The Chocolate Holiday is almost here !!

Forget sentimental cards, diamond earrings and bouquets of roses... Valentine's Day is all about chocolate !!

This year I decided to experiment with the chocolate bark I blogged about two years ago.
Instead of one big round, I made it into individual disks studded with nuts and bits of dried fruit.
It's so very simple,  quick to make and they look beautiful.

I also tried to make some in my silicone baking cups with shredded coconut on the bottom and almonds on top.

It was marginally successful...I wished I had been a little more aggressive about mixing the melted chocolate with the coconut.

I tried the same trick with the disks on the parchment.

With similar results...

I am sure they will all taste delicious !!
I used a mix of two dark chocolates, I find the quality of these bars great for this kind of confection.

Since our microwave oven is broken, I melted my chocolate the old fashioned way, in a double boiler. It is slower, requiring more patient ;-) but does the job, it's best not to let the water boil.

Use your imagination, customize each one, have fun !!

Here are a few other wonderful chocolate desserts to try.

Flour-less chocolate cake

Very Very Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache ( vegan)

The Most Amazing Chocolate Ice Cream

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Easy Brownies

Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Divine Brownies

Chocolate Sorbet

Chocolate Cupcakes and more...

I recently made these  chocolate cupcakes for my sister-in-law and a house full of game playing family. They were such a hit, she suggested I post about them again.

If you haven't already come up with a chocolate dessert for tonight, these are very easy and tasty.
You can frost them with a simple chocolate ganache or get fancy like I did in the photo above.
 (Don't tell anyone, but they are dairy free and vegan.)

Or if you have the time and the inclination here are a bunch of other chocolate desserts you can try.

This flourless chocolate cake is dense, decadent and requires only six common ingredients.

Or these super easy brownies that I discovered last year.

Hope you get your chocolate in some form today !!
Happy Valentine's Day !!

Tis' the season for chocolate...

If you need an excuse to make a chocolate treat... Valentine's Day is coming soon.
You can make something for an intimate dinner, to share with friends and co-workers or just to treat yourself. Love thyself first, right ??

Over the winter holidays, my dear friend Mita (The Clumsy Cook)  gave me two confections she made.

One was a dark chocolate bark studded with dried fruit and nuts.
I have never really been a fan of "bark" but this changed my mind completely.
The best part is how easy it is to make.

I wanted to make some treats for friends and family for Valentine's Day so I made three batches of bark. Each with a slightly different combination of ingredients. It's great because you can tailor it to the tastes of your loved one. Shhh, don't tell Bob, but I made him some out of milk chocolate, he prefers it to dark chocolate, one of his few flaws ;-)

Mita calls her recipe "trail mix bark", I like to think of mine as "chocolate bark goes for a hike"

Chocolate Bark Goes for a Hike

Ingredients:

16 oz. chocolate: dark or milk
dried fruit, cut into bit size pieces
nuts
seeds
coconut flakes
Coarse grain sea salt

Instead of all the separate ingredients you can use your favorite trail mix to make it very simple.

1) Choose your chocolate. I used these Trader Joe's large bars. You can used higher quality if you choose. I would stay away from Hershey's, chocolate chips will do in a pinch.

2) Have your toppings ready before you start melting your chocolate. I used dried apricots, dried cranberries, toasted coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, roasted almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, honey roasted peanuts, sunflower seeds. You can also use your favorite trail mix to make it very simple.

3) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or use foil and cooking oil spray.

4) Chop your chocolate into small chunks and place into a large microwavable bowl. The smaller your chunks the quicker it will melt. If you don't have a microwave, a double boiler on the stove top works just fine.

5) Cover the bowl with a plate and microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir and repeat. The trick with melting chocolate in a microwave is to not overcook it. It partly depends on how much chocolate you have in your bowl, it you are using a smaller amount start with 30 seconds. As the chocolate melts decrease the time in the microwave. Eventually it will be smooth.

6) Pour the chocolate onto the prepared pan, use a spatula to smooth it into a round about a half inch thick.

7) Sprinkle with the nuts, fruit and seeds, don't be afraid to use lots. Press them carefully into the chocolate. Dust lightly with some coarse sea salt if you like that combination.

8) Allow to harden, this can be done in a cool room or the fridge if you are in a hurry.

9) Break into chunks and eat !! Or package it in tins, jars or cellophane bags and give it to the people you love.

If you want something a little fancier for Valentine's Day, here are a few of my favorite chocolate recipes from past posts.

Flourless Chocolate Cake, simple but very rich and elegant.

Molten Chocolate Cakes, great for a cold night !!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache, for the vegan in your life.

This decadent Chocolate Ice Cream would please even the most critical of your chocolate lovers.

Red Velvet, what's all the fuss about ??

I have heard of red velvet cakes and cupcakes...they have been trendy recently, a retro thing I am guessing. I volunteered to make dessert for a gathering recently and was told by the hostess that one guest had a birthday that week and he loved red velvet cake. I have never quite figured out what the big deal is. They are cakes or cupcakes that are red and this makes them better because ??? I figured once for philosophy would be fun. In looking for a recipe I did find this tidbit of information.

"...while foods were rationed during war time, bakers used boiled beets to enhance the color of their cakes and to retain moisture. Red velvet cake was a signature dessert at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel during the 1920s, and was also well-known in the restaurants and bakeries of the Eaton’s department store chain in Canada during the 1940s and 1950s. Many attribute the cake’s recent popularity to the film Steel Magnolias, in which the groom’s cake was a red velvet cake in the shape of an armadillo. All red velvet cakes have specific ingredients in common: white vinegar, buttermilk and baking soda; the reaction of the vinegar to the buttermilk is said to better reveal the red in the cocoa powder."

Since the hostess was vegan I made two different versions, both with the vegan cream cheese frosting. I will admit I liked the cupcakes, the vegan ones were actually better, but next  I will leave out all the food coloring and call them "brown velvet" ;-)

Red Velvet Cupcakes ( modified from Brown Eyed Baker )

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons red food coloring
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk ( I used milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice to make it curdle.)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard muffin/cupcake pan with liners.
If you don't  have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup milk, stir together and set aside.

2. On medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to high and add the egg. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.

3. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red food coloring to make a thick paste.

4. Add to the batter and mix on medium speed until completely combined. You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.

5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth.

6. Again, reduce the mixer speed to low and add the salt, baking soda and vinegar. Turn to high and beat for another couple of minutes until completely combined and smooth.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a thin knife or skewer inserted into the center of the largest cupcake comes out clean.

7. Cool for 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.


Crimson Velveteen Cupcakes ( from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World )


Ingredients:

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, Dutch processed or regular
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
(Chocolate extract is worth the trouble to find, but if you can't, use 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract)



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin/cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
2. Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle.

3. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix.

4. Add the oil, food coloring, chocolate extract, and almond extract to the curdled soy milk. 

5.Whisk well to combine. The color is a bit off putting to me...

6. Gently fold wet ingredients into dry, mixing until large lumps disappear, small lumps are okay.

7. Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds of the way full as these cupcakes will rise fairly high.

8. Place in hot oven and bake 18-20 minutes until done.

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
To make my life easier, I frosted both kinds of cupcakes with this frosting. My vegan hostess provided the vegan "cream cheese". I was surprised by how well it came out.

This recipe is just enough to frost two dozen cupcakes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine
1/2 cup vegan cream cheese, softened (I use: Tofutti, it's Better Than Cream Cheese)
4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cream together margarine and cream cheese until well combined.
2. Use a mixer to  add the confectioners sugar in 1/2 cup batches. Scrape down the sides in between.
3.  Mix until smooth and creamy, then mix in the vanilla. Keep tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

I used my pastry bag to make the frosting fancy for the birthday boy. You can also just smear it on with a knife.


So there you have it: red velvet cupcakes two ways.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes.

This is a very basic and tasty chocolate cupcake recipe, it just happens to be vegan as well.  I got it from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.

I made these recently to take to a friend to cheer her up, it worked !! I was in a hurry so I didn't take the usual barrage of photos. They so simple to make you will be fine without the photo documentation ;-)

Preheat oven to 350 F and line muffin tins with paper cups.

Ingredients
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup flour
1/3 cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle.
In a separate bowl sift together all the dry ingredients.
Now go back to the bowl with the soy milk and beat in the sugar, oil and extracts until foamy.

Add the dry stuff in two batches to the wet stuff and beat until no large lumps remain. Small lumps are OK.

Pour the batter into the cupcake papers.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

I like to frost them with this very simple ganache.
If you are not concerned about the vegan aspect you can use milk or cream in place the soy milk.

Bring 1/4 of soy milk to a gentle boil in a small sauce pan. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, mix until smooth.
Set aside at room temperature until you are ready to use it. It will solidify as it cools which makes it easier to spread.

You can add almonds to the top or fancy them up anyway you like !!