Dorm dating is about as romantic as sharing a tub of grease-slicked spaghetti in the dining hall, Lady and the Tramp style. Sure, it can be cute, but more often, it’s messy and, well, awkward — particularly the first date.
Especially if that first date takes place on campus on Valentine’s Day.
The holiday adds a strange sort of pressure, encouraging you two to hit it off. Cupid can be worse than a nagging mother that way.
So why not celebrate being single? I know, I know — it sounds like a lame way to justify being alone on the Hallmark holiday, but seriously, it cuts out all the tension that a casual date would bring.
For most of my life, Valentine’s Day means Girls’ Night In, where we bust out the cookie dough, horrendously cheesy chick flicks (I will always love How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), dance to saccharine-synthed pop tunes and indulge in letting loose. There’s no mourning over the state of our dating lives — it’s all about having fun and being unabashedly geeky.
Naturally, such a night needs an equally (self-) indulgent treat: cookie cake. I don’t care who you are — one slice of this gooey, chocolate-speckled goodness will make your night complete. For reals.
Oh, and frosting it with an ego-inflating message doesn’t hurt, either.
Kitchen gadgets needed: baking sheet (heart-shaped optional), cooking spray, oven, oven mitts
Ingredients:
Tube of chocolate chip cookie dough (yes, I’m fully aware what a cop out this is — relish it)
Cream cheese frosting:
(Recipe from the delightful folks at Slashfood)
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
9-10 drops red food coloring
Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and mold the dough into the shape of a heart on the baking sheet. Cook it for about 8-10 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden.
2. Let the massive cookie cool for about 20 minutes. As it does, beat the cream cheese, vanilla and butter together. Then gradually beat in the powdered sugar.
3. Once it’s combined, stir in the food coloring. Add in additional drops until it’s the color you want.
4. Spoon the icing into a resealable bag, cutting off one of the corners. Decorate it with whatever message you wish (We recommend something snarky, like “us > you.”)