Waverly here, with a few LOVEly ideas for cooking and crafting for Valentines’ Day, thanks to our friends at Fresh Made NYC! Whether you’re a mom, dad, or kid, these ideas are quick and fun, and easy to do before Valentine’s Day comes along.

Here’s a perfect healthy and delicious treat you can do as a family together – make sure you have adult supervision if you’re a kid like me!

STRAWBERRY-BEET BROWNIE

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup chocolate chips
⅓ cup unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cooked beet
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
Homemade whipped cream for topping (optional)
Fresh strawberries, hulled and diced for topping (optional)


DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking dish or line with parchment strips.

Puree the beet in a food processor with the applesauce until smooth. Set aside. Melt the chocolate chips and the butter in a double boiler until smooth. When ready, remove from heat and stir in the sugar.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder. Mix well.

Pour in the beet-apple mixture and the melted chocolate and mix until smooth.

Pour the batter into a baking dish. Cook until brownies are done to your liking, some people prefer slightly gooey inside, some prefer a bit more firm. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

While the brownies are baking prepare your strawberries and whipped cream.

When the brownies are cool, top with whipped cream and strawberries.

And you’ll LOVE this Yogurt Bark! Spread yogurt onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper (greek works best, tint with a little beet juice to make it pink), top with slide strawberries, dried cranberries, sprinkle with crushed freeze dried raspberries, etc. Place in freezer until it’s hard. Break into pieces and enjoy!

Like crafts? How about Valentine’s Day themed wrapping paper? Just take some kraft paper, paint, and heart shaped cookie cutters. Dip the cookie cutter in paint, press onto paper, let dry, and wrap your gift (or that yogurt bark)!

Happy cooking, happy crafting, and Happy Valentine’s Day! For more fun cooking classes be sure to check out Fresh Made NYC, and for more kids’ news, check out Kids’ News NYC!