The heart-shaped cheesecake appears everywhere come Valentine’s Day. You’ll pay upwards of $50 in some cases for this little dessert. But you can spend just a few dollars at the grocery store for some ingredients and spend the remaining cash on a gift instead.

Kids can help bake the Valentine’s Day cheesecake every year. It can become a new tradition. It’s an easy enough recipe that doesn’t have complicated steps. But, depending on their ages, you may still want to supervise the activity.

Here’s a recipe from bellaonline.com for a delightful heart-shaped cheesecake.

Heart Shaped Cheesecake Recipe (courtesy of bellaonline.com)

Guest Author - Brandii Lacey

This fun Valentine’s Day treat is simple enough for kids of all ages to help prepare. From crushing the graham crackers into tiny crumbs to pouring the warm topping over the finished product, this cheesecake recipe has something for everyone!

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces of cream cheese, softened

• 2 large eggs

• ½ cup of sugar

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• Strawberry pie filling

• 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

• 4 tablespoons of butter

• 1 heart shaped baking pan (if you don’t have this, simply use a regular baking dish and after the cheesecake cools, you can use a heart shaped cookie cutter).

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray the heart shaped baking pan with a non stick cooking spray.

3. Crush the graham cracker crumbs in a sealed plastic bag, and pour into
a bowl.

4. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add it to the crushed graham cracker crumbs. Mix well.

5. Spread the crumb mixture in the heart shaped pan.

6. In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

7. Pour cheesecake mixture into the pan and bake for thirty minutes.

8. Heat the pie filling in a small sauce pan.

9. After the cheesecake cools completely, top with strawberry pie filling.

10. Place any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Tips for the recipe:

If you don’t have a heart shaped pan, simply use a regular baking dish. After the cheesecake has cooked, let it cool, and then place in the refrigerator for an hour or two. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to make individual heart shaped cheesecakes. You can also use the end of a spoon to carve your own heart shapes.

This recipe can easily be adapted to a finger friendly treat! Instead of pouring the graham cracker crumb mixture into the heart shaped pan, spread a little bit of the mixture into a mini muffin pan. Divide the cheesecake mixture into each of the muffin sections, and bake for twenty five minutes, or until cooked through. Let cool completely, and then store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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For heart-shaped cookies, you can take the easy way and use store bought sugar cookie dough. Roll out the dough and cut with heart-shaped cookie cutters. Decorate with a simple royal icing frosting or your favorite store bought flavor and sprinkle with red dusting sugar.

- Mexican Food - Accent with rich orange, yellow, red and green colors.  Terra Cotta pots could hold fresh flowers.  Use Chili Peppers to accent your dinner table.

- Asian Food - Cherry Blossom Accents add a romantic touch to your dinner.

- Italian Food - Grape vines set a mood for your Italian dinner.  Wine and Cheese are also a great choice.  Play authentic Italian music in the background.

If you're not the best cook, you could always order take-out and sill serve it on your table for 2.

For dessert anything heart-shaped will do!  How about a heart-shaped cheese cake? Our two pound cheese cake says "Happy Valentine's Day on top and is garnished with a Red Marzipan Rose. The Chocolate fudge and Raspberry Swirl cheesecake features a chocolate cookie crust, while the NY style has a classic graham cracker crust.