Galentine’s Cookie Box

 

A cookie box for your best girlfriends filled with all the things you’d serve them if they could come over for brunch: scones, waffles, cupcakes, cookies, cookies, marshmallows too! 

 

 

2021 will be the first year since Lily was born that I don’t host a galentine’s brunch and I’m kind of sad about it. I always have a gaggle of friends over, and in recent years some of Lily’s friends too. I make waffles (obviously), cookies, cupcakes, and dips. We eat and decorate the cookies (or donuts! I had a donut bar in 2019 and we made a donut wall), eat some more, drink bubbly things, talk and talk. I prep activities for the little ones (last year they did cookies and painted birdhouses).

In 2021 though, we are staying home and sadly not able to have anyone over.  I decided to channel the energy I’d use to plan our party into making a galentine’s themed cookie box. Here’s hoping others, who also can’t have gatherings, can draw inspiration from to make stuff for & with their best gals. Mine is all about the sweet stuff, and definitely valentines day themed.

 

Red velvet cupcakes! A must for every gal or guy on valentines’ day. This is not an average red velvet cake; it’s a chocolate/cream cheese buttercream situation dressed up like red velvet for the season and is a better cupcake for it. The recipe makes a small batch of 8 tall cupcakes. It’s easily doubled or tripled.

 

 

Blood Orange Almond Scones: at every galentine’s brunch of mine there is something orange on the table, given all the seasonal citrus. Using blood oranges is particularly perfect because they lend a natural pretty pink color to everything. These scones are crunchy on the outside, super buttery and tender in the middle and for some added yumminess they use almond flour.

 

 

Raspberry marshmallows: continuing with our naturally pink theme, these are soft, springy tart marshmallows made with raspberry puree and freeze dried berries. They pack quite a punch in flavor and are unlike anything you’ve had from the store. They are also a cinch to make!

 

 

Marbled Chocolate Sugar Cookies: these are the easiest sugar cookie dough I’ve ever worked with and somehow they are incredibly tasty days and days later. I first made them as christmas trees but for Vday I was planning to coat hearts with ruby chocolate which has this pretty grayish pink hue to it, but mine got damaged right after I melted it (by water, UGH!). Luckily I was gifted some strawberry inspiration valrhona feves which I combined with white chocolate for a pretty marbled effect. These are a must-make and a must-gift!

 

Double chocolate chunk cookies: I made the ones in the box with white chocolate, cookie crumbles and valentines sprinkles. I’ll share the recipe for that in a few months but in the meantime it’s totally doable with white chocolate, omit the salt and use some on theme pink, red and white sprinkles! These are ooey gooey brownie cookies and not a single person who has made them hasn’t fallen deeply in love.

 

Other things in the box: as an ode to Leslie Knope, I always make buttermilk waffles for my galentines brunch party. But for a travel friendly box idea, I chose leige waffles instead which are made with a brioche dough and studded with chunks of pearl sugar. I used smitten kitchen’s recipe (you need to make the dough the night before so it rests in the fridge). To the box I also added conversation hearts (but ofc) and some other candies. Lastly, I do think a personal sized bottle of bubbly would be just perfect here =)

 

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