Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than by creating a memorable mess in the kitchen with your little ones, by baking delicious themed treats that are sweeter because they helped.

These two kid-friendly treats are both interactive, delicious, and semi-healthy? Can a cookie be healthy? One of these cookies is topped with fresh fruit of your choice so let’s call it, healthy-ish.

First up we have mini fruit pizzas.

My memories of fruit pizzas go WAY back. I vividly remember my aunt and uncle bringing ingredients and the activity for fruit pizzas to one of our family gatherings at my grandparents home. 

All you have to do is make a classic sugar cookie, following any recipe of your choosing, and use heart shaped cookie cutters to make them Valentine themed.

Wash and prep fresh fruit for toppings and make this simple cream cheese frosting that you will use as the glue that holds the fruit on the cookie. 

After the cookies have cooled, fill a jar with icing and provide a small spatula or butter knife for the kids to spread the icing on their cookies. You may have to assist with this part. 

On a platter, arrange the fruit options that will serve as the toppings for their individual cookie pizzas and let them create.

The next Valentine themed cookie is a play on a classic thumbprint cookie. This recipe is vegan and gluten free too.

Instead of pressing a thumb into the center of the dough balls as you normally would for the classic version, you will help your little one use the side of thumb to press into the dough ball twice to form a heart. 

No two hearts are equal but that is the beauty of these personalized heart prints.

You can fill the hearts with a jam flavor of your choice. We usually have the organic strawberry preserves from Costco on hand. It has basic ingredients and is free from high fructose corn syrup.

Baking with kids can be an opportunity to bond and laugh with your little one. It isn’t just about the final product; it’s about the shared moments, the laughter, and the love that goes into making the special treats.

So, gather your ingredients, embrace the joyous mess, and enjoy creating sweet memories that will last far beyond the heart shaped bites.

Take HEART & bake, for Haven’s Sake.