MY VALENTAINE RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 Degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash and dry the orange half, then coarsely chop it.
• In a bowl of food processor, pulse orange and cranberries until finely chopped but not pureed. Transfer to bowl; stir in granulated sugar, pecans, and ginger. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
• Beat mascarpone on medium speed of mixer until soft. Add 1 cup of cream, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Refrigerate until needed.
• Thaw pastry sheet as directed on package. Unfold thawed pastry on lightly floured surface and lightly flour the top surface. Roll out to an 11x11-inch square.
• Using cookie cutters, cut out five large (4-inch), five medium (3-inch) and five small (1 1/2-inch) hearts. Cut out extra small hearts with any remaining dough to use as garnish.
• Place all the hearts on the prepared baking sheet; bake for about 12 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
• Heat remaining 3 tablespoons cream in microwave for 30 seconds; add chocolate and stir to melt. Microwave for 10 seconds at a time if needed to fully melt chocolate.
• To assemble pastries, split the large and medium hearts in half with a serrated knife. Pipe (or spoon) filling into bottoms of hearts, add a spoonful of cranberry relish and finish with the top hearts. Add a layer of filling and relish to top of the large heart; set the filled medium heart on top. Then add cream and relish to the top of the medium heart and finish with the small heart.
• Drizzle chocolate sauce over the pastry. Repeat with remaining hearts. Extra small hearts can be dusted with powdered sugar and used as a garnish.

Steps:

• Mix together cookie mix, egg and flour. Add 2 oz. cream cheese (reserve remaining 3 oz. cream cheese), 2 tablespoons butter and almond extract; blend. Shape dough into 12x13-inch heart on large ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Cool on cookie sheet 20 minutes. Carefully remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.
• Beat powdered sugar, 3 oz. cream cheese, remaining butter and cherry juice with electric mixer on low speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in maraschino cherries. Spread over cooled cookie.
• Spoon chocolate frosting, reserving 2 tablespoons, into decorating bag, with small star tip (#21); pipe around edges of cookie. Using reserved frosting pipe message on top of cookie.