In 1986, I was a senior at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua.
My friends and I were so excited about the annual Valentine’s Day fundraiser where seniors dressed up in all things red and pink and played Cupid by delivering carnations to everyone in the school.
A week or two before Valentine’s Day, a table appeared outside the cafeteria where everyone paid $1 each for Valentine’s flowers and filled out a note that, the night before Valentine’s Day, was tied to each. Seniors ran around all day handing out Valentine carnations to both suspecting and unsuspecting recipients, most of whom were delighted to receive the notes — many anonymous, some romantic, others friendly, and of course many very humorous.
This fun-filled, share-the-love-with-everyone kind of event is my idea of Valentine’s Day. It is not about whether or not you have a significant other, it’s simply about noticing and sharing the love that is around you. Maybe instead of carnations, we can all give a smile to everyone we encounter on Valentine’s Day and see what happens. Spreading joy is the best way to create a more joyful world, so start with a smile.
Then, if you are looking to graduate to bigger acts of kindness, try this delicious dessert for someone special.
Raspberry Fool could not be any easier, especially if you cheat and buy adorable Valentine’s cookies to garnish it with rather than baking your own. However, if you do take a shot at this sugar cookie recipe, you may notice that rather than adding the flour to the butter, it has you adding the butter to the flour. This strategy, along with there being no leavening ingredient, helps ensure that the cookies keep their shape when baking rather than get all puffy.
I made these cookies for my friend Augustina, who happens to be an insane baker, and even she asked for the recipe. If you want to modify the Raspberry Fool to be vegan, use a can of unsweetened coconut cream that has been refrigerated upside down for a few hours before opening.
I hope Valentine’s Day found you on the receiving end of a lot of love — which probably means you were very busy on the giving end as well.
Raspberry Fool with Perfect Sugar Cookies
Raspberry fool ingredients:
1¼ cups heavy cream
½ cup raspberry jam
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup fresh raspberries
Cookies for serving
Directions:
In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream with the sugar until stiff peaks form. In a small bowl, whisk the jam until smooth, gently fold into the whipped cream making sure to leave jammy streaks. Spoon into serving bowls and garnish with the raspberries and a cookie.
Sugar cookies ingredients:
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cup superfine sugar (see note)
¼ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into sixteen ½-inch pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
For the glaze:
1 tablespoon cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons milk
1½ cups confectioner’s sugar
Red food coloring
Directions:
In a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with flat beater, mix flour, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. With mixer running on low, add butter 1 piece at a time; continue to mix until mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet, then mix about 1 minute longer. Add vanilla and cream cheese and mix on low until dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.
Remove bowl from mixer and knead dough by hand in bowl for 2 to 3 turns to form large cohesive mass. Turn out dough onto countertop, divide in half, pat into two 4-inch disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until they begin to firm up, 20-30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 weeks; defrost in refrigerator before using.)
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll out 1 dough disk to an even 1/8-inch thickness between 2 large sheets of parchment paper, slide rolled dough on parchment onto baking sheet and chill until firm, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat with second disk. Working with first portion of rolled dough, cut into hearts using cookie cutters and place on parchment-lined baking sheet spacing them about 1½ inches apart. Bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Repeat with second portion of rolled dough. Dough scraps can be patted together, chilled and re-rolled.
Cool cookies on wire rack to room temperature before glazing.
For the glaze, whisk cream cheese and 2 tablespoons milk in medium bowl until combined and no lumps remain. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar until smooth, adding remaining milk as needed until glaze is thin enough to spread easily. Drizzle or spread about a teaspoon of glaze with the back of a spoon onto each cooled cookie as desired.
