Valentine’s Day and sweet treats go hand-in-hand so today we’re offering up two options.
First, in the spirit of our renewed excitement about eating to get our energy back, we have a healthy, kid-friendly Valentine’s Day fruit & veggie gummie snack.
Second, for those of you that just have indulge on Valentine’s Day, we’ve got decadent yummy Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars.
Whichever you chose – we hope you enjoy!
Valentine’s Day Fruit Juice Gummies
I’m always looking for fun and creative ways to celebrate the holidays without heading down the candy aisle. I might go soft at Christmas or Easter, but for all the other in-between holidays, I prefer to skip the sugary treats and enjoy the day in other ways.
Kids, on the other hand.. they’re always looking for a treat!
Thursday afternoon could be a holiday for them if it means getting some sweets.
Since our fruit and veggie gummies were such a hit with all of you, I thought I’d use the same recipe with special molds to create a treat that was fun for the kids but wouldn’t lead to a sugar rush.
Silicone candy molds can be found easily online or at your local craft store or baking supply shop. I had to include hearts for Valentine’s Day, of course, but I thought the robots were really cute, too.
I used this silicon heart mold and the robots can be found here.
I actually got them in this set along with some cute animals, bugs and other shapes.
There are tons of other great heart molds out there to choose from too. (But don’t feel like you need to run out and buy the molds. You can always stick to working with Valentine colors and simply using a loaf pan for the gummies. Just cut them into squares and serve.)
For these gummies, I used a mixture of cranberry juice and tart cherry juice. That’s what I had on hand, but any red or pink juice will do for the Valentine’s Day theme.
Just follow the directions in our original fruit and veggie gummy snack post and enjoy!
Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Bars
Hello Modern Parents Messy Kids readers! Kristin from PAM here… I am excited to be writing for Stephanie today!
I currently live in the (cold!) Windy City with my dog, Joey. When I am not binge-watching my new show on Netflix underneath a pile of blankets or jogging down Lake Shore Drive, I’m in the kitchen whipping up a new recipe from Pinterest or cooking one of my favorites.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, you might be thinking about what to give your special someone. Being on a budget, money is kind of tight for me—but I still want to give my Valentine something great! Why not bake some love?
Here’s an easy raspberry swirl cheesecake bars recipe you can bake your Valentine this year.
Ingredients
- PAM® Cooking Spray
- 11 chocolate-flavored graham cracker sheets, finely crushed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 8 oz. each packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup red raspberry jam
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line a baking dish with foil and spritz cooking spray.
In a small bowl, blend crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and butter. Press crumb mixture in baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add egg whites, almond extract and flour; blend. Spread mixture over graham cracker crust. Drop spoonfuls of jam over cream cheese mixture; swirl with knife.
Bake for 35 minutes. Cool completely and refrigerate. Cut, serve and enjoy!.
So simple yet delicious! I absolutely love these cheesecake bars any of time year. If you’re looking for more dessert recipes, check out our website!
*Post contains affiliate links.
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