Treat #1: Valentine’s Day/ Heart Shaped Cupcakes: 

The narrator was inspired to make delicious and heart shaped Valentine’s Day cupcakes while she was at the Target of Boardman. While running errands for her mom, she happened to see a simple, yet delicious ingredient that caught her eye. 

After seeing bright pink and festive “Valentines Day” cake frosting she had thought to herself “Next paycheck, when I have the money, It would be so fun to make some Valentine’s Day cupcakes.” On that Thursday, she decided to invite her best friend to go to the store after school to purchase the rest of the baking supplies and ingredients necessary. They also had planned on baking them afterwards together at her house!

The first thing they did was go to all the stores necessary. Together, they went to their local Dollar Tree and Giant Eagle to get some ingredients and the products needed in order to be prepared.

Step by Step Tutorial in order to begin baking The Heart Shaped Cupcakes: 

The first step in order to make these delicious cupcakes successfully is to make sure the maker of the cupcakes has all the ingredients and supplies they need. If the baker does not have the supplies listed above, be sure to stop at the stores and follow the instructions above. Once all the ingredients are purchased, and you are near a working oven it is time to bake. 

The first step of the baking process would be to you wash your hands. It is very important to stay cleaned and organized while baking. Additionally, it is important to clear out your space for everything.

Secondly, make sure to set all of your ingredients out in order to have them at reach. It would be wise to arrange them all in the spots necessary and all in one place. Below is a picture provided as an example of how your ingredients and supplies should be set up: 

The next step would be to preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

While you are waiting for the oven, it would be smart and more time efficient to complete the next following steps as you go, so you aren’t bored while waiting for the oven and so you don’t forget about it.

The fourth step is to get a large bowl and to start putting the ingredients necessary into it. The ingredients that need mixed in are: The cake mix, water, oil, and eggs. No specific order is necessary. However, it is recommended to start with the cake mix and continue with the other ingredients to follow. 

The fifth step would be to mix these ingredients with either a mixer or wisk. Typically, this will take about 15 minutes to complete. If it makes the process easier or feels necessary feel free to set a timer on an iPhone or other mobile device to track the time consumed  in order to complete the mixing process. However, for this process before finishing, it is very important to be sure the batter looks good before completing and continuing onto the next step.

Once the batter is looking right, be sure to carefully fill the batter into each cupcake shaped spot into the tins. A mistake the narrator and her best friend made was filling the heart shape tins too high and that resulted in the cupcakes to turn out the same shape (into cylinders instead of hearts). As soon as the tins are all filled with batter, The oven should be preheated by the time these steps are completed. If the oven is not ready yet, be sure to wait until it is ready for the cupcakes. 

Once the oven is ready,  it would be the necessary time to put your cooking/ oven gloves on in order to protect your hands. Then, after completing that important step, it would be the correct time to proceed and place the trays on the racks stored inside of the oven. 

Once the cupcake trays are placed inside the oven,  it would be the exact time and place to close the oven door as soon as possible and to set an alarm. Most ovens have an alarm, however Some ovens don’t. If your oven doesn’t have an alarm it is recommended to set an alarm on a phone or another mobile device to track the progress. The time recommended for the cookies in this recipe was written on the back of the box on the cupcake mix. It reads 10-15 minute bake time. Lastly, be sure to stick a fork into one of the cupcakes to check if they are ready to be taken out of the oven. 

Once they are ready to be taken out, take cupcakes out to let them cool. Typically, people tend to let them cool on the counter above the stove for about 30 minutes to an hour! 

Optional- Frost them, Once cupcakes are cooled for about 30 minutes to an hour, now is the time to put frosting on them. All you need to do for this step is get a knife out of your utensils drawer and dip it in the frosting tin. Then, spread the frosting at the amount you prefer to each cupcake. 

Optional- Another optional step would to be to organize them into different bags and containers! Some choose to share them with their friends and family, and others eat them all at home! 

Then, you are finished!! Enjoy your cupcakes!