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Serve up a banquet fit for a little prince or princess with these heart-shaped bites. Whether your tots prefer sweet or savoury, find a tasty way to say I Love You this Valentine’s Day.
Shortbread Sweethearts, makes 16 biscuits
Ingredients
- 55g butter, softened
- 30g caster sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla
- 85g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
To Sandwich the Hearts
- 40g white chocolate, chopped
- Icing sugar, for dusting
- 1 tbsp seedless raspberry jam
Method
- You’ll need one 6cm (21⁄4 in) heart-shaped cookie cutter, and another that’s a little smaller. Lightly grease two baking sheets.
- Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt, then mix in the flour with a wooden spoon. Form into a ball with your hands. If the dough is very soft, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 2 mm (1⁄16 in) thick. Cut out 16 heart shapes using the larger cutter. Put 8 hearts on a baking sheet. Using the smaller cutter, cut out centres from the remaining hearts. Transfer these heart-shaped rings to the other baking sheet. Chill for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
- Bake the rings for 10 – 12 minutes and the solid hearts for 13 – 15 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate in a small bowl set over a pan of warm water, stirring frequently. Remove from the pan when there are still a few lumps, and stir until smooth. Leave for 10–20 minutes to cool and thicken slightly. Meanwhile, dust the cookie rings with icing sugar.
- When the chocolate is cool, spread ½ tablespoon over each solid cookie, leaving a gap around the edge. Put ¼ teaspoon of jam on top. Place the cookie rings on top, and add a little extra jam in the middle if needed. Chill for 10 to 20 minutes until the chocolate has set, then store in a cool place.
Cupid’s Arrows, Makes 8 Skewers
Ingredients
- 340g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into approx. 2.cm cubes
- 2 red peppers
Marinade
- 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
- 100ml milk
- 1 tbp lemon juice
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or ¼ tsp dried
- ¼ tsp mild paprika
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ¼ tsp salt
- Some freshly ground black pepper
Dip
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
- ½ tsp clear honey
- 8 wooden skewers
Method
- Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a bowl along with a good grinding of black pepper. Add the chicken and stir to coat, then cover and marinate overnight in the fridge.
- Cut each pepper into quarters and remove the seeds. Cut out heart shapes using mini-cutters or cut into triangles to act as the arrowhead. Put them on a plate, cover with cling film and chill until needed. Stir together the ingredients for the dip, cover and chill until needed.
- Preheat the grill to high. Thread the chicken on to the skewers over and thread a red pepper heart or triangle on to the top of each skewer. Grill for a further 4 – 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the pepper is soft.
- Transfer the dip to small bowls and serve with the skewers.
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Featured image sourced via Pinterest