Romantic treats for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is approaching quickly, and I am seeing many pretty and tasty-looking chocolate dessert recipes on magazine covers, on Facebook and in the grocery store. I decided to scroll through Facebook for a few minutes and found a couple of recipes I saved to fix for my family either on or near Valentine's Day. A little special treat does not have to be fancy at our house; taste is the most important thing for and my husband and our children.

I hope you get to spend your Valentine's Day with someone you love, whether it be a spouse, another family member, a friend or a very special friend. Maybe include one of these sweet treats to help you celebrate the day.

Raspberry Oreo Milkshake

• 1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
• 6 to 8 Oreos (more or less, to desired taste)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

Place everything in a blender and blend until thick and creamy, like a milkshake. Makes one large shake or two small shakes.

Strawberry Mousse Brownie Cake

A homemade brownie topped with a no-bake strawberry mousse and chocolate ganache is an easy but fancy dessert to serve to friends and family.

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 4 tablespoons powdered strawberry gelatin powder
• 1 container (8 ounces) whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• Chocolate candy hearts for garnish
• Sprinkles

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the cocoa powder. Let cool slightly. Beat the eggs until frothy and light in color. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat again. Spoon in 1/4 cup of the butter/cocoa mixture and beat again. Add the rest of the butter/cocoa mixture and beat in. Whisk together the salt, flour and baking powder and add to the batter. Do not over mix. Spread in the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan that has been lined with parchment paper or a cardboard circle. Bake at 350 degrees for 32 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, loosen the pan ring, then close the ring back up without removing the brownie. Let cool completely. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Set aside. Place the diced strawberries in a food processor and pulse until mashed. Stir in the hot water and gelatin powder. Add to the cream cheese and beat again. Fold in 2 cups of thawed whipped topping. Spread over the cooled brownies in the pan. Place in the refrigerator and chill for a few hours before removing the pan ring. Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in the chocolate chips until it is creamy. Let cool for 10 minutes before spreading on top of the mousse. Let set in the refrigerator again before serving. Top with remaining whipped topping and chocolate candies and sprinkles. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Turtle Brownies

This is a very old recipe that I came across recently, and I thought there is no better time than now to bring this our of the drawer.

• 50 to 60 caramels, unwrapped
• 1 box German chocolate cake mix
• 1 cup evaporated milk, divided
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, melted
• 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, more or less, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x9-inch pan. Melt caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until caramels have completely melted and the mixture is smooth. In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, remaining 2/3 cup evaporated milk and butter. Mix by hand until batter is smooth and combined. Pour a little more than half of the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes only and then remove from the oven. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top of the partially-cooked brownie. Sprinkle with pecans. Drizzle caramel on top of the chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter on top. You probably won't have enough to cover the caramel completely. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 18 to 20 minutes, until the brownies feel fairly set on top and the edges are lightly browned and crisp. Let the brownies cool completely before cutting. The longer they have time to cool, the more they will firm up and be easier to cut and serve.

Cherry Coca-Cola Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

• 12 ounces Coca-Cola soda
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

For the buttercream frosting:

• 4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 6 or 7 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

For the topping:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Maraschino cherries, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the Coca-Cola, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add in sour cream; mix until fully incorporated.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. The batter will be thin. Evenly divide batter among the prepared muffin wells. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pan to wire rack. Cool completely before removing from muffin tins.

For the buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is fully incorporated, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for an additional 5 minutes. Add in vanilla and maraschino cherry juice. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at medium-high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy -- about 2 minutes. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

For the topping: In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling. Place chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth. Whisk in the honey and vanilla. Allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting. Spoon the glaze on the tops of the frosted cupcakes, allowing it to drip down the sides a little bit. Don't add too much glaze or it will drip all over your liners.

If desired, top each cupcake with a stemmed maraschino cherry. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Remove them to room temperature one hour before serving.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.