Holiday desserts are a way to say you care

 

Valentine’s Day is a time to pamper your loved ones, and one way to do that is by making special treats for them.

They can be simple enough that the kids can help make them or complex.

Although chocolate is a tasty treat when eaten by itself, it is also a rich ingredient in traditional desserts such as tortes, tarts and cakes.

To make the treats feel extra special for Valentine’s Day, use small baking pans to create individual servings, then place them on a dusting of cocoa or powdered sugar on a plate. Garnish with fresh fruit slices, whipped cream or ice cream.

Chocolate can be used in cookies that are eaten out of hand or dipped in a fondue to create a decadent treat. You could also dip biscotti, fresh and dried fruits, small pieces of cake or marshmallows in a chocolate fondue.

But chocolate isn’t your only choice. Fruity desserts are also delicious and in winter can provide a clean and unexpected taste. Tarts are a beautiful way to provide a treat for the eyes and the palate, and pies are always delicious.

Homemade candies are tasty too, and they can incorporate a wide variety of flavors and toppings so you’re sure to find something for everyone.

You can also take a simple dessert, such as a s’more, and give it a gourmet twist to make a luscious treat for the whole family.

And ice cream is always luscious, especially when served with a homemade fudge sauce or drizzled with a jam or jelly that’s been heated so they’re thin enough to pour.

Following are a few Valentine’s Day treats from www.foodnetwork.com.

 

 

White Chocolate-Raspberry Parfaits

1-1/2 cups raspberries

3 tablespoons sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

For mousse:

4 ounces white chocolate, chopped

2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups raspberries

Shaved white chocolate, for topping

Combine raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, mashing berries with a spoon. Press through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl using the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until cold.

Put white chocolate and 1/4 cup heavy cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until chocolate is melted, then whisk until smooth and creamy.

Beat remaining heavy cream in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until soft peaks form, about two minutes. Whisk about one cup whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest until combined.

Divide half the mousse among six small glasses, then top each with one tablespoon raspberry sauce and a few raspberries. Top with the remaining mousse, sauce and raspberries and sprinkle with shaved white chocolate. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, until cold, and serve.

 

 

Chocolate Lava Cakes

8 tablespoons butter

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2 ounces semisweet chocolate

1-1/4 cups powdered sugar

2 whole eggs

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup flour

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Microwave butter, bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate in a large bowl on high about one minute, until butter is melted. Whisk until chocolate is also melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks, then add vanilla. Stir in flour. Divide mixture among four custard cups that have been coated in baking spray and placed on a baking sheet..

Bake in a 425-degree oven about 13 minutes, until sides are firm and centers are soft. Let stand one minute. Invert on individual plates while warm and serve with vanilla ice cream.

 

 

Million Heart Cheesecake

For crust:

1-1/2 cups finely crushed chocolate wafer cookies

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

Pinch kosher salt

For raspberry coulis:

1 pint raspberries

For filling:

16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch kosher salt

1-1/4 cups heavy cream

Mix cookie crumbs, butter, sugar and salt in a bowl. Press into the bottom and one inch up the sides of a nine-inch springform pan. Put pan on a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven about 10 minutes, until set. Let cool completely.

Puree raspberries in a food processor or blender until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any seeds. Transfer to an eyedropper or small squeeze bottle.

Combine cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium about five minutes, until smooth.

Beat heavy cream to medium peaks in a separate bowl. Fold cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream until just combined, being careful not to deflate the whipped cream.

Pour batter into the crust. Tap pan on the counter gently a couple of times to release any air bubbles. Squeeze chickpea-size dots of the raspberry coulis 1/4-inch apart on the top of the cheesecake in a spiral pattern. Starting with the outermost raspberry dot, drag a toothpick or skewer through the centers of the dots to create hearts, making sure to follow the spiral pattern. Chill cheesecake in the refrigerator uncovered about two hours, until set to the touch.

 

 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies for Two

For cookies:

1/2 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons buttermilk

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon red gel food coloring

For cream cheese filling:

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more for optional dusting

1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Combine brown sugar and butter in a separate medium bowl with a rubber spatula until no streaks of butter remain and mixture resembles wet sand. Add buttermilk, egg, vanilla and red food coloring and whisk until smooth. Fold flour mixture into the wet mixture with a rubber spatula until smooth.

Use a tablespoon to drop two heaping tablespoons batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat three more times for a total of four cookies. Use a wet finger to smooth any uneven parts on the tops.

Bake in a 350-degree oven 11 to 13 minutes, until cookies spring back when touched and look dry. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Combine cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla bean paste in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula until smooth.

Divide filling between two cookies, spreading it on the flat sides all the way to the edges. Top with the remaining cookies. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic and refrigerate for as long as one day.

Dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar just before serving if desired.

 

 

Chocolate Mousse with Puff Pastry Hearts

3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 large eggs, separated, plus 1 beaten egg for brushing

6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons cognac or brandy

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Whipped cream, for topping

Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until just melted, about six minutes, then remove from the heat and whisk until smooth and shiny.

Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Combine the egg yolks, six tablespoons sugar, cognac, vanilla and two tablespoons hot water in a separate heatproof bowl. Beat with a mixer seven minutes, until thick and pale yellow. Place bowl over the pan of simmering water and continue beating about eight minutes, until warm and tripled in volume. Carefully rest the bowl in ice water and beat two minutes, until mixture is cool and thick. Gradually beat in melted chocolate mixture until incorporated.

Wash and dry the beaters. In a separate large bowl, beat egg whites, remaining sugar and salt about two minutes, until stiff peaks form. Stir one-quarter of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the rest until incorporated. Transfer to four eight-ounce ramekins. Cover and refrigerate at least four hours, until set.

Using a 1-1/2-inch cookie cutter or a small knife, cut four hearts from the pastry. Brush with beaten egg, transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze five minutes, until firm. Bake in a 425-degree oven 10 to 12 minutes, until puffed and golden. Let cool completely.

Top each ramekin with whipped cream and a puff pastry heart.

 

 

Raspberry Cream Cheese Heart Tarts

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1/4 cup whipped cream cheese

1 tablespoon honey

14-ounce box refrigerated pie dough, thawed if frozen

Flour, for dusting

Place fresh raspberries, cream cheese and honey in a medium bowl. Using the back of a fork, mash raspberries with the cream cheese, leaving some pieces of raspberry intact. Set aside.

Unroll pie dough. Using a four-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, stamp out 20 to 22 hearts.

Arrange half of the hearts on a lightly floured work surface. Set aside the remaining hearts. Place two teaspoons raspberry cream cheese in the center of half the hearts, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge.

Using a 3/4-inch cutter, cut a heart out of the center of each of the remaining crusts. Reserve the small hearts and bake with the tarts, if desired.

Lightly dip your index finger into a cup of water and brush the border of a bottom crust. Top with a top crust and gently crimp the edges shut with the tines of a fork. Repeat with the remaining crusts.

Place tarts and reserved hearts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven about 20 minutes, until golden. Let cool on a wire rack.

 

 

Strawberry Snowball Cookies

For cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For strawberry sugar dust:

2 ounces freeze-dried strawberries

1 cup powdered sugar

Beat butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl, then add to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Scoop dough into one-inch balls using a cookie scoop and place two inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake in a 350-degree oven 13 to 15 minutes, until golden brown on the bottoms.

Pulse strawberries in a food processor until they form a powder. Add powdered sugar and pulse until combined.

Roll warm cookies in the strawberry powdered sugar and transfer to wire racks to cool. Roll in the strawberry powdered sugar again, if necessary, after cooled.

 

 

Chocolate Covered Cherries

40 maraschino cherries with stems, drained well

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

1 cup white chocolate morsels

Pat cherries dry with paper towels.

Melt chocolates separately in stainless steel bowls set over pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth.

Holding the stem of a cherry, dip cherry into melted chocolate to coat. You can coat half of cherry in white chocolate and half in semisweet chocolate, if desired. Transfer chocolate-dipped cherries to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cherries and melted chocolate.

Refrigerate about 40 minutes, until set.

 

 

Chocolate-Covered Ice Cream Hearts

1 pint strawberry ice cream

3 ounces chopped chocolate

3 tablespoons coconut oil

Lay the ice cream on its side and cut into one-inch-thick rounds with a large serrated knife. Peel off the carton. Cut out hearts with a two-inch cookie cutter, place on a rack set on a baking sheet and freeze 30 minutes.

Combine chopped chocolate with coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Pour over ice cream hearts. Freeze until set, then drizzle with melted candy melts.

 

 

Valentine’s Double Chocolate Bark

4 ounces white chocolate, chopped

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

For topping:

Sprinkles, sanding sugar, candy hearts and coated chocolates

Bring a small pan with one inch water to a boil over medium-low heat. Place white chocolate in a small bowl and place over simmering water. When it is almost halfway melted, remove the bowl from the heat, place on a towel and continue to stir with a rubber spatula until completely melted. Set aside. Repeat with the bittersweet chocolate.

Pour bittersweet chocolate onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread until 1/4-inch thick. Use a rubber spatula to drizzle the white chocolate over the bittersweet in zigzags and decorative patterns. Run the tip of a skewer through the chocolate in different directions to make swirls. Sprinkle with the toppings as desired. Refrigerate about 30 minutes, then break into pieces.