Recipe (2!): Equine Valentines and Human Treats, too

In the DC area, we awoke this morning to a very thick blanket of snow. If you’re a Capital Cowgirl recipe aficionado, you know that snow means baking…

I’ve been prepping for Valentine’s Day. When I was a teenager, I joked that I would take my horse to prom. A horse can be a Valentine, right??

Mud, fur, and pure love!

 

My husband feels left out if I bake for the four-legged members of our family and not him. Today I made two recipes for two species featuring one ingredient: Hot Tamales.

Horse Treats: Nickerdoodles

• 1 Apple
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 9 Hot Tamales cinnamon candies

Equine Valentine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin. Slice the Hot Tamale candies in half lengthwise. (Trust me on this. It is a pain to halve these and the candies roll around, but using them whole does not work. Slice. Carefully.) Quarter the apple. Place the oats and apple chunks into a high-speed blender (I used Vitamix) or a food processor and blend to a doughy consistency. Scoop spoonfuls into the muffin tin. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and press one-half of a cinnamon candy firmly into the middle of the dough. Press the other half overlapping at the bottom to form a heart shape. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Tamale Heart Layout

Human Treats: SaS (Sugar and Spice) Sandwiches

• Sugar Cookie Dough (Feel free to use your own favorite recipe, but I used Krusteaz brand boxed mix. I work full-time, I’m in graduate school part time, I ride my horse and make healthy filling dinners every single night. I am not above using shortcuts!)
• 18 Hot Tamales cinnamon candies
• Ice Cream of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the candies in half lengthwise. Prepare the dough. Make “patties” 2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick and place on slightly greased cookie sheet. Place one half of a hot tamale in the center, and overlay the bottom of the other to form a heart shape. Press into the dough. Bake for 14 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Once cool, spread the ice cream on one cookie, place the other on top and squeeze. I used Edy’s Slow-Churned and a butter knife to scoop and spread. If the ice cream oozes beyond the edge of the cookies, run the knife around the perimeter to keep it contained. Place immediately in the freezer as you finish the remaining sandwiches.

SaS Sandwiches

Whatever the object of your affection, show how much you care tomorrow. A little thought goes a long way. These Hot Tamale treats are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. From the Capital Cowgirl Kitchen to yours, Happy Valentine’s Day!