4. Fill up your favourite vase or jar with candy or chocolate (I decided to go with Hersey Kisses), add in a couple styrofoam balls and disguise with aluminum foil. Then stick lollipops (candy or cookie) in to create a twist on the common flower arrangement. Pinwheel cookie lollipop recipe is below.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup evaporated 2% milk
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup light peanut butter*
2 tbsp butter

1. In a medium, non-stick saucepan, combine sugar, brown sugar, cocoa and milk. Bring to a boil slowly over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Boil until a few drops of hot syrup form a soft ball when dropped in a cup of ice water or when a candy thermometer reaches between 234-240 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Remove from heat and stir in marshmallows, peanut butter and butter. Stir until marshmallows are completely melted. Let fudge stand for 15 minutes without stirring.

3. Meanwhile, line bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with a piece of wax paper or coat with non-stick spray. Spread fudge in the pan and refrigerate until firm (1 to 1-1/2 hours). Cut into 24 pieces and store in refrigerator.

*I found after the first batch I made that it could use a little more peanut butter, so the second time around I added an extra 1/4 cup.

Recipe from Crazy Plates (amazing cookbook for low fat recipes!)

Pinwheel Lollipop Cookies
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (plus a little extra for when you are rolling out the dough)
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
lollipop sticks (soak in water for 1/2 hour)
food colouring (2-3 different colours)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, salt and baking powder.

2. In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until completely mixed. Beat in egg and vanilla and reduce speed to low.

3. Add flour mixture to sugar batter until mixture forms a soft dough (if dough is crumbly add a tbsp of water).

4. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Add a few drops of food colouring to each piece of dough until your desired colour is achieved. Roll out 10 inch strands of each colour and twist together (1 strand of each colour) while forming a pinwheel shape. Secure a stick in each pinwheel and transfer to a lightly greased cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Bake for 12-17 minutes and cool cookies on wire rack. Enjoy!!

*For extra sweetness sprinkle sugar on cookies before baking.

Happy Valentine's Day!