Whether you're a parent of a preschooler attending her first Valentine's Day party or a high schooler hoping to make a special treat for your school get-together, there are lots of fun and festive ideas to help you celebrate this day of love. Treat your kids to something special with one of these sugary confections for Valentine Day treats for school parties.
Chocolate-Dipped Oreos With Heart Sprinkles
For the chocolate lovers in the classroom, it's hard to improve on classic Oreos. However, a bath in melted milk chocolate and a few Valentine's sprinkles make these cookies the hit of the party.
Things You'll Need
To make enough cookies for each class member to have two, you'll need the following:
- About 60 Oreo cookies
- Two bags of chocolate chips
- Heart sprinkles
- Small sauce pan and spoon
- Cookie sheet with waxed paper spread on it
What to Do
- Melt the chocolate in the sauce pan over low heat, stirring constantly to keep it from burning. When the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat. You can put it back on if it starts to cool too much as you work.
- Working with one cookie at a time, dip the Oreo in the melted chocolate. Hold it over the pan for a moment to allow the excess to run off. Then transfer it to the cookie sheet. Repeat this process to coat all the cookies in chocolate.
- Decorate all the cookies with the Valentine's Day sprinkles.
- Put the cookies in the refrigerator to chill.
- To take the cookies to school, simply put them in a plastic container with waxed paper between the layers of cookies. Serve them on a plate with heart doilies.
Party Pretzel Chips
This tasty snack is fun and easy to make. The sprinkles and pink sugar give the pretzel chips a festive flair that's ideal for Valentine's Day.
Things You'll Need
To make a class-sized batch, you'll need the following:
- Large bag of pretzel chips, available at grocery stores
- Two large bars of white baking chocolate
- Pink sugar, multicolored sprinkles, or other fun decorations
- Small sauce pan and spoon
- Cookie sheet
- Waxed paper
What to Do
- Sort out the pretzel chips to make sure you're only using the whole ones.
- Spread waxed paper over the cookies sheet.
- Break the white chocolate into chunks and place in the sauce pan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Working quickly, dip the upper portion of each pretzel chip in the melted white chocolate and place it on the cookie sheet. Continue until you've coated all the chips in chocolate. Make sure you don't let any of the pretzel chips touch each other as they are cooling.
- Dust the cooling chips with pink sugar, sprinkles, or any other festive Valentine's decoration.
- Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator so the chocolate can continue to solidify. Send them to school in a doily-lined plastic container.
Jam-Filled Heart Cookies
Cookies are always a great choice for school parties since they are easy to transport. These jam-filled sweets are sure to hit the spot.
Things You'll Need
To make these cute treats, you'll need the following:
- Two sizes of heart-shaped cookie cutters
- Jar of raspberry or strawberry jam
- Powdered sugar
- Sifter
- Cookie sheet
What to Do
- Start by making your favorite roll-out sugar cookie recipe. Make them so they are only one-eighth of an inch thick, and cut the baking time in about half, watching them carefully to make sure they don't burn.
- Cut out six dozen hearts with the larger cookie cutter. Use the smaller cookie cutter to cut out hearts in the center of half of your batch of cookies.
- Lay out the solid heart cookies in rows on the cookie sheet.
- Place a teaspoon of jam on each cookie and spread to distribute it evenly.
- Top each bottom cookie with an open heart-shaped cookie. Press gently so the two cookies stick together.
- Sift powdered sugar over the top of all the cookies.
- To pack for school, simply arrange the cookies in a single layer in a large plastic container. You can use waxed paper between the layers to carry more cookies.
Celebration Popcorn
In this recipe, the popcorn is really just a vehicle for holding all the gooey goodness of white chocolate, marshmallows, sprinkles, and anything else you like. Consider adding conversation hearts for even more fun.
Things You'll Need
To make 30 servings of this popcorn, you'll need the following:
- 15 cups of plain, popped popcorn
- One large bar of white chocolate
- Marshmallows, sprinkles, candy, and any other fun additions
- Cooking spray
- Salt
- Large bowl or pan
- Small sauce pan
- Spoon for stirring
What to Do
- Spray the bowl or pan with cooking spray to keep the popcorn from sticking to the sides.
- Break the chocolate into chunks and place it in the small sauce pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. When the chocolate has melted, remove the pan from the heat.
- Dump marshmallows and any large pieces of candy in the bowl with the popcorn and mix well. Add the melted chocolate a little at a time, stirring the popcorn mixture to coat completely.
- Sprinkle with salt to taste and add multi-colored sprinkles, stirring well.
- Chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
- Send this tasty snack to school in a big plastic container. Send along a bunch of small paper cups in Valentine's colors for serving.
Brownies of Love
Everyone loves brownies, and they become even more lovable when drizzled with icing. Make these delicious snacks for your next school party.
Things You'll Need
To make enough brownies for a class of 30 kids, you'll need these items:
- Two 9x13 pans of brownies, made using a mix or according to your favorite brownie recipe
- Royal icing, made using any recipe you like
- Red food coloring
- Heart cookie cutter
- Cookies sheet
What to Do
- Cut all the brownies into heart shapes. To get the most out of each pan of brownies, cut the first row of hearts with the rounded side up and the cookie cutter pressed up against the edge of the pan. For the next row, turn the cookie cutter so the point of the heart is between the points of the first row of hearts. Continue alternating rows until you have cut out all the brownies.
- Add a few drops of red food coloring to the royal icing and mix well. Continue adding red coloring until you have the desired color of pink or red icing.
- Arrange the heart brownies on a cookie sheet. Use a spoon to drizzle the icing over the brownies. Allow the icing to dry.
- Pack the brownies for school in single layers in plastic containers.
Molded Chocolate Hearts
The secret to the cute heart shapes of these chocolates is a simple ice cube mold or candy mold. Heart-shaped silicone ice cube trays are easy to find at any department store, and they are perfect for Valentine's Day treats. You can find candy molds in this shape at your local craft store.
Things You'll Need
To make enough chocolates for a whole class, you'll need the following:
- Four bags of high quality chocolate chips
- Colored sprinkles or other decorations
- Heart-shaped mold
- Sauce pan and spoon
What to Do
- Distribute a few sprinkles into each section of the ice cube tray.
- Pour half a bag of chocolate chips into the sauce pan. Cook the chips on low heat, stirring constantly, until they are melted. Remove them from the heat right away.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the sections of the mold. Place the mold in the refrigerator to help it cool more quickly.
- When the chocolates are cool, pop them out onto a plate. Repeat the process with the next half a bag of chocolate chips, continuing until you have enough chocolates for the party.
- To take the chocolates to school, pack them carefully in a plastic container. Use waxed paper between layers to keep them from sticking together.
Gooey Graham Cracker Goodness
This fun recipe takes the traditional snack time treat and turns it up a notch with the addition of melted chocolate. A red icing heart reminds everyone that this is the holiday of love.
Things You'll Need
To make enough crackers for 30 kids, you'll need these things:
- 30 graham cracker squares
- One bag of chocolate chips
- Red icing
- Small sauce pan and spoon
- Cookie sheet
- Waxed paper
What to Do
- Spread waxed paper over the surface of the cookie sheet and arrange the graham cracker squares in a single layer.
- Over low heat, melt the chocolate chips. Stir constantly. When they are melted, immediately remove them from the heat.
- Use a spoon to spread a layer of chocolate over each cracker.
- Pipe a read heart on top of the chocolate layer and then put the crackers in the fridge to harden.
- When the chocolate is hard to the touch, put the crackers in a plastic container to take to school.
Heart-Shaped Donuts
With their comforting texture and scrumptious taste, donuts make a great treat for school parties. A few modifications can make them a festive addition to your Valentine's celebration.
Things You'll Need
To make heart-shaped donuts, you'll need the following:
- Your favorite easy glazed donut recipe and the supplies for it
- Powdered sugar
- Red sprinkles
- Heart cookie or donut cutter
What to Do
- Make the donuts according to the recipe, but add a few red sprinkles to the batter. These are just for color, so add as many or as few as you like.
- Instead of the traditional circle shape, cut your donuts in a heart shape. Cook and glaze as directed in the recipe.
- Sprinkle the donuts with powdered sugar and pack them in a single layer to send to school.
Chocolate-Dipped Heart Waffles
In this tasty treat, waffles go from breakfast to party with the addition of a little melted chocolate. You'll need a special heart-shaped waffle maker for this party food, but you can purchase one for under $30 on Amazon.
Things You'll Need
To make these decadent waffles, you'll need a few things:
- Heart waffle maker
- Your favorite waffle recipe and ingredients
- A great chocolate sauce recipe and ingredients
- Small crock pot
What to Do
- Make the waffles according to the recipe. You'll need at least one waffle for each child in the class.
- Make the chocolate sauce according to the directions in your favorite recipe. Transfer the sauce to a small crock pot so it can easily be reheated at school.
- Place the waffles in a plastic container for transporting to school. When it's time to serve them at the party, reheat the chocolate sauce and allow kids to dip waffles in the sauce.
Valentine's Cupcakes
A cupcake is a classic treat, and there are lots of fantastic ways to decorate these little delicacies for the holiday. From fresh raspberries on creamy white frosting to the word "love" scrolled across a smooth chocolate glaze, Valentine's cupcakes make a great choice for your next school party.
Don't Forget the Presentation
No matter which sweet treat you choose to bring to school for Valentine's Day, don't forget about the presentation. Use heart doilies, pink and red paper plates, and scattered heart-shaped candies to give your party food a sweet finishing touch.
