I told you last week that I was going to try these Chocolate-Orange Turnovers (recipe from Home Stories A to Z, adapted for this use) for a Valentine’s Day treat!  They turned out great and very fresh.  If you love everything chocolate and orange, you’ll love these.  These are natural and fresh, no crazy complicated ingredients.  You could easily make them sweeter or more decadent by using Orange Marmalade or cream cheese; but I thought they were perfect!

I started with zesting  and then cutting my oranges.  The recipe called for Sunkist oranges and since I wanted to make sure my oranges were sweet, I used Sunkist as well.  You could use clementines and they’d be even sweeter.  Also, make sure to juice an orange for the glaze later (I forgot that!).

Add the oranges, zest and chocolate chips to the bowl and refrigerate for as long as you need.  I would plan to do this and then come back to it later after you’ve maybe run some errands or grabbed the kids from school!

Roll out your pie crusts and, using a pizza cutter, cut of the most rounded part of each side – about an inch.  Now cut it in fourths.  Top with mixture.  Close turnovers and use a fork to score and secure.  Brush top with orange juice and sprinkle with sugar.  Turbinado would be great but I didn’t have any.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool for just a bit and then melt some more of that chocolate and drizzle over the top and sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like.  I thought the added chocolate really made them amazing!  AND, I planned to sprinkle with powdered sugar, only I was out of that too.  I really thought I had a whole bag; but it was coconut!

Tips from the Kitchen:

• Cut oranges into small pieces or use clementines.  The larger pieces poke through the pie crusts, creating holes in your turnover:(
• Don’t forget to juice an orange for the glaze.
• I used Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate chip pieces, found in the baking aisle.
• Eat Warm!

Then, for the kids, I made those Valentine Cookie Pops from Pizzazzerie!  I did embellish them and they were so fun and EASY to make.

First, get your refrigerated Great Value (or Publix brand in my case) cookie dough out.  I used Chocolate Chip because that’s all they had.  You do not need to soften it at all.  Just put some flour on the counter and more on the dough and your rolling pin, and roll it to 1/4 inch.

Then, find some Valentine cookie cutters to make fun shapes.  I tried with some other fun ones I had; but the simple 2″ heart worked best.  Cut your shapes and place on a cookie sheet.

I found that trying to put the lollipop stick into the shape actually made them spread out and lose their shape in the oven, so just lay your shapes on top instead and kind of pinch the dough around the pop.

Put them in the oven for about 10 min.  Bottom rack works best for non-spreading cookie shapes!

Let them cool for a bit and melt your chocolate.  I used the rest of the Hershey’s Special Dark chips from the other recipe for mine.  Just melt them in the microwave for about a minute, stir, melt a little longer, stir until consistently fluid – like it would be good for dipping.  Don’t melt too long or it will actually harden!

Dip your cookies however you want.  I covered mine just half way because I think that’s fun;)  Place them on wire racks with parchment paper underneath to catch any drips.

Decorate with fun themed sprinkles and let them dry. I used Red Hots, Sprinkles and White Non-Pareils.  They actually take a good little while to dry, so walk away!  I have tried drying them in the freezer but that seems to put a ‘white’ sheen on the top that I don’t prefer.

And this is what my kids get to come home to this afternoon!  So fun!  I hung ‘Conversation Hearts’ from the lights over our kitchen table and my Happy Everything plate makes every holiday more cheerful!

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