Dessert ideas for Valentine’s day
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Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.
There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Valentines connected to February 14, including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century. According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer.
Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer’s daughter a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell before his execution; another tradition posits that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry.
The 8th century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14. The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the “lovebirds” of early spring.
In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.
In Italy, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart”, as well as to children to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine’s Malady).
Saint Valentine’s Day is not a public holiday in any country, although it is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church. Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day on July 6 in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and on July 30 in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).
RASPBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES
Cute raspberry and white chocolate heart-shaped shortbread cookies literally melt in your mouth. They are the perfect Valentine’s Day treat.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ½ cup Confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
For assembling:
- ⅓ cup white chocolate (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- ⅓ cup raspberry jam (or strawberry jam)
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Shortbread Cookies:
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using a hand mixer or stand mixer until soft and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add vanilla and salt and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Gradually add flour, and mix until your mixture forms into a dough mass.
- Use your hands to form the dough into a ball, and then shape into a flat disc. Cover tightly in plastic cling wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F, and line a half sheet baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Once the dough is chilled, lightly dust a clean surface with flour, and place the dough on top. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it is ¼-inch thick. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.
- On half of the cookies, use a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut shapes in the center of the cookie. Remove the smaller cookie shapes and bake them as separate little shortbread cookies, or roll them together with the scraps to cut out more cookies.
- Place the cookies half-inch apart on the lined baking sheet, and chill in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes, while the oven is preheating.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until edges just start to brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Assemble the Cookies:
- Melt the white chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave.
- On the stove: Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then, turn the heat to low and place a medium heatproof bowl on the mouth of the pot. Make sure that there is a gap of a few inches in between the bottom of the bowl and the water (You can also place a bowl on a steamer attachment on top of your pot). Add the chocolate and stir constantly as it melts. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted. This should take a few minutes.
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- In the microwave: The second way to melt chocolate (and an easier way) is in the microwave. Place the medium heatproof bowl of chocolate into the microwave and microwave in 30 second intervals. Remove the bowl at each interval and stir well. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir until completely smooth.
- Meanwhile, use a mesh strainer to dust confectioners’ sugar on the cookies that have the center cut out.
- Spread a layer of melted white chocolate on the bottom halves of each cookie cookies (ones that are not cut out), leaving a small ⅛-inch border around each of the cookies. You can use a knife or use a piping bag with a round piping tip to pipe the chocolate onto the cookies. Let the chocolate set slightly for 5-10 minutes.
- Add a teaspoon of raspberry jam on top of the chocolate once it has set slightly. You can use a spoon or use a piping bag with a round piping tip to pipe the jam onto the cookies.
- Carefully place the tops of the cookies on the jammy bottoms. Be careful not to smudge the sugar on top. You can fill the open centers with more jam using a piping bag and round tip, if desired.
Mini Vanilla Pound Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks; 230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional but recommended!)
Fresh Raspberry Icing
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- 1/2 cup (85g) fresh raspberries
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and generously grease a a mini Bundt cake pan (or another pan, see note).
- Make the mini cakes: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, then add the sour cream, vanilla extract, vanilla bean, and almond extract (if using).
- Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Beat everything just until incorporated. Do not over-mix. Batter will be very creamy and thick with lots of vanilla bean specks.
- Spoon batter into pan, filling each Bundt cake cavity 2/3 full. If you need to make a 2nd batch, loosely cover the leftover batter and keep at room temperature until your pan is ready again.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cakes are lightly golden and spring back when lightly poked with your finger. Remove from the oven and allow to cool inside the pan for 5 minutes. Carefully invert the pan on the counter or wire rack. Give the pan a little shake so the cakes release. Allow Bundt cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before icing and serving.
- Make the icing: Toss the raspberries and granulated sugar together. Vigorously stir to break up the raspberries. Allow to sit for 5 minutes as the raspberries let out their juices. (You can also use a small food processor for this step.) Strain the raspberries through a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Use a spoon to press them through, extracting all the juices and removing the seeds. You’ll have about 3 Tablespoons of juice. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and heavy cream. Add a little more confectioners’ sugar to thicken or more cream to thin, if desired. Drizzle over cooled pound cakes.
- Cover and store leftover iced cakes at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TRUFFLES
Dark chocolate raspberry truffles are so much easier to make than you think. It’s as simple as combining quality chocolate, cream, raspberry jam, and cocoa.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces dark chocolate, chips or chopped
- 4 ounces heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons raspberry preserves (jam)
- ½ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
INSTRUCTIONS
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- Place chocolate in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
- Pour heavy cream into a shallow saucepan or cooking pot and heat over medium-high heat until almost boiling. Once you see it begin to steam and form small bubbles on the side, pull it off and immediately pour it over the chocolate.
- Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then stir together. The mixture should be extremely smooth, with all the chocolate melted. If needed, microwave the cream and chocolate together in 15 second increments, stirring when finished, until completely smooth.
- Add raspberry preserves/jam and stir to combine. Place uncovered in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until the chocolate ganache has hardened and is scoopable.
- Line a large half pan baking sheet or tray with parchment paper. Use a melon baller or a tablespoon to scoop out small portions of the ganache. Use your hands to roll them into 1-inch balls. Place on the baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
- Place cocoa powder in a small bowl. Drop each truffle in the cocoa powder and roll until completely coated. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator until ready to serve.
