Love is in the air with these chocolates, cookies, cocktails and other sweet, Valentine’s Day desserts. Indulge your sweet tooth in some of our best romantic desserts. Seriously, when you think of Valentine’s Day, one of the first things that come to mind is chocolate. For all the chocolate lovers, this chocolate day pertaining to Valentine’s week is the best day of the year, because it’s the one day where it’s totally acceptable to eat everything chocolaty. What better than a day where you’re expected to receive a box of chocolate delights from someone you love? Hence, skip the store-bought candy this Valentine’s Day and make homemade chocolate-covered recipes your beau and family will love! Here are some easy chocolate recipes to make anyone fall in love!
Sticky Toffee pudding with toffee sauce by Expert Chef Pallavi Nigam Sahay
Ingredients:
- For the pudding
- Chocolate Bar 75g
- Sunflower Oil 1 tsp
- Dates chopped 150g
- Boiling water 300ml
- Soft butter 110g
- Brown sugar 150g
- Eggs 3
- Bicarbonate of soda 1tsp
- Baking powder 1tsp
- Plain flour 225g
- Toffee Sauce
- Golden Syrup 275g
- Brown Sugar 275g
- Soft Butter 110g
- Cream 225ml
- Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Method:
- Preheat the oven at 180 degrees. Line the baking tray with baking parchment.
- Chop the chocolate bar roughly and melt it in a double boiler in a very low heat, with just a tsp of oil. This process is called “Bain Marie”. Keep stirring occasionally and once it melts keep it aside to cool off a little bit.
- Soak the chopped dates in hot water. Soaking it in hot water helps the dates to release their flavor completely.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter till it’s more shiny and fluffy, add half of the sugar, keep beating till it gets incorporated in butter completely, add rest of the sugar, keep beating till it’s a smooth mixture, this process is called creaming of butter and sugar.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, keep whisking, it will split at first, but if you keep whisking, it will come along.
- Whisk in the melted chocolate. Add dates along with its water, mix properly.
- Sift in the Plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Gently fold in everything together, don’t whisk now, because we don’t want to incorporate more air now, otherwise we will get a heavy cake instead of a fluffy one. Pour the batter in a baking tray and put it inside the oven for around 40 minutes.
- Prepare the Toffee Sauce: Put all the ingredients for toffee sauce in a sauce pan and simmer it till boils, keep stirring, let it boil for around 2 – 3 minutes. And it’s ready
- To check whether the cake is done or not, insert a skewer inside the cake, if the skewer comes out clean, its perfect, serve hot soaked in toffee sauce.
Chocolate Muffins Expert Chef Pallavi Nigam Sahay
Ingredients:
- Oven Temp: 180 C
- 1 1/2 cups Refined flour
- 1 1/2 cups castor or powdered sugar
- 1/2 cups butter
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- Pastry cups and muffin pans (Note: Makes 20/30 depending on the size of the pastry cups)
Method:
* Place the pastry cups in the muffin pans
* Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and transfer into a mixing bowl
* Add the salt, sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla and beat well till smooth
* Add the hot water and beat again
* Put the batter into the pastry cups (not more than 1/2 full) and bake in a pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes
* Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Chocolate Cookies by Expert Chef Pallavi Nigam Sahay
Ingredients:
- Butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Method:
- In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar and cream together with a hand mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and mix until combined. In a medium bowl, mix the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients and continue mixing until incorporated.
- Roll the dough into 2 logs that are about 2-inches high and 1-foot long. Wrap them in waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
- Once thoroughly chilled, slice the cookies into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Place on cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Chocolate Cocktail – Pling 37
By Topesh Chatterjee, Head Mixologist from Pling, Pullman & Novotel New Delhi Aerocity
Ingredients:
- Jack Daniel- 60ml
- Espresso – 30ml
- Bananas – 1/2 nos
- Chocolate Syrup- 40ml
Method:
* Pour all the ingredients in a blender along with ice.
* Blend them well.
* Pour the drink in a coupe glass.
* Garnish with Chocolate spiral.
Happy Chocolate Day all!