7 Valentine’s Day Heart-Shaped Appetizers

Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with your partner, with your friends, family or by yourself, these recipes will help make the day special without a full day spent in the kitchen.

#1 – Heart-Shape Quiche and Vol-au-Vent :

Puff pastry is so versatile especially for making quiche and vol-au-vent. A vol-au-vent is typically made by cutting two circles in rolled out puff pastry, cutting a hole in one of them, and then stacking the ring-shaped piece on top of the disc-shaped piece.

Total Time: 1hr 30min

Ingredients:

• 2 Puff Pastry
• 3 cups Mushrooms
• 10 cups Fresh Spinach
• 2 cloves Garlic , divided
• 1/2 cup Mascarpone Cheese
• 1/2 cup Red Wine
• 3 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 2 Tbsp. Emmental Cheese
• 1 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley , chopped
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated
• Salt to taste
• Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Milk

Instructions:

• Grab your Puff Pastry (2) and let it sit on your kitchen counter until completely thawed.
• Take the Mushrooms (3 cups) , wash them and slice them up.
• In a skillet heat up one of the Garlic (1 clove) and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (2 Tbsp.). Add the mushrooms and season with Salt (to taste) and Ground Black Pepper (to taste) and pour in the Red Wine (1/2 cup).
• Cook uncovered on medium-high for about 15 minutes. Add the Fresh Parsley (1 Tbsp) and set aside.
• Take the Fresh Spinach (10 cups) and wash them and cut them up.
• In a skillet, heat up the Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (1 Tbsp) with Butter (1 Tbsp) . Add the spinach and stir well, season with Salt (to taste) and Ground Black Pepper (to taste) and minced Garlic (1 clove).
• Set aside and chop them up finely.
• In a bowl combine the Egg (1) , Salt (to taste) , Ground Black Pepper (to taste) , and Parmesan Cheese (1 Tbsp) and the Heavy Cream (1/2 cup) . Beat up all the ingredients together for 1-2 minutes.
• Grab one of these cute heart shape pan. Roll out the puff pastry sheet, and cut it out into 2 big hearts. Place one into the pan, pressing well around the edges.
• Add the chopped Emmental Cheese (2 Tbsp) , mushrooms , spinach, and then pour in half of the egg mixture, fold the edges. Bake at 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) for about 20 minutes.
• Repeat one more time to make the second quiche.
• Now on to the heart-shaped vol-au-vents! Roll out the second sheet of puff pastry and using cookie cutters, cut out hearts. Put together the Egg (1) and the Milk (2 Tbsp) to make the egg-milk wash.
• Now take 3 of the hearts, brush one with the egg-milk wash, then using a smaller cookie cutter, cut off the center of the other 2 hearts, brush them with the wash and place them on top of the first heart.
• Bake at 200 degrees C (400 degrees F) for about 15-20 minutes or until the hearts are nice and buff and got a nice golden color. Remove from the oven and let them cool down.
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In your blender put the sauteed spinach with the Mascarpone Cheese (1/2 cup) and the remainder tablespoon of Parmesan Cheese (1 Tbsp) and blend until you get a nice, smooth cream.
• Place the cream into a pastry bag and fill up the center of your vol-au-vents then decorate with a few slices of mushrooms. Serve and enjoy!

Source: The Fit Mediterranean –

#2- Heart-Shaped Caprese Skewers :

By Christian Mitchell

This heart-shaped Caprese Skewers recipe is a delicious, simple, and visually appealing appetizer. The combination of juicy cherry tomatoes, creamy mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil leaves is a classic flavor combination that is sure to please

Ingredients-

• 12 mini mozzarella balls
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions-

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Arrange the mini mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened and the mozzarella is melted.
4. Allow to cool slightly before assembling on skewers to form heart shapes.

#3- Heart-Shaped Cheese and Fruit Kebabs:

By Christian Mitchell

Ingredients:

12 cubes of cheese (preferably a semi-soft cheese like cheddar or gouda)
12 pieces of fresh fruit (e.g. strawberries, melon, grapes, etc)
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Arrange the cheese cubes and fruit pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with honey and bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the fruit is softened.
4. Allow to cool slightly before assembling on skewers to form heart shapes.

#4- Heart’s Desire Pizza:

Prep: 25 min.
Bake: 10 min.
Makes: 8 pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1 tube (16.3 ounces) large refrigerated flaky biscuits
• 1 jar (14 ounces) pizza sauce
• Optional toppings: sliced ripe olives, sliced and quartered pepperoni, chopped fresh mushrooms, chopped green and sweet yellow pepper
• 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Cut eight 6-in.-square pieces of aluminum foil; place on baking sheets.
• Lightly coat foil with cooking spray; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll each biscuit to a 5-in. square. Cut a 1-in. triangle from the center top and place on the center bottom, forming a heart. Press edges to seal.
• Transfer to foil squares. Spoon, pizza sauce over dough to within 1/4 in. of edges.
• If desired, sprinkle with toppings.
• Top with cheeses. Bake at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Source: www.tasteofhome.com

#5- Baked Strawberry Rose Donuts:

These pink donuts make for the best breakfast or dessert treat for Valentine’s Day. They are made with a fresh puréed rose and strawberry glaze, created by influencer Ginny Dyer (In Bloom Bakery). They’re packed full of delicious flavors and sure to look pretty on your table. Perfect for the day of love!

Ingredients: For the Donuts –

• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup softened,salted Minerva Dairy butter
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp rose water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries

Ingredients: For the Strawberry Glaze –

• 2 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbsp pureed strawberries

Directions: For the Donuts

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• First start by creaming 1/2 cup of softened, salted butter and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar together in a medium sized bowl.
• Then add in 2 eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/4 tsp of rose water and combine.
• Mix in 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup of milk. Set aside.
• In a small bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/4 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt together.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time until all is incorporated together.
• Grind 1 1/2 cups of freeze-dried strawberries. Sift them into the batter and mix until all is combined.
• Transfer the donut batter into a piping bag fitted with a large tip. Pipe the batter into a greased donut pan, 3/4 of the way full. Bake the donuts at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
• Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool.

Directions: For the Strawberry Glaze

• While they are cooling make the icing by pureeing a few strawberries, enough to make 2-3 tbsp of puree.
• Add 2 cups of powdered sugar in a bowl and add 2 tbsp of the strawberry puree. Mix until all the powdered sugar is dissolved. If it is too dry add a little bit more of the strawberry puree. It should be a very thick icing.
• Dip each donut in the glaze. Sprinkle each donut with crushed freeze-dried strawberries if you desire. Let the glaze set and then serve!

source: Ginny Dyer (In Bloom Bakery)

#6- Chocolate Cake With Beet Buttercream Frosting

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a homemade dessert? With pink frosting! The chocolate cake is a classic, and our Beet Powder provides a natural food coloring so you can avoid the synthetic stuff in the bottle. And no, it doesn’t make the frosting taste like beets. Although it’s fun to let people know your secret ingredient!

For The Cake:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375° F. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water. Stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or line them with parchment and then grease and flour them.
• When the chocolate in the pan has cooled, whisk in the milk mixture and eggs. In several additions and without over-mixing, whisk in the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and whisk once or twice, to blend.
• Pour the batter into the pans and bake on the middle rack until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

For the Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1-3 tablespoons milk
• 1-2 tablespoons Beet Powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

• Using a spoon or an electric mixer on low speed, mix the powdered sugar and butter until combined. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Add more milk, bit by bit, until the frosting is spreadable.
• Add 1 tablespoon Beet Powder and stir. Add more if a darker pink color is desired. If the frosting gets too thick, add a few drops more milk.

Erica shared:

“John and I adapted this particular recipe from Food52. We thought it was a cool idea to use beet powder to color the frosting and this twist on a classic offers a natural ingredient as our Beet Powder provides a natural food coloring so people can avoid the synthetic stuff in the bottle. And no, it doesn’t make the frosting taste like beets (secret ingredients always add a little spice to life).”

This recipe is from Oakland-based, husband+wife team, Oaktown Spice Shop.

#7- Elderberry Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 3/4 cup butter softened to room temp, vegan butter spread works too.
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, room temp flax seed egg replacement works too.
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Frosting:

• 2 Tbsp Carmel Berry Co Elderberry Syrup
• 2 Tbsp milk plant based works well here
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Cookies:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the first 5 wet ingredients.
• In a separate bowl mix the dry and then add to the wet. Mix together, roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut the cookies.
• Bake on ungreased pan for 9 minutes. Let cool.

Frosting:

• For the frosting, mix a 1:1 mixture of elderberry syrup and your choice of milk (I used almond) into powdered sugar until it reaches an easy-to-spread consistency.
• Grate lemon zest over the cookies once the frosting has dried to make them extra-special.

About Katie Reneker :-

She is an amazing one-woman powerhouse behind Carmel Berry—I’ve been inspired by her tenacity and resilience to bring the incredible power of the elderflower and berries to more families, kiddos, teachers, consumers, farmers and more.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.