February has arrived and with it the sent of roses, little candy hearts, and the strange feeling that you are being watched by a diaper-clad flying bald man with arrows. Valentine’s Day often gets a bad rap, having the connotation of being a purely romantic holiday.  Lovers forcibly exchanging chocolates and pink teddy bears come to mind.  This year, reinvent the February 14th cliché and celebrate the love you have with your family by doing something fun together. Try out my recipe for V-Day heart cookies with your kids, and if you’re in an especially loving mood, give some away with the valentines you send to friends!

Ingredients:
(makes 48 cookies)

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 cups All-Purpose flour
• ¼ tsp Kosher salt
• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Sprinkles in various colors (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Beat the butter and maple syrup together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Stir the flour and salt together in a separate bowl; gradually mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just incorporated.
3. Chill the dough in the refrigerator or freezer until it is hard enough to handle with a rolling pin.  Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is ¼” thick.
4. Using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter (about 1 ½” wide), cut the dough into 48 heart shapes, placing them on parchment-lined cookie sheets.  Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
5. While cookies are baking, melt the chocolate in a double boiler so that it does not burn.  When cookies are baked and cool enough to handle, dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate and then place it back on the parchment-lined cookie sheet.
6. When all the cookies have been dipped in the chocolate, dust them with your sprinkles of choice and then place in a refrigerator until the chocolate has completely hardened.  Enjoy!

By Katie Letts, Shine Nutrition Specialist