Last Minute Dessert

Well, it's here. Happy Valentine's Day! You ready for this? Gifts wrapped? Flowers being delivered? Dinner reservations made? Heath Bits Cheesecake made and seasoning in the fridge?

Nope? Well, you aren't totally out of luck. There's still time to impress your Valentine with a nice a homemade treat. And unlike the cheesecake, it doesn't need any time to "rest". In fact, it only needs approximately five minutes of your time. No joke. I mean, it's no cheesecake, but it's still a pretty rich chocolate treat, and it's homemade, which means it earns more points in my book than one of those boxes of truffles from the store (actually, that's not entirely true. I love me some Russell Stover's. But this time of year, those things are ridiculously overpriced. You best believe I'll be at the store this weekend though, hoping to score some of the heavily discounted loot).

So, here's a quick and easy recipe to impress your Valentine with today. And hey--even if you did pull out all the stops and arrange for flowers and jewelry and dinner and the whole nine yards, why not put the icing on the cake (no pun intended) with this five-minute Cake-in-a-Mug? I promise you'll have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now--and if you don't, well, then you should, because they are all pretty basic staples!

Five Minute Cake-in-a-Mug
(I think one of my college roommates gave this to me--it's brilliant!)

4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp chocolate chips
Splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Combine flour, sugar, and cocoa in mug; mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil; blend completely. Stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla. Microwave for approximately three minutes on high. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy!

I will say that one is generally enough to share with two people, especially after you load it up with ice cream and homemade chocolate topping. Plus it just looks prettier that way; let's be honest, baking something in a mug isn't going to win you any prizes for presentation.

Whether you like Valentine's Day or not, I hope you all have a great day and have someone in your life (be it a significant other, friend, or family member) to remind you that you are loved--today and always!