For this week’s edition of “Gourmet Bailey,” we will be celebrating the one and only: Valentine’s Day. Now, whether you’re in a relationship or not, Valentine’s Day is about spending time with the people you love. Luckily for you, I have a recipe that will “bake” everyone crazy for these treats.
For those of you with valentines, I present to you a recipe for chocolate-covered strawberries. All you need are strawberries, chocolate and your desired toppings. My recipe, however, includes a delicious filling that will immediately get your taste buds dancing.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries:
- 4 cups of strawberries
- 1 cup of milk chocolate or dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon of oil (vegetable or coconut)
- ⅔ cup of Nutella (filling)
Toppings as desired:
- Melted white chocolate
- Sugar sprinkles (red and pink)
- Chopped almonds and hazelnuts
On a cutting board or another flat surface, cut the stems off of all of the strawberries. Scoop out the middle of each one to ensure that it is hollow enough to make room for the filling. Now add the ⅔ cup of Nutella to a piping bag. You can also take a Ziploc bag and cut a ½ inch hole at the bottom as a substitute.
Use your piping bag to fill the strawberries with Nutella.
Samantha Bailey | The Montclarion
Begin to fill the hollow space of each strawberry with the Nutella. Then, lay the strawberries on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet or plate and chill them while you prepare your toppings.
Grab the hazelnuts and almonds and chop them. Now, place the nuts into a bowl or plate where you can easily roll your strawberries in. Take your milk chocolate or dark chocolate and add one tablespoon of oil to it.
Microwave your chocolate in one-minute intervals and stir in between each one. Continue doing this until it’s fully melted. It should take around three or four times.
Chocolate covered strawberries ready for you to enjoy with your special someone.
Samantha Bailey | The Montclarion
Once the chocolate is melted, remove the strawberries from the fridge. Grab the bottom end of each strawberry (the opposite side of where the stem once was), and begin to dip the other top side in the chocolate to seal the Nutella in the hole. While the chocolate is still wet, roll the outer edges of the strawberry in the chopped nuts. Repeat for all the strawberries. You now have a delicious treat for you and your special someone to share.
For those of us who don’t have a valentine, this doesn’t mean that we can’t show our appreciation and love for all the other people in our lives. These red velvet truffles are easy to whip up and oh, so decadent.
Red Velvet Truffles:
- One box of red velvet cake prepared
- One cup (8 oz) of cream cheese softened
- Two cups of melted white chocolate
- Two tablespoons of oil (vegetable or coconut)
- Red sprinkles for toppings
Prepare your cake according to the box’s instructions and leave it to cool for about 20 minutes. Once your cake is cooled, crumble your cake into a bowl until the crumbs are of a fine consistency. Add the cream cheese to the crumbs. Continue to fold the cream cheese into the crumbs until it is evenly spread throughout.
Now it’s time to form the truffles. The truffles should be about a tablespoon in size and made round in your hands. After you’ve rounded them, put the truffles on a wax-lined cookie sheet and chill them for about 90 minutes.
A close up of the red velvet truffles.
Samantha Bailey | The Montclarion
Once they’re done chilling, melt the white chocolate in one-minute intervals until it’s fully melted. Add the two tablespoons of oil into the chocolate. Now, take each chilled truffle and coat it in the white chocolate. If doing two or three at a time, you can add the red and pink sprinkles to the truffles before the chocolate dries.
After you’ve done this for all the truffles, chill them again for one hour. Your red velvet truffles are ready to be served.
This week, I decided to include two recipes. I wanted to give people the option of how they wanted to show their appreciation to the special people in their lives. As always and especially this week, enjoy these recipes with people you love. Happy Valentine’s Day; until the next bite.
