From chocolate to more chocolate, we’re sharing 3 awesome food ideas for V-Day (beginner-friendly, intermediate, and Iron Chef: America).
Valentine’s Day isn’t just about loving people — some of the best ideas that people consider when planning how to celebrate the popular month of love are centered on the love for food, especially sweets! But, let’s face it, not all of us are the best chefs or bakers in the kitchen. Some of us can barely make a bowl of cereal to eat in the morning without breaking an arm or leg.
So, for those who are less-than-skilled in the kitchen, the first recipe is beginner-friendly. But, don’t worry, we’ve got increasingly advanced recipes so there’s a little something for everyone.
Recipe #1(Beginner-Friendly): Mixin' in the Love Chex Mix
Strawberry Valentine Chex Mix is easy and fun to make (takes only 10 minutes) and it’s perfectly festive for Valentine’s Day! Tip: Get strawberry flavored melting chocolates from craft stores like Joann for a great taste, easy melt, and lovely festive color. Check out the ingredients and recipe below:
☑ 4-6 cups Rice Chex cereal
☑ 1 8- oz bag Strawberry Candy Melts OR
☑ 1 bag of white chocolate baking chips {12 oz}
☑ 1 box of Strawberry Creme Jell-O Pudding** {pudding NOT gelatin!}
☑ Valentines M&M’s and/or Sprinkles
Measure out Chex cereal into a large bowl. Note: if you’re using the Strawberry Candy Melts, you’ll use 4 cups of cereal. If you’re using the white chocolate chips + pudding mix, you’ll use 6 cups of cereal.
Pour chocolate into a small glass dish. Add 1/2 tsp shortening, if desired, to help the chocolate coat the cereal easier. Microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds. Let sit in the microwave for 3 minutes. Remove and gently stir. If chocolate loves its shape and looks smooth, it’s done. If not, return to the microwave in 15 second increments, letting it sit for 2-3 minutes each time, until melted and smooth.
If you used White Chocolate Chips + Pudding Mix: Add 4 TBSP of the strawberry creme pudding into the white chocolate and stir gently until smooth. Add 2 drops of red food coloring, if desired.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the Chex cereal and stir gently to coat.
Transfer cereal mixture to a large piece of wax paper. Sprinkle with M&M’s and Valentines sprinkles, if desired. Let cool to set. Break pieces and store in an airtight container to save. Candy can be made up to 3-4 days ahead, if desired. It saves well!
This recipe makes plenty to share, but if you want to eat the whole mix, we encourage that, too.
Recipe #2:Crepes & Romance (Intermediate Level)
Nothing does a better job representing Valentine’s Day quite like chocolate strawberry crêpes with a cream-cheese strawberry filling and chocolate syrup. We’re hungry just reading that out loud. It’s a bit more advanced than the previous recipe, taking 30-40 minutes to prep and cook. It serves 2, so you can eat one for yourself and feed the other one to… yourself (at least that’s what some of us will be doing). Take a look below for the ingredients and recipe:
☑ 3 oz. Frozen Whole Strawberries (thawed)
☑ 4 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
☑ 5 Cocoa Powder
☑ 4½ oz. Flour
☑ 4 fl. oz. Liquid Egg
☑ 16 fl. oz. Whole Milk
☑ 1 oz. Light Brown Sugar
☑ 3 oz. Strawberry Preserves
☑ 1 Powdered Sugar
☑ 2 fl. oz. Chocolate Syrup
In a medium bowl, whisk cocoa powder and flour together. Add liquid egg, milk and half the brown sugar to bowl and whisk together until batter is smooth with no lumps. (same consistency as pancake batter.) Crepes will be measured with a ¼ cup.
Quarter thawed strawberries, reserving juice.
For filling, combine strawberry preserves and cream cheese in a small bowl and mix thoroughly and set aside in refrigerator.
Heat a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat coated lightly with cooking spray. Add enough batter to coat the bottom of pan, and cook for about 30 seconds, or until it can be easily flipped with a spatula. Flip and cook an additional 10 seconds, transfer to a plate, and cover with an inverted plate.
Place a spoonful of filling in crêpe and spread to cover almost entire surface. Fold in half, then in half again to make quarters.
Garnish by lightly sprinkling powdered sugar onto crepes, drizzling with chocolate sauce, and quartered strawberries and juice.
Recipe #3:Chocolate-Pistachio Tartufo (Advanced)
We know what you’re thinking: How do I even pronounce that? A tartufo is a dessert that originated in the Calabria region of Italy and consists of two flavors of ice cream coated in a thin shell of chocolate. Beauty, elegance, and lovely… we can’t ask for much else in a V-Day inspired dessert. It’s a lengthier process compared to the previous recipes, requiring 2 hours and 50 minutes (and that’s if you’re taking the short cut with store bought ice cream). If you really want to pro-chef this up, make homemade ice cream and add an additional 12 hours or so to prep. Let’s take a look at the ingredients and recipe:
☑ 1/2 cup chocolate ice cream
☑ 1/2 cup strawberry ice cream
☑ 2 maraschino cherries
☑ 5 pieces of brownie brittle (or chocolate wafer cookies)
☑ 2 1/2 tsp melted coconut oil, divided
☑ 2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
Line the inside of a small bowl with plastic wrap, leaving several inches of overhang on all sides.
Place the two ice cream flavors side by side in the lined bowl, and pack them down with the back of a spoon until you achieve a flat surface.
Create a small divot in each flavor, and place a maraschino cherry inside.
Cover the holes back up with ice cream, then wrap the extra plastic wrap over to seal it, and place it in the freezer for at least 2 hours (but you can leave it overnight if you wish!).
Break chocolate wafer cookies down into crumbs with food processor or blender.
Place the cookie crumbs and 1 tsp of the melted coconut oil in a small bowl, and mix until the oil is well incorporated.
Remove the ice cream bowl from the freezer, and peel back the plastic wrap from the top. Place the cookie mixture on top, smooth it out with a fork or spatula, then replace the plastic wrap. Put the bowl back into the freezer for at least another 15 minutes or so.
In a double boiler (or a bowl placed on top of a simmering pan of water, melt the chopped bits of chocolate until its smooth. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tsp of melted coconut oil, and mix well.
Place a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. When the 15 minutes is up, fold back the plastic wrap from the surface of the ice cream, and turn the bowl upside-down onto the wire rack.
Remove the plastic wrap from the ice cream.
Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the domed surface of the ice cream, starting at the center and moving outward, in one smooth motion. Place the whole thing (rack and baking sheet included) into the freezer for at least 5 minutes, to allow the chocolate to set up.
Serve by using a thin spatula to transfer the tartufo to a plate.
Make this Valentine’s extra lovely with these recipes. Be sure to share with the people you love… or share with yourself! Either way, we’re all celebrating love with food.