Valentines Day: Let’s Stay In… with a Double Chocolate Hot Fudge Stuffed Skillet Cookie for Two

Happy Valentines Day Eve lovelies!

Confession;  Cole and I kinda, sorta, don’t celebrate Valentines Day…

Okay I guess I should be a little more specific. When I say we don’t celebrate Valentines Day, I mean we don’t celebrate Valentines Day in the traditional sense. So we don’t buy each other gifts, we don’t go out for dinner, Cole doesn’t send singing men with flowers & chocolates to my place of work, we don’t write each other Valentines Day cards…. you get the gist.

You’re probably thinking we’re some kind of no fun, un-romantic, Valentines Day Grinch couple right? {eeeeps please don’t judge too harshly} I promise we aren’t Valentines Day haters!

It’s just that Cole and I have never really been allthat excited by all of the traditional Valentines Day festivities. Now at the risk of offending all of you readers who are die hard Valentines Day lovers, just hear me out as to why we like to do Valentines Day a little differently….

 

I’m probably coming off as someone, who is clearly holding on to some kind of Valentines Day grudge – Am I right? Yeah, that’s totally what you’re thinking… I can sense the tension in the room. So before you dismiss me and this post altogether, allow me to clear the air on this one…

Please let the record state that I was never a victim of any form of scarring Valentines Day circumstances…

Whew – now that we have cleared all that that up; Let me elaborate…

Cole and I don’t do the usual Valentines Day couple-y things. This is because we much prefer to inject random, spontaneous and romantic gestures in our relationship whenever we feel like being giddy little love birds throughout the year.

We kind of just feel like it means so much more to both of us when we do something sweet and completely unexpected for each other, just because we want to, rather than because we feel like we maybe have to for a specific day of the year.We like to think that we celebrate our own form of Valentines Day love struck shenanigans all year round instead.

However, that doesn’t mean that we still don’t celebrate our relationship on Valentines Day – It’s just that our festivities are what you would call a little bit different from the norm…

 

Now I know many couples just love their Valentines Day date nights out, but for Cole and I – the idea of making reservations at an expensive restaurant, only to be packed in like sardines next to a zillion other couples celebrating their Valentines, and hurried through a meal to get the next couple in as quickly as possible… it’s just not our style.

We are a simple kind of people; Laid back kind of people; People who enjoy the littlest of things. Spending a calm, intimate, cozy night, where we can really take the time to check in with each other, talk, laugh, eat, all the while just plain enjoying each others company in the comfort and privacy of our own home, is just so much more meaningful for us.

Now I know that every couple is different, and I am a big believer in doing what makes you and your significant other happy. That being said, I also don’t think couples should need to feel guilty about forgoing some of the more elaborate Valentines Day celebrations, in exchange for something a little more intimate.

That’s why I really wanted to write this post –  for any couple out there who feel the same as Cole and I do about a more laid back kind of Valentines Day celebration. I wanted to encourage you and your partner to try something a little different this time around. So I’m going to propose something that might sound a little crazy, but I’m going to throw it out there…..

Let’s all just stay in.

How are you feeling about this staying in for Valentines Day business? Strange? Intrigued? Bewildered? Excited?

I’m feeling pretty good about it. So if you’re still with me, and are looking for a little inspiration for your intimate Valentines Day date night in – Here are some suggestions to make this one your favourite Valentines Day together yet…

A “Let’s Stay In” Kind of Valentines Day

Order take out & take a field trip to pick it up together

Place an order for pizza, Indian, Chinese, Thai – whatever you are craving. Or, just head out for a field trip to the grocery store to pick up some fresh goodies to make a homemade dinner – something simple that the two of you can cook together.

Just remember there is no stress allowed on your Valentines Day date night in, so keep whatever you make reasonable for you. If you are a superstar home chef and want to go super fancy – go super fancy.

However, if you are not much of a cook, {there is nothing wrong with this} always remember that there is absolutely no shame in whipping up a pot of mac’n’cheese from a box. Sometimes there is nothing more delicious that a pot of that good stuff.

You get the idea – Just order /cook /eat what makes the two of you most happy.

This year, I’m really loving the idea of my Maple Cream Cheese, Bacon & Caramelized Apple Flat Breads  for Cole and I’s Valentines Day Dinner. They are super quick and easy to make and oh so yummy. You’re sure to impress your Valentine with this one 😉

Cuddle up on the couch together with said take out…

That’s right – we’re breaking allllll the rules this Valentines Day.

Skip the plates, {because who wants to do dishes anyways}, grab a fork, sit your kiester down on the couch, and just eat straight from your take out boxes.

Do it! I mean come on, society forces us to eat at a dinner table every other day of the week, so why not embrace this opportunity to just be super rebel and eat on the couch this Valentines Day? There is just something so spectacular about eating on the couch when this is not your normal habit, so I say enjoy it.

Ditch your diet in the name of Valentines Day…

That’s right ladies {and gents} – I said ditch it. We’re going all in here.

Listen, I try my best to keep my diet on track as much as possible on a daily basis, so I know that it’s sometimes really hard to let go of that mindset – even if it is for a special occasion; However, I am also a big believer in balance. Not to mention, there are few things that make Cole happier in life than when I actually let go of my diet restrictions for a day.

Valentines Day comes but once a year, so I propose that for just this one night, we all pledge to not worry about our diets, so that we can really embrace our celebration of the occasion through some yummy food.

Take a walk around your neighborhood…

Put a coat on if it’s cold, bring an umbrella if it’s raining, throw on some comfy shoes and grab your hunny’s hand, because you can’t skip this one…. {okay you could but we really hope you don’t 😉 }

Cole and I just love going for little neighbourhood strolls together. We just find that it is such a great way for us to get out of the house, and re-focus our minds with a little exercise, minus the distraction of our smartphones, so that we can really be present in the moment with each other.

These simple little strolls are truly where we have our best chats about everything that we are experiencing, feeling and hoping for in our lives and  relationship.

Make a chocolatey homemade dessert – together…

After all, what would Valentines Day be without a chocolate right? Yes… lots and lots of chocolate 😀

Now if you don’t already have something in mind, my recipe for this Double Chocolate Hot Fudge Stuffed Skillet Cookie is probably the most simple and delicious recipe you could ever hope for on Valentines Day. Not to mention it is such a fun recipe for the two of you to whip up together {bonus couple-y behaviour brownie points!}

Seriously, this Double Chocolate Hot Fudge Stuffed Skillet Cookie will literally take the two of you 5 minutes to whip up and you can do your clean up while it is baking in the oven. But don’t let the simplicity of this recipe fool you, because this skillet cookie is seriously da’ bomb.

Just imagine if a brownie, a cookie and a hot fudge sundae had a baby…. yeah….that’s what this skillet cookie is. Droooool.

I promise, no matter what your baking skill level is,  you can make this skillet cookie without any kind of risk of it flopping on you. This cookie is fail-proof, and you are going to want to lick the skillet clean – it’s seriously sooo good.

Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the recipe… 

Take your scrumptious dessert in hand & resume your positions on the couch…

So once you have removed your incredible skillet cookie from the oven and allowed it to cool for just a few minutes – Plop a very large scoop of vanilla ice cream right in the middle of the cookie while it is still warm –  so that it gets all melty and delicious.

Once again skip the bowls, cuddle up on the couch with your irresistible dessert in hand, a couple of spoons, dig straight into that skillet of fudgy, chocoaltey, cookie, ice cream sundae deliciousness, and just enjoy that homemade goodness.

Keeping in mind that we are ditching our diets for the night, so eat as much of that chocolatey goodness as you want – Heck, polish off the whole cake if you want to. Because you know what, it’s Valentines Day and we only live once. So you just eat that cookie until your little heart is content.

Stay up late talking…

Now I know this might sound a little silly-town, but for those of you in long-term relationships, remember when you first started dating your partner, and you would spend hours just talking about anything and everything into the morning hours either face to face or on the phone? Remember how fun and good that felt? Newly dating? Keep the tradition alive and keep talking!

Cole and I did this allll the time when we first started dating. It was the best feeling to just talk about nothing and everything for hours on end. But I would be completely lying if I said that these late night talks haven’t dwindled as our relationship progressed?

So we say let’s be giddy little love birds together and re-kindle that late night magic by re-creating one of those early relationship chats this Valentines Day.

So there are my tips for a perfect Valentines Day night in. Are you still with me?

I know these might seem super simple; maybe they seem a little lackluster to you and they are not your style at all – and that’s totally okay. We just wanted to put our Valentines Day point of view out there and throw something different on the table for couples who are like-minded and who are looking for something new to try this Valentines Day.

We wanted to share this because the nights where Cole and I have “stayed in” are where we hold some of our most precious memories as a couple. So we only hope that maybe you can create some of your own memories in this same way too.

We hope you enjoyed this post & we wish you all a Happy Valentines Day <3

Oh and I must not forget…  here is the recipe for the Double Chocolate Hot Fudge Stuffed Skilled Cookie lovelies …

KP xoxo

Double Chocolate Hot Fudge Stuffed Skillet Cookie for Two

Things you need…
1/2 cup of butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp espresso powder or instant coffee granules
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cornstarch {if you have it on hand – skip this one if you don’t}
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup hot fudge sauce {store bought is totally fine}

How to make…
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees; grease a 6 inch cask iron skillet with butter – set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of your bowl, and then add in the egg and vanilla; again creaming until fluffy.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, cornstarch and salt until combined. Pour into the wet ingredients and beat on low until combined. Add in all of you chocolate chips and beat again until evenly distributed and combined.

Place about 1 heaping cup of the dough into the bottom of your greased skillet, and gently press down with your fingers to the outer edges, forming a bit of an indent in the center for the hot fudge sauce. Spoon the hot fudge sauce into the indent and spread with a spoon over the base of the cookie dough, leaving about a one inch cookie dough boarder around the edge.

Place about another 3/4 cup of the cookie dough on top and gently press out to the edges to flaten and to cover the hot fudge sauce.

Sprinkle the top of your skillet cookie with a bit of granulated sugar and place in the oven to bake for about 15-20 minutes or until it has puffed up, the edges are a bit firm and there are a few gooey cracks in the cookie.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Top with ice cream, and additional hot fudge and caramel sauce if desired and DIG IN!