I’m a sucker for it. My mom and I share a deep love for all holidays and while it’s hard to choose one favorite, we have a favorite aspect of each holiday. And no two are alike! And mind you – I’m talking about the secular aspect of things. I’m all about the meanings behind the holidays but this is more about the surface and retail things. Like Halloween has the best atmosphere, and Christmas has the best spirit. Easter has the best candy, by far, and Valentine’s Day is the prettiest. I love red, pink and white and I love eating heart-shaped foods. Somehow things always taste better when they’re heart-shaped.

Mini Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cream Cheese Danishes:

Yields 8

What You Need:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder*
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 -1/4 cup flour (for work surface)
1 cup strawberries, diced
17.3 ounce package puff pastry, thawed
½ cup chocolate chips
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

What You Do:

1 – First, prepare baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2 – In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, and cocoa until light and fluffy

3 – Next, flour work surface and unfold the puff pastry

4 – Using your fingertips, gently seal the creased lines; use a rolling pin, carefully, if necessary

5 – Use a 3” cookie cutter to cut out 9 hearts

6 – Repeat steps 4-6 with the remaining sheet of puff pastry

7 – Then, place hearts onto baking sheet

8 – Using a sharp knife, gently score a heart shape about ¼ inch inside each puff pastry heart

9 – Using a fork, poke inside each each of the hearts twice

10 – Then, in a small bowl, mix together egg and water until combined

11 – Brush the border of each heart with egg mixture

12 – Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven

13 – Next, using a fork, poke the inside heart around the border

14 – Spread cream cheese mixture into each heart, keeping inside the border (Use a piping bag for less mess)

15 – Then, place some diced strawberries onto each pastry

16 – Next, bake for 4 minutes or until golden brown and allow to cool on pan for 5 minutes

17 – Lastly, melt chocolate chips and drizzle over danishes

These are dreamy, right? That’s because there’s a lot of love (and chocolate) that goes into them. They’re super delicious and bite-sized and make a wonderful part of your Valentine breakfast (in bed, maybe!) or Valentine party!