Welcome back to The Cookie Elf File … and to easy cookie recipes! About once a week, The Elf sends you cookie recipes, cookie trivia and simple baking tips to give you easy ways to bake homemade cookies.

February is the month of love and National Cherry Month. Check out today’s feature recipe – an easy way to bake for Valentine’s Day!!

Bake Some Love

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Feature: Chocolate Cherry Brownies - The Mix Makes It Easy to Bake for Your Valentine

Image: The Cookie Elf

And like a brownie, the bars are a cross between a slice of cake and a cookie.

It’s the cake mix base that makes putting together the recipe easy, saving you steps. Plus, you can mix the frosting in just a few minutes while the bars are baking and spread it on the bars as soon as they come out of the oven, further streamlining the recipe.

It’s easy to see why these bars were a favorite recipe from the iconic Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest #25 in 1974.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Bake time: 20-30 minutes
Cooling time: 90 minutes-2 hours
Makes 48 bars

Get the full recipe for Chocolate Cherry Brownies – and be sure to check out other Brownie Recipes on The Elf’s Pinterest board.

Look What You Can Do With This FREE Brownie Mix – Just Use This Code

Our friends at Prepared Pantry have some easy step by step directions for making brownie pops. It's a perfect winter day indoor activity!

Check out the instructions here.

You can make brownie pops in as little as 15 minutes. Simply roll the brownies into a ball, insert sticks, and dip them in chocolate.

Or make square brownies on a stick. Bake the brownies, cut them, insert the sticks and then freeze. Afterwards, dip the brownies in melted chocolate or frosting. (Freezing makes them hold together while dipping.) Then thaw to serve.

It’s a fun activity to do with the kids.

PLUS … Prepared Pantry will give you a brownie mix for FREE when you add the code ZBRN at checkout.

Browse more of The Prepared Pantry’s weekly sales, too. Here are this week’s specials. Have fun checking them out!

Cookie Baking Tip: Cake Mixes for Cookies – Is It Cheating?

Image: The Cookie Elf

See more helpful cookie baking tips on The Elf’s Baking Tips Pinterest Board .

Fun Ways to Bake with Love

Valentine cookie cutters! From R & M and others	Valentine cookie stamps, cookie press disks, cookie making sets from Wilton and others. Love!	Valentine sprinkles, nonpareils, and decos, oh my!

More Easy Cake Mix Cookie Recipes to Make for Your Valentine

Happy baking,