Chocolate Love
For me, Valentine’s Day is just an excuse to enjoy some chocolate (as if I need one!). These recipes are melt-in-your-mouth ways to celebrate the holiday, whether you make them as a gift for someone you love or as a way to BYOV (be your own Valentine). Enjoy!
Maple Bourbon Dark Chocolate Fondue
Photo by Randi Baird, food styling by Suzanne Lenzer, and prop styling by Maeve Sheridan
What’s better than a pot full of dark chocolate fondue? That’s easy—one that is flavored with real maple syrup and spiked with bourbon. It doesn’t take much of each to give the dippable chocolate that extra something—a warm depth of flavor to make it truly unforgettable. It is the perfect dessert to cozy up to on Valentine’s Day.
3-Ingredient Chocolate Almond Bark with Cherries
Photo by Sreal Boruchin
This recipe is a luscious way to celebrate your love, or at least your love of chocolate, in a way that loves you back. It has just three ingredients, each lending its own sensuous element and remarkable health benefits: rich, dark chocolate; a generous helping of crunchy almonds; and chewy, sweet-tart dried cherries. Each brings a considerable dose of health-protective antioxidants along with its flavor.
Making this candy is almost as easy as eating it: Just melt the chocolate, pour into a parchment-lined pan and scatter with the fruit and nuts. (You could swap in any nut and dried fruit you like or have on hand.) Let the candy set in the refrigerator for an hour, then break it into pieces.
Chocolate Cups With Ricotta Cream and Raspberries
Photo by Tom McCorkle and food styling by Marie Ostrosky for The Washington Post
Brimming with cannoli-style ricotta cream and fresh raspberries, garnished with mint and showered with confectioner’s sugar, these elegant chocolate cups are a sumptuous and healthful treat. They can be ready effortlessly if you buy chocolate cups, or you can embrace the easy arts-and-crafts-like project of making the cups yourself.