Valentine’s Day shopping can get quite expensive when shopping for a loved one or even yourself. Chocolates and other treats can be quite outrageous and so many times you could easily make it yourself for so much cheaper. Depending on the type of treat you are wanting to make, you could easily make it under $10. I spent $30 max on five different treats. Here’s how I made them:
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries- All I did is wash the strawberries, cut the tops off and cover them in melted white chocolate. I drizzled another color over the top of the white chocolate to make it a little more appealing. You could do any color combinations or types of melting chocolates. You could even dip them in nuts or anything else that you would like. You could even leave the stem on if you like. I just found it was easier to coat. Considering these cost about $15 in store, you could make them for so much less.
- Red Velvet Truffles- These were so easy to make. First you make a red velvet cake, either from a mix or from scratch. Once the cake is cooled, crumple it. Mix in 8 ounces of cream cheese and roll into balls. Let them chill in the fridge for a while and then cover in the chocolate of your choice. Let the chocolate set and then drizzle with another chocolate of your choice (again, could do nuts, sprinkles, etc.). Let set again, then store in the fridge. These are a great, easy gift especially for red velvet cake lovers like myself.
- Chocolate Dipped Jumbo Marshmallows- These might be a required taste, but they look so cute. Plus they’re super simple. I chose jumbo marshmallows, but any larger marshmallow will work. Just dip the end of the marshmallow in chocolate and decorate however you like.
- Chocolate Covered Pretzels- These are for the sweet and salty lovers. I used pretzel rods and covered them about halfway with chocolate, then decorated however I wanted. (my dad enjoyed coconut on his)
- Chocolate Covered Wafer Cookies- I used the strawberry wafers, but any flavor you like will work. Just coat the end in chocolate, then decorate if desired.
- Chex Mix- Most Chex boxes have the recipe on them and are easy to make. Not eveyone enjoys sweets, so I figured this is something most everyone will love. I don’t have it in the picture, but I end up making it every couple of weeks.
As you can see, these are very simple to make and taste great. They won’t be perfect, so don’t expect them to be. I feel homemade gifts always mean more to a person than storebought gifts. You took the time to make something and they’ll appreciate it and even feel a little special. Plus its fun sitting there and getting to be creative.
For giving these treats as gifts, you don’t have to just put it in a plate or bowl. You totally can, but here are a few more ideas. The Chex Mix is easy, the Dollar Store typically has Valentine’s Day inspired cellophane bags. Just tie with a cute ribbon and you’re set. The Red Velvet Truffles could be placed in mini muffin baking cups and set inside a heart shaped box like chocolates come in at the store. The Strawberries could be placed larger baking cups in a nice box with a lid. Tie with a ribbon for a nice finish. The rest could be placed in plastic containers or even on a nice plate. If you want to do a platter like I did with all the different treats, thrift stores are a great place to look if you don’t want to spend a lot of money. That’s also an extra little gift the receiver can use over and over again.
Thank you all so much for reading! Hope this helps you with gift ideas or even treats for yourself this coming Valentine’s Day. For any extra help or recipes, email me at alittlebiteoflife@yahoo.com. Until next time.