Tag Archives: Valentine’s recipes

Caramel Brownies

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Compared to many parts of Canada, our winter in Vancouver has been very mild…..until 2 days ago ! A snow pile just dumped onto us in a matter of hours ! Seriously, I was still jogging in the morning at 9 am, it was cold, but no snow. Three hours later, everywhere was covered in white ! I guess it’s our turn to experience this cold snowy winter ! And what does a baker do when it snows ? Bake of course ! So I made these brownies and also had time to decorate a whole bunch of Valentine’s cookies ! The snow has made me more productive !

I like my chocolate desserts very chocolaty, and I mean VERY……And this brownie is not only chocolaty, but also soft, fudgy and chewy ! Who can say no to that ? Especially if you are making it for your Valentine’s ! Make sure you don’t overbake, in fact, a good brownie is often slightly underbaked. It’s best to serve them warm, reheat in the oven for a few minutes if you need.

Happy Valentine’s Day !

Makes about 10 – 12 brownies
For the batter

  • 180 g unsalted butter
  • 180 g semi-sweet chocolate
  • 40 g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 240 g granulated sugar
  • 5 ml vanilla extract
  • 135 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 g baking powder
  • 2 g salt
  • 10-12 caramel candies

For the caramel sauce

Melt together 30 caramel candies (about 240 g) and 1/2 cup of whipping cream in a non-stick pot over low heat until well blended, stirring frequently

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt
  3. Melt butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a bowl over a pot of simmering water, let cool for about 5 minutes
  4. Whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla until pale
  5. Mix in chocolate mixture
  6. Add flour mixture and mix until blended, the batter can be quite thick
  7. Spoon half the batter into lightly-greased silicone molds, place a caramel candy in the middle, cover with remaining batter and bake for about 20 minutes
  8. Cool slightly, drizzle with caramel sauce and serve warm
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Strawberry Panna Cotta

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Panna Cotta is one of my daughter’s favourite desserts. She loves it plain with just a bit of vanilla flavour, but I prefer some fruits with it to cut down the richness. Valentine’s Day is coming up, so I made this panna cotta with strawberry sauce on top. It’s easy, tasty and perfect for the occasion ! The best thing for me is, my daughter and I can both enjoy it, with or without the sauce ! You can also use other fruits like mango, passion fruits, coconut or other berries. Happy Valentine’s Day ! Hope we all get to spend some time with our loved ones !  

Makes about 6 servings

For the panna cotta

  • 350 mL whipping cream
  • 150 mL milk (at least 2%)
  • 45 g granulated sugar
  • 5 mL pure vanilla extract
  • 6 g gelatin sheet or 1 envelope of gelatin powder

For the strawberry sauce

  • 360 g fresh strawberries (washed, hulled and cut into small pieces)
  • 90 g granulated sugar (adjust if needed)
  • 15 mL fresh lemon juice
  1. To make the panna cotta, bloom gelatin sheet in cold water until soft (alternatively, you can sprinkle gelatin powder over about 50 mL of milk)
  2. In a non-stick pan, heat whipping cream, milk and sugar over medium heat
  3. Turn heat off when liquid starts to bubble, add vanilla
  4. Gently squeeze out excess water from softened gelatin sheets and add into pot (or add the milk gelatin mixture if using powder), stir until all dissolved
  5. Pour into desired containers, cool then refrigerate until set, about 3-4 hours (To avoid a skin from forming, you can use a plastic wrap, pressing gently on top of the panna cotta when setting)     
  6. To prepare the sauce, heat strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a non-stick pot over medium heat
  7. Turn heat down to low when liquid starts to bubble
  8. Cook until thickened, let cool and puree
  9. When ready to serve, spoon strawberries sauce over panna cotta, decorate with finely chopped chocolate if desired

Chocolate Souffle 

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I think Valentine’s day is a perfect time to make chocolate souffle. It brings a sweet ending to your romantic dinner. I first learned it at a pastry course and it’s actually pretty easy. All souffles will rise in the oven and fall shortly after they are taken out. That doesn’t mean that you fail, it’s just the way they are. Some recipes have a higher ratio of egg whites, some add cornstarch and milk or cream. These methods may make the souffles higher and stay in shape a little longer. After trying a few recipes, I found this one, adapted from the book “How To Bake Everything” by Mark Bittman is the simplest. It uses equal parts of egg yolks and whites, so you won’t need to worry about what to do with the extra yolks and the souffles came out both rich and airy. Have a sweet Valentine’s Day!

Makes about 4-6 servings

  • Butter for greasing ramekins 
  • 80 g granulated sugar, plus more for coating
  • 90 g dark chocolate (70%), chopped 
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 
  • Icing sugar for dusting
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Grease ramekins with butter, then sprinkle sugar over to coat, tap off excess 
  3. Melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water, let cool slightly 
  4. Whisk together egg yolks and 30 g of granulated sugar using an electric mixer until light yellow and mixture falls in a ribbon over surface 
  5. Mix in melted chocolate until combined 
  6. Clean and dry the whisk
  7. In another mixing bowl using the electric mixer, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until frothy
  8. Increase speed to high and slowly add in 50 g of granulated sugar
  9. Whisk until a stiff peak is formed
  10. Gently fold egg whites, in 3 batches, into egg yolk mixture
  11. Pour into ramekins and place on a rimmed baking tray 
  12. Put tray into oven, pour about one inch of hot water into baking tray
  13. Bake in hot water bath for about 20 minutes (Do not open oven door during baking)
  14. Dust with icing sugar, serve immediatelyChocolate Souffle

Tools and Books 

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KitchenAid K45SSWH Classic 4.5-Quart Bowl Stand Mixer, White

How to Bake Everything

How to Bake Everything: Simple Recipes for the Best Baking

You can get these items through the Amazon website by clicking the above link. I will receive a small compensation if you purchase them.

Heart-Shaped Meringue Cookies 

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My daughter wrote me this poem couple years ago for Valentine’s Day and it’s been on the wall beside my bed. I thought I would share it here. Valentine's poem

“What is love?  What is special?  It’s Mom
No matter what she is, I love her
No matter what she looks like, I love her
With a balance family, she is the Best Mom Ever! “

This is definitely the sweetest poem I’ve ever read ! My daughter is such a lovely girl.  She is creative, funny, outgoing, but also very sensitive. I love her so much ! Of course I love my son too, but I guess it’s unlikely a twelve year-old boy would write his mom a poem….. 😁 To treat my two little sweethearts, I made these heart-shaped meringue cookies.  They are light, crunchy and super easy to make.  

Makes about 16 cookies

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 30 g granulated sugar or vanilla sugar
  • red food colouring (I use icing colours) 
  1. Preheat oven to 225°F
  2. Using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until frothy
  3. Add food colouring
  4. Increase speed to high and slowly add in sugar
  5. Whisk until a stiff peak is formed
  6. Transfer into piping bag with star tip
  7. Pipe onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
  8. Bake for about 40 minutes, depending on size of cookies, they should be dry to touch
  9. Turn off oven and leave cookies in oven for at least 2 hours to dry
  10. Remove from oven and cool completely

Note : When baked, the cookies will turn golden slightly, changing the colour of them  

Heart-Shaped Meringue Cookies

Before baking

Heart-Shaped Meringue Cookies

After baking

 

Easy Chocolate Fudge

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Happy Valentine’s Day ! I got a Valentine’s card before I even got out of bed this morning from my daughter, how sweet !  And here is a sweet treat that I made last night, yummy chocolate fudge ! Classic chocolate fudge requires the chocolate to be heated to a precise temperature which can be tricky. This recipe is much easier and it tastes just as good.

Makes about 16 ounces

  • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup condensed milk
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Put chocolate, cocoa powder, butter, condensed milk and salt in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water
  2. Cook and stir until all melted
  3. Turn heat off, stir in vanilla extract
  4. Spread evenly in a container lined with slightly greased parchment paper or aluminum foil
  5. Refrigerate for about 3 hours until firm
  6. Cut into squares
  7. Store in refrigerator

Pinwheel Cookies

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I found this pinwheel recipe in my big recipe binder the other day. I don’t even remember when and how I got it as it was hand-written by me!? Perhaps it was from a friend? All I remember was I’ve made it once and it tasted good ! The original recipe was a chocolate pinwheel . I added some pink colour instead and made them into Valentine’s cookies !  

Makes about 3 dozens

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg white for brushing
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • food colouring
  • vanilla sugar or granulated sugar for sprinkling (optional, to make cookies shinier)
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
  2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt, set aside
  3. Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
  4. Add 1 egg, lemon juice and vanilla extract
  5. Add flour mixture in 2-3 portions, mix until blended
  6. Divide dough into two halves, add food coloring to one part, knead to mix in color
  7. Roll out each half to about 1/8 inch in thickness between 2 sheets of parchment paper
  8. Remove the two top sheets of parchment paper 
  9. Brush plain dough with egg white
  10. Carefully invert coloured dough and place on top, roll gently with a rolling-pin to adhere
  11. Remove top sheet of parchment paper and trip off uneven edges
  12. Slowly roll up two sheets (like a Swiss roll)
  13. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm
  14. Using a sharp knife, cut into slices about 1/8-1/4 inch in thickness (you may need to gently reshape the cookies into circles)
  15. Sprinkle top with vanilla sugar or granulated sugar if desired
  16. Place on cookie svheets lined with parchment paper
  17. Bake for about 8 minutes
  18. Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then completely on rack