Valentine's Day Chocolate Cookies

Valentine's Day is on the horizon! What? Another holiday? Well, sort of, but this special day you will receive as much, if not more, than you give! It's all about the gifts from the heart, sweet, sensuous, and loving.

Traditionally, Valentine's gifts include chocolate and flowers, but some homemade treats can entice the heart to beat just a bit faster and get the emotions flowing.

Easy ideas can fan the sparks of love and thoughts of you. Get them thinking about you with these simple and quick ideas.

1. Get out that sidewalk chalk and write a message on your walkway. He or she will find a loving message, or a Valentine picture waiting for them as they head out the door in the morning.

2. Place a card with a surprise gift for them on the driver's seat of their car. Or put it on the driver's side of the car dash to catch their attention just before heading out to work.

3. Call his or her office phone and leave a loving message on their voice mail.

4. A flower delivery is always appreciated, but if possible, deliver the flowers yourself!

5. Write 'I love you' on the bathroom mirror with easy to remove paints, such as finger paints.

If your Valentine is a chocolate lover, bake up some delicious cookies. One easy and scrumptious recipe is the one shared here.

Chocolate Heart Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter cream
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
10 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Cream butter or margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Mix in the vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa power and baking powder. Add and mix well. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Divide dough in half. Roll out each half to ¼ inch thick. Cut with desired shaped cookie cutters and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Using icing tip #5, bead a heart in rose icing in the middle of the cookie (dip your finger into cornstarch and flatten and smooth the icing). Edge white icing, using tip #12, around the cookie edge. Pipe pink dots on the band using tip #3.