Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 4-oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2  (8oz) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease. Melt butter and chocolate together. Stir until combined and very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and food coloring.
3. Add chocolate mixture and stir until smooth.
4. Add flour and salt and stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
5. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
6. To prepare cheesecake mixture, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
7. Drop in dollops onto prepared brownie batter.
8. Gently swirl two batters with a butter knife.
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set.
10. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.
11. Cool in the pan completely before slicing and serving, either at room temperature or chilled.

http://eatatallies.com/2011/02/red-velvet-cheesecake-brownies/

Sweetheart Valentine Cake Decorating

What you'll need

• Cake baked in heart-shape pan
• FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
• 2 cups sweet butter, at room temperature
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• Food coloring

How to make it

What you'll need

• Cake baked in heart-shape pan
• FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
• 2 cups sweet butter, at room temperature
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• Food coloring

How to make it

What you'll need

• Cake baked in heart-shape pan
• FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
• 2 cups sweet butter, at room temperature
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• Food coloring

How to make it

1. HEART MAKERS: Start by baking your favorite cake mix according to package directions in a heart-shaped pan. You can buy these special pans, mini or regular size, from most kitchen supply and hardware stores. Or, bake your cake batter in a 9-inch square and a 9-inch circle pan (the square pan must have sides the same length as the circle's diameter). Cut the circular cake in half and set each semicircle against adjoining sides of the square to form the top of the heart. The other two sides of the square form the point.
2. THE ICING ON THE CAKE: With an electric mixer, cream the frosting ingredients together until smooth. Cool the cake completely, brush away the crumbs, and frost it, reserving a portion of the icing for decorating. Divide the leftover icing into small bowls and tint each one with a different color of food coloring (for stronger shades, use specialty pastes, which are available at kitchen supply and party stores).
3. DECORATING SUPPLIES: Fancy frosting designs are easy to create using an icing filled pastry bag with decorating tips. You can buy starter kits at grocery, kitchen supply, and party stores. Kits that come with disposable pastry bags, three to four tips, and a coupler for changing tips cost between $3 and $6. When choosing tips, keep in mind that the most versatile ones are the writing, star, and leaf. Before decorating the cake, kids should first practice writing with the frosting on waxed paper.
4. Use the writing tip's plain line for letters, leaf stems, squiggles, dots and outlines.
5. Make stars with the star tip by holding the tip straight down near the cake and squeezing until the star forms. For a neat finish, stop the pressure before pulling away. The star tip also makes a pretty border around the cake.
6. The leaf tip makes a ribbon with a ridge down the center. For a leaf, squeeze out the icing to form the bottom edge, then relax the pressure and pull the tip away to make a rippling leaf.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   http://spoonful.com/recipes/sweetheart-valentine-cake

Conversation Heart Fudge

What you'll need

• DARK CHOCOLATE LAYER:
• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• Dash of salt
• WHITE CHOCOLATE LAYER:
• 1 1/4 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• Dash of salt
• OTHER INGREDIENTS AND MATERIALS:
• Aluminum foil
• 64 conversation hearts
• 64 red foil bonbon cups or mini muffin cups
• Clear or red cellophane wrap, cut into 64 5- by 6-inch rectangles
• Sparkly pipe cleaners in red, pink, or silver

How to make it

1. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
2. In a medium-size, microwave-safe bowl, combine the dark chocolate layer ingredients. Microwave the mixture on high at 30-second intervals until the chocolate is melted (about a minute), stirring at each interval. When the mixture's smooth, use a spatula to spread it evenly into the prepared pan.
3. In another medium-size microwave-safe bowl, combine the white chocolate layer ingredients. Repeat the melting process as described in step 2, but stir at 20-second intervals, as white chocolate tends to scorch easily. Spread the white chocolate evenly over the dark chocolate layer.
4. While the fudge is still warm, use a knife to gently score it into 1-inch squares, then put a candy heart on top of each square.
5. Chill the fudge uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until firm. Lift the foil to remove the fudge from the pan and place the whole hunk of fudge on a cutting board. Use a large knife (a parent's job) to cut apart the squares, then peel off the foil from the bottom.
6. Place each fudge square into a foil bonbon cup or mini muffin cup. Center the cup on a cellophane square and wrap it as shown on page 53, using 1-inch pieces of pipe cleaner to secure the ends. Makes 64 bite-size pieces. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for added firmness.

http://spoonful.com/recipes/conversation-heart-fudge

Strawberry Shortcake Pops

1/2 prepared pound cake, crumbled (a little more than 2 c.)
3/4 c. Betty Crocker "Whipped" Whipped Cream Frosting
6-8 large strawberries (1 c. chopped)
2 c. white chocolate, melted 
lollipop sticks (available at Michael's or JoAnn Fabrics) 

1. Mix pound cake, frosting, and strawberries together in a medium bowl.
2. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls.
3. Cut or break lollipop sticks in half; twist 1 stick into the center of each cake ball, about halfway in.
4. Freeze until firm. 
5. Dip pops in melted white chocolate to cover.
6. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 2 dozen.

http://www.lemontreedwelling.com/2013/05/strawberry-shortcake-pops.html?m=1

Red Velvet Raspberry Truffles

Ingredients:

Makes 2 dozen

1 pound semi-sweet baking chocolate, divided

4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon red food color

1 teaspoon raspberry extract

Directions:

1. Melt 8 ounces of the chocolate as directed on package. Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, food color and raspberry extract in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended and smooth. Add melted chocolate; beat until well mixed. Cover. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until firm.
2. Shape into 24 (about 3/4-inch) balls. Place on wax paper-lined tray. Refrigerate until ready to dip.
3. Coat only 12 truffles at a time. Melt 4 ounces of the remaining chocolate in small microwavable bowl on MEDIUM (50% power) 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Using a fork, dip 1 truffle at a time into the chocolate. Tap back of fork 2 or 3 times against edge of dish to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place truffles on wax paper-lined tray. (If there are any “bald” spots on truffle, cover with melted chocolate that remains on the fork.) Repeat with remaining 4 ounces chocolate and remaining truffles.
4. Refrigerate 1 hour or until chocolate is set. Store truffles between layers of wax paper in airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week.

http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Dessert/Red-Velvet-Raspberry-Truffles#.URa6kHX1ex8.mailto

Red Velvet Cheesecake

• Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted 
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 cup sour cream 
  • 1/2 cup whole buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
  • 2 (1-ounce) bottles red food coloring
  • 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened 
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

  Preparation

  1. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
  2. Beat 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs and next 6 ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.
  3. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.
  4. Beat 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Remove sides of springform pan. Garnish, if desired.

  

  
  
  
  
  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/red-velvet-cheesecake-10000001023804/