How to Make Easy Valentine Peanut Butter Hearts Candies

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools Needed to Make Easy Peanut Butter Valentine Hearts Candies

• Heart shaped candy molds
• Heart shaped cookie cutter that is slightly smaller then candy mold
• 1 1/2 cups of smooth peanut butter (I recommend using the least expensive)
• 1 lb confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 lb butter
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Coconut oil
• Sweetened carob chips, semi-sweet chocolate morsels, white chocolate morsels, or Reese's peanut butter chips.
• Large mixing bowl
• Rolling pin
• A good surface for rolling out dough
• A nice box to package candies in
• Beautiful Valentine's wrapping paper
• 1 Dozen Red Roses
• 1/2 carat or larger diamond engagement ring

Save Money on Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts Candies by Doing it Yourself

A 24 piece box of Belgian chocolate peanut butter hearts will set you back about $15.99 plus shipping if you buy them online (unless you are an Amazon Prime member). The cost to make this recipe breaks down as follows, based on the prices I actually paid for the ingredients, not including the candy molds.

Creamy Peanut Butter $1.49 at the farmer's market

Confectioner's Sugar $1.79 for 1 lb bag at WalMart.

1/4 lb unsalted butter $0.87 at WalMart

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract 0.45 at Giant Supermarket

Total=$4.60

Savings $11.39

For an Interesting Taste Variation Switch Out Coconut Butter for Regular Butter

If you buy coconut butter in the store or on the Internet, it can be quite expensive, but the good news is that it's really easy to make at home yourself. All you need is some dried, unsweetened coconut, a good food processor or blender, and a little bit of patience.

Just add 2 cups of dried, unswettened shreded coconut or coconut flakes to your blender or food processor. Pulse for a little bit, then push the coconut that gets on the sides of the container back down into the bottom of the container. Continue doing thus, and eventurally the oil will start getting released from the coconut and it will start to clump. When it starts doing this, you'll know you are getting close. Continue this process until your coconut turns into a nice creamy consistency. After you have the consistency that suits you, you can remove the coconut butter from your blender or food processor and put it into a air tight jar for storage. You can store this at room temperature if you are going to use it in a short time; however, I recommend refrigerating it. You will have may have to pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it before using it.

This is tasty just to spoon it out and eat it right out of the jar, but many people enjoy a bit of coconut butter on their toast. You can also mix it with a little bit of honey to enjoy it on toast also. If you go to your local health food store, they might try to tell you that coconut oil is the same thing as coconut butter. If they tell you this, they are WRONG!!! Coconut oil is a much more labor intensive process to make yourself. You can still do it, but it takes more time and patience.

Before You Go For Broke, Make a Small Test Batch

Anytime you are making a change to a recipe, make a small test batch before you go all out. That way you will know if your idea is successful before you foist your folly on your friends and family. This was the first time I used coconut butter in place of regular butter in this recipe, so here is how I prepared my test batch.

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I use the cheapest I can find.(
• 1 heaping tsp of coconut butter (if you keep yours refrigerated as I do, microwave in an open container in 15 second increments until it becomes soft).
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract.
• 8 or 9 teaspoons of confectioner's sugar.
• Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until your have a firm dough that isn't sticky and can be easily rolled into a ball.
• Coat a thin layer of confectioner's sugar on a cutting board or other smooth surface.
• Roll out your dough by hand or with a rolling pin.(If you use a rolling pin, coat it with some confectioner's sugar so the dough won't stick to it).
• Cut out your heart shapes with your cookie cutter and set them aside on a thin layer of confectioner's sugar so they don't stick.
• Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a double boiler on medium heat until melted.
• Add your sweetened carob chip or semi-sweet chocolate chips slowly and mix until you have the consistency of honey.
• With a teaspoon transfer your melted carob or chocolate to your candy mold, so it just covers the surface of the bottom of each mold.
• Put your peanut butter hearts into each mold centered as best as you can.
• Teaspoon a layer of carob or chocolate mixture into the molds until they are filled to the top of the mold.
• Transfer your candy mold to the freezer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• When candies have hardened, remove from the freezer, turn upside down to remove from the mold. You might have to smack the mold a few times to loosen them.
• Serve candies immediately or put in a container in your refridgerator until you are ready to serve them.

The use of coconut butter made for a different taste, which I think is very decadent and I hope your friends and family enjoy them as much as we did.

Coconut Butter is Better, Why?

Coconut Oil/Butter is Packed with Lauric Acid

"Coconut oil, like human breast milk, is rich in lauric acid, which boosts immunity and destroys harmful bacteria and viruses. In fact, coconut oil is one of the closest foods on the planet to breast milk.

Scientists in the Philippines researched the effects of coconut oil and lauric acid on patients with the HIV virus that causes Aids. The results were amazing. Most of the Aids patients showed a dramatic drop in the HIV virus count, in some cases to "undetectable" levels. While there needs to be a lot more research, there is certainly evidence to suggest that people with this virus would benefit from having a diet rich in coconut.

Lipid researcher Dr. Jon Kabara says "Never before in the history of man is it so important to emphasize the value of Lauric Oils."" Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/023563_coconut_oil.html

Every Successful Cook has to Experiment

Now that you've tried this recipe, think about making it an adventure in culinary delight. Go take a look at your spice rack and think about what flavors might also go well with coconut, peanut butter, and chocolate (or carob). How about some cinnamon, sage, or chili powder. Sounds weird, right? But, if you don't experiment, you'll never find what very interesting combinations you might be able to come up with. Remember Werner Von Braun's statement that "Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing." Nearly every great discovery comes about by accident, and trial and error is how you have a successful accident.