Valentine’s Day desserts scrumptiously show the one you love your decadent side.
Oh behave.
Better still, don’t behave. ♥
The Graphics Fairy
Preparing or purchasing Valentine’s Day sweets for the sweet is a scrumptious tradition.
Sweet logic and delicious justification make Cupid’s case for whipping up one of these Valentine’s Day desserts delectably dedicated to the one you love.
Sharing is caring.
Food is love.
Calories don’t count on Valentine’s Day.
Let’s Valentine’s Day Desserts!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Valentine’s Hearts
Ingredients
¼ cup unsalted butter-softened
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 cup mini chocolate chip morsels
For Dipping and Decoration:
10. oz semi sweet baking chocolate
1.5 oz white chocolate for garnish
A few drops of pink or red food colors
Directions
Beat softened butter and brown sugar until fully combined, then add vanilla and peanut butter and beat until fluffy. Add flour and sweetened condensed milk and beat until combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chip morsels.
Press the mixture into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish lined with parchment paper and set in the fridge to chill.
Pull off the parchment paper to lift the dough from the baking dish. Using heart shaped cookie cutter cut off the truffles and place them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Set in the freezer while melting chocolate.
Using a fork dip the truffles into melted chocolate ( one at the time), slightly tap the fork against the side of the bowl to trim the excess chocolate and place the truffle back on the parchment paper. Set them back in the fridge to firm.
Melt white chocolate, stir in a few drops of red food color, transfer into a small bag, cut the corner off and pipe melted chocolate on top of the truffles.
Oh My Goodness Chocolate Desserts
Chocolate Cherry Stack Cake
Ingredients
¾ cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sour cream
recipe Cherry or Chocolate Frosting (see recipe below)
recipe Chocolate-Dipped Cherries (see recipe below) (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 6×2-inch round cake pans or springform pans. Mix 1 teaspoon each flour and cocoa powder; dust pans. Set pans aside. In bowl combine ¾ cup flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In large bowl with electric mixer beat butter on medium to high for 30 seconds. Add sugar; beat until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Beat in sour cream and flour mixture. Pour batter in pans; spread evenly.
Bake 22 to 26 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on rack.
Use serrated knife to horizontally cut cakes in half to make 4 layers total. Place bottom layer on plate; spread with 2/3 cup frosting. Repeat with layers. Place top layer on cake. Heap remaining frosting, swirling in peaks. Refrigerate.
To serve, top with Chocolate-Dipped Cherries.
Serves 8.
Cherry Frosting
Ingredients
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 8 ounce carton sour cream
1 cup whipping cream (do not use ultra-pasteurized whipping cream)
2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
Directions
In a chilled large mixing bowl combine powdered sugar, sour cream, whipping cream, and cherry juice. Beat with the chilled beaters of an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until fluffy.
Chocolate-Dipped Cherries
Ingredients
16 maraschino cherries with stems
½ cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 teaspoon shortening
Directions
Drain cherries; pat dry with paper towels. In small microwave-safe bowl combine semisweet chocolate pieces and shortening. Cook on 50 percent power (medium) 1½ to 2 minutes or until melted, stirring once. Dip cherries in chocolate; place on waxed paper until set. Store, covered, up to 24 hours.
Red velvet cupcakes, molten lava cakes or cheesecake!
Red Velvet Molten Lava Cakes from Spache the Spatula look absolutely divine.
Click on the link to check out this and other tempting recipes from Spache the Spatula. Red Velvet Molten Lava Cakes
Red Velvet Cheesecake
Ingredients
1 pound milk chocolate, chopped
½ cup butter
19 ounce package chocolate wafer cookies (40 to 45 cookies)
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup slivered almonds
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup butter, melted
48 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
18 ounce carton dairy sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup buttermilk
11 ounce bottle red food coloring (2 Tbsp.)
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
Chocolate leaves (optional)
Powdered sugar (optional)
Unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
Fresh raspberries and/or small whole strawberries(optional)
Directions
In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate and ½ cup butter over low heat; transfer to a bowl and cool completely.
Place wafer cookies, chocolate pieces, almonds and brown sugar in a large food processor. Cover and process until finely ground. Add the ½ cup melted butter; cover and process until well combined. Transfer crumbs to a 10×3-inch springform pan with a removable bottom. Press crumbs onto bottom and up the sides of the pan, leaving a ½-inch space at the top of the pan. Set aside.
For Filling:
In a very large mixing bowl, beat the cooled chocolate mixture, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, buttermilk and red food coloring with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until combined. Add 4 eggs and 2 egg yolks all at once. Beat on low speed just until combined.
Pour filling into crumb-crust lined springform pan. Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan on the oven rack. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 1 hour, or until 2 inches of outside edge appear set when shaken gently.
Remove springform pan from baking pan. Cool cheesecake in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Use a small metal spatula to loosen cheesecake from sides of pan. Cool 30 minutes more. Remove sides of pan. Cool for 1 hour; cover and chill at least 4 hours.
To serve, use a paper doily to decoratively sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder on the top, if you like. Garnish the center with chocolate leaves and fresh raspberries, if you like. Clean knife between each cut. Makes 20 servings.
Bake and chill up to 24 hours. Garnish just before serving.
Food Network Kitchen – Photography Ryan Dausch
Double-Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 ounces white chocolate (not chips), chopped
½ cup heavy cream
Directions
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, ¾ teaspoon salt and the baking powder in a medium bowl. Beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg
and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Cover the dough and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out the dough until 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, then cut out cookies with a 2-inch heart-shaped cutter.
Arrange about 1 inch apart on the prepared pans. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are slightly firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
Make the filling:
Combine the white chocolate, remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla and
pinch of salt in a large bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a saucepan, then pour over the white chocolate. Stir until smooth, then refrigerate until cold, 25 minutes. Beat with a mixer until creamy. Sandwich the white chocolate mixture between the cookies.
Food Network Kitchen
Chocolate Strawberry Honey Nests
Ingredients
12 sheets phyllo dough
½ cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup strawberries, cleaned and sliced
3 squares dark chocolate, shaved
½ cup milk chocolate chips
3 teaspoons honey or to individual taste
whipped topping
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
For Phyllo Nests
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough on cookie sheet or counter work surface.
Using soft brush, brush over sheet with melted butter. Lightly sprinkle entire sheet with sugar. Top with another sheet. Butter, sprinkle and repeat until 6 sheets thick. Repeat to create another 6 sheets stack. Using a pizza cutter or large knife, make ten vertical slices and one horizontal slice down the middle of each stack.
Lightly spray a 12 cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line each muffin cup with 1 of the phyllo pieces at a time, covering sides and bottom to form a cup. Repeat making 12 cups.
Using a microplane, shave dark chocolate over each cup to dust.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until light golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven and immediately place desired amount of chocolate chips in each cup allowing to melt.
Top melted chocolate chips with strawberry slices, drizzled honey and whipped topping. Dust whip topping clouds with cinnamon.
Valentine’s Heart Candy Box Cake from The Cake Blog.
Trust me, this recipe is well worth the time, the effort, and the click on the link to check it out. Valentine’s Heart Candy Box Cake
Easy as the top ingredient!
Chocolate Sweetheart Cupcakes
Ingredients
2 sticks butter
1 ½ cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Ganache
¾ cup heavy cream
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Lettering
3 oz. white chocolate
Directions
Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 12 regular-size (2 1⁄2-in. diam) muffin cups with paper liners. Beat butter, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl with mixer on low speed 1 minute or until well blended. Add eggs; beat 2 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla (batter may look curdled), then flour just until blended.
Spoon scant 1⁄4 cup batter into each muffin cup, filling each about 2⁄3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in centers of cupcakes comes out clean.
Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes before removing from pan to rack. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with remaining batter. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting and decorating. Each recipe makes 24 cupcakes.
For the ganache:
Gently heat ¾ cup heavy cream over medium heat, then pour over 8 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute; stir until melted and smooth. Evenly spoon ganache on top of 12 large or 24 small chocolate cupcakes. Let set for 30 minutes.
For the lettering:
Microwave 3 ounces white chocolate on 50% power in 20-second intervals until melted and smooth. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1.5 tip, then get creative!
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