A few years ago, I made these five stenciled Valentine’s Day cookies as part of an experiment when I started exploring the world of cookie stencils. I decided I needed to work on my technique before making a whole batch of them! Even though they weren’t perfect, they didn’t last long. And that’s the beauty of making edible art. You can always eat your mistakes.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill

Hearts and chocolate...the perfect expression of love on Valentine’s Day. Turn them into cookies and you really have something to celebrate. (It doesn’t hurt to add a hug and a kiss to get the “love” part of the message across.)

When I take a few minutes to package my cookies like little presents, or put them in a box tied with a ribbon, they just look special. Don’t get me wrong...I’ve put cookies in a paper bag and handed them over like a sack of potatoes! But I decided long ago that the cookies deserved better. So even if I am just putting them in paper bag, I try to make the bag look like a gift. The easiest way to do that is to fold the top of the bag over, punch two little holes in the flap and then thread a piece of string or raffia twine through the holes and tie it in a bow.