January is over, and yet there is still snow on the ground, dull faces in the halls, and so much hate everywhere else. Where is the love? Don’t you fret East students, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and it’s the perfect pick-me-up for these endless winter blues. And that love you have been looking for? Well, it might just be hiding in your very own kitchen pantry.

Here is a how-to for yummy, heart-shaped cookies perfect for your special someone, or heck, maybe even yourself. Let’s spread the love.

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup milk

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup jam

First!

Mix peanut butter, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl until fully combined

Next!

Grab a baking sheet and enough parchment paper to cover it and set it next to your bowl. 

Wash your hands (please), then dig in; grab about a fourth cup of your mixture and roll it into a ball. Place the rolled dough onto your baking sheet and repeat until the dough is gone.

Then

Without smashing the rolled dough first, create a heart indentation in the middle with your pinky finger or a tablespoon. Fill the indentation with about 1 tablespoon of your jam of choice and bake in the oven at 350 for about 10-12 minutes.

Lastly

Once time is up, take them out of the oven and plate them for yourself or box them up for a loved one!

This easy recipe is perfect for a galentines party, family and friends, or date night. In only 15 minutes you too can have delicious festive treats for the season of love.

Written by senior Ashley Gumm. Edited by staff writers for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.