Show mom just how much you love her with these adorable Valentine’s sweet treats.  

Cereal love bites  

Makes 10 • Total Time 1 Hour  

Ingredients
400g marshmallows (pink and white) 
¼ cup butter 
5 cups puffed rice 
80g white Chocolate, melted 
pink gel food colouring (optional) 
2 tbsp colourful sprinkles  

Method
1. Grease and line a 30cm round dish.
2. Add the butter to a pot placed over low heat and stir until melted.
3. Add the marshmallows and mix until smooth.
4. Pour in the puffed rice and stir to evenly coat in the marshmallow mixture.
5. Scoop the mixture into the lined dish, using an oiled spatula to flatten and shape the mixture. Work quickly before it sets. Allow it to cool completely.
6. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, carefully cut out individual cereal bars. Chill in the fridge.
7. Place a few spoons of melted chocolate in a resealable bag and set aside.
8. Add a tiny drop of food colouring to the remaining white chocolate and stir through to create a light pink colour.
9. Place pink coloured chocolate into a piping bag and remove marshmallow bites from the fridge.
10. Drizzle with white and pink chocolate and finish with sprinkles.

Top Tip: No piping bag? Place melted chocolate into a resealable bag, snip the corners and pipe. 

Wafer dips  

Makes 15 • Total Time 20 Min  

Ingredients
100g wafer biscuits 
80g white chocolate 
red gel food colouring 
20g pink sprinkles  

Method
1. Arrange the wafer biscuits on a lined baking tray and place in the freezer.
2. Chop the chocolate and add to a mug.
3. Microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Add a drop of food colouring and stir through.
4. Dip the tops of the wafers into the chocolate, hold to allow excess to drip off, then place on the baking tray.
5. Decorate with some sprinkles to finish off.
6. Repeat with the remaining wafers, placing them in the fridge for 10 minutes when done so they set properly.

Sugar cookies 2 ways  

Makes 15 • Total Time 30 Min  

Ingredients
FOR THE SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH 
200g butter 
200g caster sugar 
1 Egg  
400g  flour 
1 tsp salt  

FOR THE JOLLY JAMMER HEARTS 
100g raspberry jam  

FOR THE COOKIE KISSES 
200ml cream 
200g milk chocolate, chopped 
300g white chocolate  

Method
FOR THE SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH 
1. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl every minute.
2. Add the egg and beat until just combined. Do not overbeat.
3. Sieve in the flour and salt, then mix until just combined.
4. Work the dough together with your hands, then roll out into two discs.
5. Wrap the discs in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

FOR THE JOLLY JAMMER HEARTS 
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Remove one of the dough discs from the fridge.
3. Flour a working surface and roll dough out to 1/2 cm thick.
4. Using a small round cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as the dough makes, rerolling when necessary.
5. Assemble the cookies on a lined baking tray and place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
6. Before baking, use a small heart cutter, or the large end of a piping nozzle (or small bottle cap) to cut holes out of half of the cookies.
7. Bake cookies for 15–20 minutes, or until golden.
8. Remove and cool completely. 9. Spoon raspberry jam onto the uncut cookies. Sandwich them with the open cookies to create a jolly jammer heart.

FOR THE COOKIE KISSES 
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Flour a working surface and roll the remaining dough out to 1/2 cm thick.
3. Using a round or fluted cookie stencil, cut out as many rounds as the dough makes, rerolling when necessary.
4. Assemble the cookies on a lined baking tray and place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
5. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden.
6. Remove and cool completely. While you wait, make the ganache fillings below.

FOR THE MILK CHOCOLATE GANACHE 
1. Add 100ml cream to a bowl and heat until scalding
2. Add the chopped chocolate. Set aside for a few minutes then stir until smooth.
3. Set aside to cool until thick.

TO ASSEMBLE THE COOKIE KISSES 
1. Add each ganache to a piping bag and ice half of the cookies.
2. Sandwich together with the remaining cookies.
3. Serve cookies with tea or coffee, or package as gifts.

Top Tip: Placing the dough in the fridge to rest at various points prevents it from spreading too much when baking.  

Words: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photographs:  Zhann Solomons  

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