Valentine’s Day Treats: Vanilla Candy Hearts With Peppermint

by Jyl Johnson Pattee on February 7th, 2023 | 1 Comment »

Making your own Valentine's Day cards and treats reminds me of my childhood. I was obsessed with doilies and me and my mom would spend hours making enough for every child in my school class along with extra to give to my friends in the neighborhood and in my church group for Valentine's Day. Then, we'd buy the traditional conversation hearts to pass out along with each homemade Valentine with enough boxes left over to last our family through the holidays. Fun memories!

Now that I have two boys of my own and Valentine's Day is only second to Christmas in the retail world, I vacillate between going the easy route of buying them cards and treats, especially since their school requires sealed treats to pass out, or making handmade cards and dessert with them.

This year, we've done the latter, starting with the treats. And, since their school won't allow homemade goodies, we've showered our neighbors and other friends with gifts to spread the Valentine's dessert love.

So far this season, we've made white cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, candy cane heart chocolate suckers, and brownie and peppermint ice cream cakes in jars. Our latest creation required using the same candy melts we used to make the candy cane heart chocolate suckers, but for something much more simple.

Vanilla Candy Hearts With Peppermint Topping

Ingredients and Supplies

Purchase and/or gather these ingredients and supplies before beginning your candy-making project:

Candy melts. I prefer the vanilla and light or dark cocoa candy melts from Wilton. I have made red hearts, chocolate hearts, and even peppermint flavored (white with red flecks in them) before. This year, I made vanilla and sprinkled peppermint pieces on the top.
Topping: I bought extra bags of peppermint pieces at Christmas time and used those. You could use sprinkles or other chopped up candy.
Disposable decorating bag. Wilton's is my favorite, but you can use whatever you like: disposable decorating bags or plastic container, or non-disposable bag.
Candy mold. I bought this heart-shaped candy mold tray last year. It is also a Wilton product. Can you sense a theme here? And no! This post is not sponsored. LOL!
Packaging. If you are going to distribute them as candy, you will need a bag or a box to put them in and you may need some red, pink, or white ribbon. Clear cellphone works well or you can find lots of cute Valentine's Day themed candy boxes at your local craft store. Joann's had a lot to choose from, which is where I got mine.

Instructions

Follow these simple steps to make your candy hearts:

Step 1. Gather your supplies: candy melts and disposable decorating bag.
Step 2. Pour the candy melts into the disposable frosting liner and melt in the microwave on high heat for 30 seconds. Then turn the bag over and repeat until melted. Roll over the top of the disposable liner with one hand while cutting the bottom of the liner with another.
Step 3. Squeeze the candy or chocolate into each candy mold.
Step 4. (Optional) Sprinkle toppings on top of the candy or chocolate in each mold.
Step 5. Let cool. I like to place mine in the refrigerator for 2 hours before removing from the molds.
Step 6. Place them in a package or put them on top of other treats, like these white cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Check out our other Valentine's Day treat ideas:

What handmade Valentine's and Valentine's Day treats are you going to make with your kids this year?

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Jyl Johnson Pattee

An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.