You don't need a holiday or special event to create a little romance, but since love is in the air why not make the most of it!  Woo your sweatheart this Valentine's Day with some homemade chocolate treats.  We've given you a couple of our favorites to get you started, so strap on that apron and have some fun!

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TRUFFLES

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pound + 2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 3 ounces unsalted butter, softened
  • Confectioners' sugar 
  • Cocoa powder

chocolate ganance trufflesDIRECTIONS
Heat cream and vanilla in a small saucepan until it just boils.  Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate, whisking gently until chocolate is melted.  Whisk in butter until smooth then set aside at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate until firm.

With 2 teaspoons, spoon round balls of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm. Roll each dollop of chocolate in your hands to make a round ball. Roll in confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, or both.  Truffles will keep refrigerated for weeks, but are best served at room temperature.

 

HAZELNUT & APRICOT DARK CHOCOLATE BARK

  • 1 pound Dark chocolate, tempered (see How to Temper Chocolate below)
  • 1-1/2 cups   Hazelnuts, skinned, toasted and chopped
  • 1 cup  Dried apricots, chopped

Spread tempered dark chocolate on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and apricots; set aside for 1 to 2 hours (or 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge) until chocolate hardens.  Break into pieces and serve.

How to Temper Chocolate
Tempering chocolate yields the best results in making candies and other dipped items.  Tempering not only coaxes the most flavor from chocolate, it also produces bright, crisp, and shiny chocolate that is less likely to melt on your fingers.

A simple version of tempering requires melting 2/3 of your chopped dark chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet) in a bowl over barely simmering water until the temperature reaches 105 – 100 degrees F on a candy thermometer.  Remove bowl from heat and add the remaining chopped chocolate, stirring until melted and cooled to 88 – 90 degrees F.   Be sure to keep your bowls and utensils completely dry as any tiny beads of water left on surface will cause the chocolate to seize (clump). 

Tempered chocolate must then be kept at tempering temperature of 88-90°F until used.