On the First Day of Valentine's, My True Love Gave to Me

After a last minute surge in voting, we have a winner. It looks as though I'll be spending this week up to my elbows in flour, sugar, chocolate and the like, providing you with five ever-so-lovely treats to give to your sweethearts.

To me, a Valentine's day treat should have the following:
1. incorporation of the day's signature colors - pink and/or red
2. an equally representative shape (i.e. hearts, L-O-V-E, x's and o's)
3. chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate

Today I thought we'd start with something cute as a button and full-proof even for the most baking-phobic of you out there.

Don't miss out though, I have 6 tweeks for you to make this recipe wholly your own impressive, love-inspiring, dream of a dessert.

Enter my family's chocolate fudge cookie. It's ooey, gooey, dense and chewy but best of all, it has a whopping 5 ingredients you plop together in one bowl.

The Governor's Cookies (I don't know why...)
Servings: approximately 2.5-3 dozen

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 15-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
*crushed pecans - optional

To Do

preheat oven to 325 degrees

melt chocolate chips and butter together in a double broiler or in 2-3 45 second rotations in the microwave

add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to the melted butter and chocolate and stir

add flour and stir until combined

*if adding crushed pecans, add now

put 2 tablespoon balls on lined baking sheet with 2 inches between them

bake for 12 minutes or until crackly on top

Vogueing

party time - chocolate and butter - I tend to microwave them because it's quicker than a double broiler. Just be certain to keep an eye on it so  you don't burn the concoction. Also, use heat resistant bowls.

Oh yummy goodness. One day, I will succumb to the pressure and bathe in it.

It will look like way too much flour initially, but never fear. After about 1 minute of stirring with your favorite utensil (mine is a spoon), you'll be good to go.

See?

This will make approximately 30 cookies. I say approximately because I've never made a full batch without eating significant portions of the batter.

Dressed to Impress

By themselves, they make a delicious treat, but given this is a holiday of grand gestures, we can't stop here, can we?

Of course not.

To really get the job done right and well, find three recipe alternatives below...of the aphrodisiac variety.

*

The Italian Governor's Cookies
Servings: approximately 2.5-3 dozen

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 15-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons espresso powder

To Do

preheat oven to 325 degrees

melt chocolate chips and butter together in a double broiler or in 2-3 45 second rotations in the microwave

add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to the melted butter and chocolate and stir

add espresso powder and stir

add flour and stir until combined

put 2 tablespoon balls on lined baking sheet with 2 inches between them

bake for 12 minutes or until crackly on top

The Zesty Governor's Cookies
Servings: approximately 2.5-3 dozen

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 15-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
Zest of 1 orange

To Do

preheat oven to 325 degrees

melt chocolate chips and butter together in a double broiler or in 2-3 45 second rotations in the microwave

add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to the melted butter and chocolate and stir

add orange zest and stir

add flour and stir until combined

put 2 tablespoon balls on lined baking sheet with 2 inches between them

bake for 12 minutes or until crackly on top

*

The Spicy Governor's Cookies
Servings: approximately 2.5-3 dozen

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 15-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon

To Do

preheat oven to 325 degrees

melt chocolate chips and butter together in a double broiler or in 2-3 45 second rotations in the microwave

add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to the melted butter and chocolate and stir

add cinnamon and stir

add flour and stir until combined

put 2 tablespoon balls on lined baking sheet with 2 inches between them

bake for 12 minutes or until crackly on top

Haute Couture Cookie

My very first qualification for a Valentine's Day cookie calls for the requisite pink or red colors. Well, here they are in the most luscious of ways.

Frost That Cookie
Servings: approximately 3/4 cup of frosting

Ingredients

1 cup confectioner's sugar (aka icing sugar, powdered sugar)
1/3 cup softened butter
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon milk (I used almond)

Pink or red non-pareils or sprinkles

To Do

With your mix master, mix the sugar and butter until combined

Add fluff, vanilla and milk and mix until thick and creamy

Frost one side of your favorite Governer's Cookie and make an insanely delicious and incredibly rich cookie sandwich

Now, go out and get yourself some pink or red non-pareils or sprinkles and roll the side of the iced cookies

Vogueing

I took it a step further and after the cookies cooled, cookie-cuttered them into hearts. If you're going to go all out on Valentine's Day, hearts need to be present

Look. It's a jar of hearts...literally.

Truly Ridiculous

Still not decadent enough for you?

Try adding 1/2 a teaspoon espresso powder to the frosting for the Italian Governor's Cookie Sandwiches,

1/2 a teaspoon cinnamon to the frosting for the Spicy Governor's Cookie Sandwiches,

or 1/2 a teaspoon orange juice to the frosting for the Zesty Governor's Cookie Sandwiches

Stay Tuned

This week, be prepared for a Valentine sweet worthy of a magazine cover, a sneaky healthy option, and gasp a treat void of any and all chocolate.