Cookies with a secret - Celebrate Valentine's day with a kiss

Happy Valentine's day everyone! I know the post is kinda last minute but my excuse is that I am on the west coast and the day has not yet begun for me. For all others that are ahead of me, hope your valnetine's day turned out well and is going well.

I think about why some food items become a hit while some do not though they both taste very good. As in any other visual media, presentation is what clinches the final score. I believe presenting a food right is as important as the love of labor that goes into the creation of the food itself.  So while I am working on taking the pictures in the right light, settings and with props, I borrowed a simple recipe from Taste of Home recipe collections which has both the looks & the taste to touch your heart :-). I have modified the original recipe a little (reduced the butter & confectioner sugar from the original). Talk about magazine clippings all over the house.

Personally, we don't make a big deal of Valentine's day or go out on the celebration, it passes like any other ordinary day but keeping in the spirit of Valentine day celebrations going on around me (both in the physical & virtual world), here I am with a cookie wrapped around a kiss (I mean the Hershey's kind).

What do you need to make the Valentine cookies? 
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups All purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (go ahead & use almonds or cashews if you feel like)
18 kisses chocolates
1/2 cup of confectioner sugar (use powdered sugar alternatively)
1 Tblsp cocoa (I used unsweetened)
1 Tsp vanilla extract

How do you make the Valentine cookies?

• Cream the butter, sugar & vanilla extract until light and fluffy. 
• Fold in the chopped nuts and mix. 
• Add the flour and mix well.

• Knead the dough for a minute. 
• Cover the dough with a plastic cling and refrigerate for about 45 mins to an hour or until it is firm.

• Pinch a small ball of the dough and flatten it on your palm, put a chocolate kiss in the center and shape the dough around the kiss.
• Repeat until you finish all the dough. 

• Place the wrapped balls in a baking sheet and bake at 375 F for 10 - 12 minutes, take them out before they turn brown. 

• Sift the confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder together in a wide plate.

• Roll the warm cookies in the mixture and set it to cool completely. 

We liked the crumbly texture of the cookie with crunchy walnuts and the hidden kiss inside, I am sure kids will enjoy this for any of their parties.

Fair warning: One of these cookies is sufficient to tip the balance of the scale to the wrong side, so go easy on them..

A Very Happy Wedding Anniversary to my Amma & Nanandi who tied the knot many years ago on the Valentine's day and have kept it strong.