With January coming to an end, and the holidays wrapping up, we look on to the next big holiday: Valentine’s Day. Many couples love spending some one-on-one time together, while friends spend the day cherishing their friendship and families value the strong bond of love they have for one another.

With this love and joyous holiday right around the corner, it is about time to start thinking of great ideas to show your affection towards your close ones.

For all couples out there, the classic teddy bear, bouquet of roses and box of chocolates maybe too cliché; it is time to think about more creative ideas to convey your feelings. It is always a nice surprise to let your girlfriend or boyfriend know that they are on your mind, so surprise them, stick a complementary note in their purse, car or backpack. It is always a nice surprise to get a bouquet of balloons and to make them unique put some candies and inspirational words inside before you blow them up.

A fun way to celebrate the holiday with your family is to order in a pizza and have a family game night. Having a fun night with your family can help you appreciate the amount of love in your life. Papa Murphy’s offers a heart shaped pizza; a fun, crafty way to eat and a great reminder of this holiday.

For the individuals who are independent, it is nice to take a day for yourself or have some time to recognize your closest friends. A fun activity you could do together is making heart shaped red velvet whoopee pies.

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients
o    1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
o    ½ ounce milk chocolate chopped
o    ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
o    ½ cup sour cream
o    2 large eggs
o    1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
o    ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
o    1 tablespoon red food coloring
o    2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
o    1 cup granulated sugar
o    ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
o    2 teaspoons baking powder
o    ¼ teaspoon baking soda
o    ½ teaspoon salt

Filling Ingredients:
o    8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
o    3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
o    2 ½ confectioners’ sugar, sifted
o    1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped

Directions
1. Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the semisweet and milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, and whisk until the texture is smooth. Whisk the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring in a bowl until combined. In a seperate bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four equal batches, before you add the next batch, whisk completely. To follow, stir in the melted chocolate.

3. Scoop  tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets and smooth the tops with your damp finger. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies spring back when lightly pressed. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla seeds. Sandwich a heaping tablespoonful of filling between two cookies; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.