This is a sponsored by Pocky. The opinions and text are all mine.
Do you love crafting? Are you always trying to find the next adorable DIY project? Cool. Me too. It’s not even my fault though. This need to create was passed down from my mom, the queen of the #craftlife.
Knitting, beading, bedazzling – you name it, she did it. But my favorite craft sessions were always the ones that included baking (surprise, surprise). And Valentine’s Day always seems to included some kind of sweet treat!
So this year, in honor of all my crafting lovers out there, I made some DIY Cupid Brownies. The best part about these guys, you don’t have to be a baking super star to pull these off. A simple, but decadent, brownie recipe, an easy American buttercream, and a totally edible Strawberry Pocky arrow.
I like using Pocky Sticks because…
1. They are delicious
2. They are adorable (and these ones are PINK!)
3. They make the entire sweet treat edible (instead of using toothpicks or lollipop sticks)
If you have never used Pocky before, they are pretty much at every grocery store in the Asian aisle.
So whether you are making Valentine’s Day treats for the kids to bring to school, for your loved ones, or for you to eat while you sit in front of the TV binge watching Netflix, it’s time to get your DIY on!
CUPID BROWNIES
Ingredients
BROWNIES
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2" heart cookie cutter
BUTTERCREAM
- 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 1 lb powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pink food coloring
CUPID'S ARROW
- Strawberry Pocky Sticks
- Gummy Hearts
- Candy Hearts
- Toothpick
- Piping bag
- Star piping tip
Instructions
BROWNIES
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 12x12 pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine melted butter, oil and sugar on medium speed. Whisk until fully combined, about 1- 2 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until full combined, about 1 minute.
- Fold in dry ingredients until just combined.
- Place batter in prepared pan. Smooth into an even layer with a knife or offset spatula.
- Bake for 25-38 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.
- Once brownies are cool, take them out of the pan and place in the fridge for one hour. (This makes it much easier to cut into shapes!)
- Use cookie cutter to make hearts.
BUTTERCREAM
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, cream butter until it is soft and smooth.
- Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.
- Add a few drops of pink food coloring. Mix until you get desired color.
CUPID'S ARROW
- Prepare a piping bag with a star tip. Frost brownies as desired.
- Divide Strawberry Pocky in half.
- Use scissors to cut gummy heart half-way down. Use toothpick to make a hole in the bottom of the gummy heart and place bottom half of the Pocky stick into it.
- Use icing to attach candy heart to the top of the Pocky stick.
- Place sticks into each side of the brownie heart.
