Yesterday afternoon my girls each invited over a friend to make crayon hearts using this tutorial from Martha Stewart.

They were so easy and fun to make.  And once we hung them in the windows, they prettily catch the light.

As an after school snack for the kids I made a plate of Valentine Peanut Butter cookies.  I had seen the idea of using chocolate hearts instead of Hershey’s Kisses on Pinterest.

I used my own favorite recipe… and they turned out deee-licious and very cute.

My recipe comes from an old neighbor, Kim.  When Ben was in Kindergarten, he was over at her home playing with her daughter.  She served them these cookies, with chocolate chips in them, instead of the chocolate on top.  He liked the cookies so much, he asked her if she would share the recipe.  She was highly amused, needless to say, and sent him home with the recipe.

So here is the recipe for Kim’s wonderful Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies:

1 cup Butter, softened

1 cup Peanut Butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2-1/2 cups flour

Chocolate Chips to taste, or Chocolate Hearts or Hershey’s Kisses

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream together softened butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar.  Add eggs one at a time until well blended.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  With mixer on low, add flour mixture in batches until just mixed.

If you are adding chocolate chips, add them to taste. If you are putting the chocolate hearts or Kisses on top, skip the chocolate chips, but do not press the chocolate on top until AFTER baking.

Scoop cookies onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes.  If making the chocolate heart or Kisses cookies, press the unwrapped chocolate into the hot cookies just after they come out of the oven.  Allow to cool before serving, or the chocolate will be very messy!

Makes approx. 4-1/2 dozen cookies.