Last Minute Valentine Brownie Cakes

There are a ton of you out there who still haven’t decided just what you’re going to do Valentine’s Day. You know who you are. 

I know, I know.  Some of you forgot.  Some of you just got busy.  And s0me of you have even fallen victim to the pressure of getting just the right thing… and, well, that has left you with choosing nothing at all.  And here you are.  Now.  With nothing to show for yourselves.  Oh, what are you going to do?

Well, you’re going to make these these simple Last Minute Valentine Brownie Cakes; that’s what you’re going to do!  All of the Valentine’s love you’ve been looking for is right here with decadence to spare.  Genius,you say?  Why yes.  Yes, they are.

I can see you setting your Valentine’s Day table right now with one (or all three!) of these heart-shaped slices of brownie heaven, celebrated by spouse and children alike as permanent victor and champion of all Valentine’s Days!  So what are you waiting for?  For the love of Pete, you!  To the grocery store!

Last Minute Valentine Brownie Cakes

• 2 boxes of brownie mix, prepared as directed in one 13X9 pan
• 1 large heart-shaped cookie cutter or heart-shaped paper template
• Brownie Toppings of Your Choice (see below)

Brownie Toppings

Sweet and Salty Turtle Brownies

• thin pretzel sticks, roughly chopped
• pecans, roughly chopped
• mini chocolate chips
• caramel sundae topping
• chocolate syrup

Strawberries and Cream Brownies

• 2-3 strawberries, diced and sprinkled with sugar
• mini Oreos, crushed
• strawberry sundae topping
• chocolate syrup

Peanut Butter Lover’s Brownie

• mini peanut butter cups, roughly chopped
• peanut butter candies, roughly chopped
• 2 TBSP melted peanut butter to drizzle (30 seconds or so in the microwave)
• chocolate syrup

As your brownies cook, prepare your toppings.

After your brownies completely cool, use your cookie cutter or template to cut out as many heart shapes as you will need.  I needed four for my family, so I created a template that allowed me to cut 4 large brownies from my 13X9 pan.

It’s easier to remove the brownie that you don’t intend to use from around your heart shapes with a knife and fork than to try to just take the heart shapes from the pan after you cut them.  I went slow and easy, but I didn’t stress if the shapes weren’t perfect.  Because we like gooey brownies, I used the knife and fork to sort of mold any uneven portions of my hearts after I cut them.  I also remembered that I was going to be loading them up with toppings! And toppings can hide a multitude of sins.

After all  of the excess brownie is removed from the pan, you are ready to extract those brownie hearts and start dressing them up!  I used a spatula with a sharp edge to make sure I could get underneath the brownies cleanly and lift them from the pan.  I place each heart on a “work plate” to pile on my toppings.  To top the brownies, I just sprinkled on the toppings, then drizzled on my syrups.  

When my hearts were sufficiently topped and drizzled,  I used the spatula again to move my brownie hearts from the work plates to my serving plates.  This allowed for a cleaner presentation and really helped the shape of my hearts to stand out.

Voila!  That’s it!  Now you’re ready to own this Valentine’s Day like you’ve been preparing for months.  But to be honest, these brownie cakes are so good no one will really care. They will just be glad you thought of them… and that they’re getting to eat this deliciousness…  Ok, mostly that they’re getting to eat this deliciousness.  But let’s face, you’re really ok with that.  Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends!

***Pin This Valentine’s Day Recipe Here***

Need more Valentine’s Day Ideas?  Check out these ASD favorites!

Spicy Chocolate Hearts in 3 Easy Steps 

Why a Cheese Board is Romantic (especially when you don’t like cheese) (Coming 2/12/18)

Rob and Shannon’s Family Valentine Pizza

Find this and other great recipes at Foodie Friday & Full Plate Thursday!Save

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