With Valentine's Day here already, my kids have been excitedly checking the mailbox every day after school in hopes of Valentines from friends and loved ones. They've been dutifully making and sending their own Valentines too, and decorating our apartment with hearts, doilies and scratch and sniff cupcake stickers.

These Oooh LaLa Drinks are now a Valentine's Day staple in my house. They're ice cubes made with mint and raspberries and they are absolute palate pleasers. They also couldn't be easier to make. So if you're a bit of a procrastinator, fear not. These will add a special touch to any Valentines Day celebration. As the ice cubes melt, they add more raspberry-mint flavor to your water plus a wonderfully festive pink color! Happy Valentine’s Day!

These are super fun to make together and delicious to drink. Here’s what you’ll need:

1 pint of raspberries
A few sprigs of fresh mint
A heart-shaped ice tray
Fancy straws (we used paper straws that are biodegradable)

Here’s how to make Oooh LaLa Drinks:

1. Wash and smash your raspberries into a puree using the back of a spoon

2. Chop the fresh mint

3. Place the raspberry puree into some of the sections of your heart-shaped tray

4. Place the mint into the remaining sections and fill with water

5. Freeze overnight

6. Fill a glass with water

7. Add heart-shaped ice cubes and straw

Voila!

It worked!

I played around with the delicious recipe from Une Gamine Dans La Cuisine that I blogged about last week and the outcome is equally as yummy! I substituted orange zest and juice of an orange for lemon in the original recipe and also substituted fresh mint for fresh thyme (full recipe below). Voila: Orange Mint Olive Oil Cookies!

My family can barely wait for them to cool before gobbling them up. If you're looking to bring cookies to a New Years party, look no further - these tasty cookies have a delicate cookie texture and an interesting flavor that nicely balances sweet and salt. Thank you again to Une Gamine Dans La Cuisine - the original source of this inspiration!

ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons orange zest (about 1 navel orange) {note: save the orange for the juice}
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons finely minced mint
2/3 cup virgin olive oil
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 Tablespoon fresh orange juice

topping
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling

method
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar (1 cup) and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar until it's evenly moistened and aromatic; Set aside to marinate for a few minutes.

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and mint; Set aside.

Add the olive oil, egg, vanilla extract, and orange juice, to the orange-sugar mixture. Using the paddle attachment, beat on med-low speed until smooth. (About 3-5 minutes.) Add the dry ingredients and beat on med-low speed until just combined. Switch over to a large rubber spatula and use it to mix in any stray flour streaks. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Place the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar (for rolling) into a large, shallow bowl.

For each cookie, measure out about 2 well-rounded teaspoonfuls. Roll into balls and roll the balls through the bowl of sugar until evenly coated. {Note: Don't worry if the dough is a bit crumbly. If you work the balls of dough long enough with your palms, it will come together.} Place the sugar-coated cookies onto prepared sheets. Use the bottom of a glass or cup to flatten slightly.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will have puffed up slightly but will still look pale. (Mine were just right after 8 minutes.) Remove the cookies sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Recipe adapted from Mama's Gotta Bake