Sweets for the Sweet:"Love Letters"

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought for the next few days I would feature some sweet treats. Some old, some new, all delectable and all destined to make your holiday just a little...sweeter!

I posted about the "Brownies of My Dreams" (above) not too long ago, they are rich and decadent and perfect when eaten warm with maybe a fresh strawberry and a dollop of whipped cream. Yummy-yum!

Today, I tried a new recipe, from a very old book. My grandmother gives these books to each granddaughter who gets married. It's such a neat book, with recipes from the 1920's through the 60's. There are standards like sugar cookies and chocolate chip, and also the old-fashioned versions that are a little more time consuming or call for ingredients we don't use so often anymore. There are cookies filled with jam, citrus zest or folded into intricate patterns. It's a treasure, I enjoy just flipping through it and I always make something new from this book at Christmas.

I saw this recipe and thought I would give it a try. "Love Letters."

I halved the recipe above, used only orange zest, added a little vanilla and a drop or two of food coloring and used mini m&m's instead of candied cherry.

Cute little envelopes, folded and sealed with a sweet bite of chocolate...or a kiss. The orange zest makes this cookie bright, fragrant and fresh and the sour cream adds a little creaminess. They aren't super sweet, so they're the perfect bite with a cup of hot, black tea.

These are simple to make, mix dry ingredients as described above. Then cut in the cold butter with a fork and knife or a pastry cutter. It should look crumbly.

Add the sour cream and dab of food coloring if you want, mix well, roll into a ball and CHILL IN THE REFRIGERATOR FOR ABOUT 30 minutes. Believe me, this step will make your life easier!

After chilling, roll out the dough on a well floured surface. I used a pizza cutter to cut strips then a spatula to lop off the corners. Fold points in and seal with a small piece of candy.

Bake about 6 minutes at 400 F. Enjoy!