St. Valentine’s Heart Cookies, Creamed Corn

DEAR SOS: I’d love to surprise my sweetheart with Mrs. Fields’ St. Valentine’s cookie hearts. Any chance you can come up with a recipe?

--FLORA

DEAR FLORA: You’re in luck--Mrs. Fields included the recipe in her “Mrs. Fields Cookie Book” (Time-Life Books Inc.).

MRS. FIELDS’ CHOCOLATE CREAM-FILLED HEARTS 1 1/2 cups butter, softened 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 4 teaspoons vanilla 3 cups flour Chocolate Cream Filling

Cream butter in medium bowl with electric mixer set at medium speed. Add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and mix until creamy. Scrape bowl. Add flour and mix at low speed until thoroughly mixed.

Gather dough into 2 balls and flatten to disks. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap or place in airtight plastic food bag. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

Using floured rolling pin, roll dough onto floured board to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out 2-inch hearts with cookie cutters. Continue using dough scraps, re-rolling and re-cutting until all dough is used. Be careful not to overwork dough.

Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet, 1/2 inch apart. Bake at 325 degrees 16 to 18 minutes or until firm. Transfer to cool, flat surface with spatula.

Spread 1 teaspoon Chocolate Cream Filling on bottom side of half the baked cookies. Top frosted cookies with bottom side of remaining cookies, forming sandwiches. If desired, sift more powdered sugar over finished cookies. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Each serving contains about: 167 calories; 95 mg sodium; 30 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.03 gram fiber.

Chocolate Cream Filling 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

Scald cream in small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate pieces. Cover 15 minutes. Stir chocolate cream until smooth, then transfer to small bowl. Set filling aside and let cool to room temperature.

DEAR SOS: Would it be possible for you to repeat the recipe for the creamed corn served at Gulliver’s restaurant chain in Southern California? It’s wonderful.

--FLORENCE

DEAR FLORENCE: Other creamed-corn lovers agree.

GULLIVER’S CREAMED CORN 8 ears corn 1 cup whipping cream 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon sugar Butter or margarine 2 teaspoons flour Grated Parmesan cheese

Cut corn from cob and place in saucepan with whipping cream. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in salt and sugar. Melt 2 teaspoons butter in small saucepan and stir in flour. Do not brown.

Stir butter-flour roux into corn and cook until slightly thickened. Turn corn into oven-proof dish, sprinkle with cheese and dot with butter. Brown under broiler. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Each serving contains about: 194 calories; 624 mg sodium; 44 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.63 gram fiber.

DEAR SOS: Do you have a recipe for fortune cookies? I had a recipe from your paper but lost track of it.

--SARAH

DEAR SARAH: Here’s a recipe we’ve run before. The trick of twisting the cookies is to keep the cookie warm while folding.

CHINESE FORTUNE COOKIES 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 eggs 1 cup sifted flour 5 dozen paper fortunes

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Blend in vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour. Drop 6 rounded teaspoons dough at least 2 inches apart on greased and floured baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges are well browned.

Remove from oven. Loosen cookies carefully with wide spatula, keeping pan warm. Gently fold each cookie in half, wrapping paper fortunes inside and keeping top of cookies on outside. Pinch points together. Cool. Makes 5 dozen.

Each serving contains about: 61 calories; 29 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.01 gram fiber.