Friday, February 3, 2012

Cup of Love


I never have liked Valentine's Day very much. 

There was always this pressure to have a loved one send flowers to me at work. 

Now that I stay home, there is no point in having flowers delivered here since there is no one to see me get them.  Let's be honest, the big thrill in getting flowers is not getting the flowers, but having all your co workers ooh and ah over you getting the flowers. 

There, I have said it.  Cat's out of the bag.  Valentine's day is all about appearances. 

This year, I like the idea of Valentine's day better.  I am having a good time showing off my baked goods to String Beane's school.  It is a similar thrill as getting the flowers in front of all your co workers, friend and foe alike. 

I have altered a Christmas gift that I made last year to suit my new found Valentine's spirit.  The original recipe can be found here.

I made some homemade, pink, heart shaped marshmallows and some hot chocolate on a stick!  They are adorable, if I do say so myself. 


Look at how cute and fluffy they turned out. 


I stuck a marshmallow on a hot chocolate square and stuck a cookie stick in them.


Then I put them in a baggie with a tag and tied on a ribbon.

And there you have it.  A cup of love!

To make these precious things follow this recipe.

Marshmallows
Ingredients:

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided in halves
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray
Pink food gel

Pour gelatin into the bowl of a  mixer set up with the whisk attachment along with 1/2 cup of the water!!!!
In a small saucepan combine 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook  4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, this takes a while!!! 
Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes! Add the vanilla and pink food gel during the last minute of whipping.

Prepare the baking pan!!!
Combine the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later!!!
When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan.  It is EXTREMELY STICKY!!!!  Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover!!!  I spread the sugar/cornstarch mixture smoothly with a spoon!! Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours!!!
Dump the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into little hearts using a small heart cookie cutter dusted in the powdered sugar mixture.  Lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary.  These can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream
 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
One 4-oz bar unsweetened chocolate broken into small pieces
Cookie sticks
8″x8″ pan, lined with wax paper

Heat the cream and sweetened condensed milk over medium-low heat until it starts steaming, stirring periodically. Remove from heat and add chocolate! Stir and let sit for 10 minutes, then put back on medium-low heat and stir with a whisk until chocolate is completely melted and shiny! I added a couple of teaspoons of vanilla!
Pour chocolate into prepared pan and spread chocolate as level as you possibly can. Let it sit FOR AT LEAST 12 HOURS!!!!

Remove chocolate from pan and cut, top side face down, into squares. Using a long knife that has been dipped in warm watter, slice the block into sixths each direction, so your squares will be a bit larger than 1″ x 1″.  
One stick is good for a regular coffee cup full of milk!!
This is not a milk free recipe in it's entirety.  The marshmallows will work for all the children in String Beane's class since they are top 8 free.  I will tie up the Valentine Hot Chocolate on a Stick for his teacher and the office staff.  

I am linking up at Metamorphosis Monday, Allergy Friendly Friday and These other Awesome Parties!

25 comments:

  1. This is one of the cutest ideas I've ever seen!!! What a perfect little gift idea, and the pink hearts are so cute!!
    I've been dying to make some homemade marshmallows recently, and now I think I will! *Excited*

    Blessings,
    Leslie

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  2. these look sweet,love this idea...would love you to link up to my Creative Monday hop tomorrow? :)

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  3. Too cute! Kids would love these. Thanks for sharing at Church Supper. Have a blessed week and see you again next Sunday! ~EMM

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  4. Love this and I've been dying to try and make marshmallows, I'll have to give this a try. Pinning!

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  5. I saw this linked up at Everyday Mom's Meals. These are so cute! I have been wanting to make my own marshmallows for a while now but have yet to try it. This gives me a more creative idea to go with my homemade marshmallows!

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  6. so cute they look really yummy!

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  7. Cute idea! Who wouldn't love a heart shaped marshmallow?

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  8. Adorable idea!

    ~Mrs. Delightful
    ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com

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  9. you totally have me drooling I would love you to add this and any other posts you want to show off to my What We Wore and Made party over at http://raegunwear.blogspot.com/search/label/WWWMW

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  10. This is such a cute idea! Thanks so much for joining us on "Strut Your Stuff Saturday." We loved having you and hope to see you back next Saturday with more great ideas! -The Sisters

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  11. Yum!!! Love this idea! I would be SUPER impressed if my kid came home from school with this present. :)

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  12. These are so adorable! I completely love it.

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  13. So cute! I've been telling myself that I need to try marshmallow making for a long time. They look so good!

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  14. What a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  15. Adorable! Just stopped in from Serenity Now! I've been wanting to try the homemade marshmallows & these are just too cute! Great idea!

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  16. Those are adorable! I wanted to do homemade marshmallows last year for Valentine's day and it never happened! I love the hot chocolate on a stick idea too:)

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  17. This would make anyone's Valentines Day - so so cute!

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  18. They look so tummy and pretty too! Never made homemade marshmallows...I guess I'll have to give it a try!

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  19. Hi Mamie,
    What a precious gift for Valentine Day, I sure hope you made one of those awesome treats for me. Hope you have a fabulous week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  20. Very cute and creative! Thank you for sharing this at simply creations link party!

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  21. I know what you mean! I love the thrill I get when I make treats for school or a party and I get the oohs and ahhhs. It's my version of crack, only healthier. ;) Thanks for sharing on Crazy Sweet Tuesday!

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  22. i've never even heard of hot chocolate on a stick, but now i don't think i can be happy without it. for real. thanks for sharing! this looks delicious and adorable... something the gummy worm never mastered.
    -brittney
    http://adayinlifetoo.blogspot.com (my random mommy style blog; come on by if you'd like!)

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  23. What a FUN idea!! I've never heard of hot chocolate on a stick either, but I'm a fan! Thanks for sharing at oopsey daisy!

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  24. They ARE adorable and perfect for Valentine's Day! Thank you so much for sharing at Taking A Timeout Thursday! Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

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