The day of love has come and gone, but the stack of gifted chocolate will remain for weeks to come.
Instead of forcing yourself to nibble on foil-wrapped hearts until May (or freezing them until forever), find cool ways to turn those leftover sweets into new treats.
The possibilities are endless, but here are five ideas to help get you started.
Chocolate buttons
Makes: 20 white and 20 dark chocolate buttons
Ingredients
1 x 100g bar of white chocolate
1 x 100g bar of dark (70%) chocolate
Red chilli pepper flakes
Pink peppercorns
Sea salt
Nuts (chopped pecans, pistachios, almonds, or pine nuts)
Dried fruit, like cranberries or cherries
Method
There are two easy ways to melt chocolate. If you have a microwave, place the white chocolate in a heatproof jug and the dark chocolate in a second jug. Microwave one of the jugs for a minute. Stir and heat again at about 15-second intervals. Stop microwaving when most of the chocolate is melted but there are still lumps. Remove from the microwave and stir until the chocolate is smooth.
Pour a small amount of the chocolate onto a silicone baking sheet placed in a sheet pan. Repeat until you use up all the chocolate. If the chocolate starts to harden, you can microwave it again for 10 seconds. While the chocolate is still soft, garnish with whatever toppings you’re using plus crush a tiny bit of sea salt onto each one.
Repeat with the second chocolate. You can melt the chocolate on the stove too, using a bain-marie or water bath. Bring a small amount of water to boil in a saucepan. Place a heat-proof bowl on top so it covers the opening of the pan completely but the bottom of the bowl doesn’t come into contact with the water. Stir until the chocolate is almost melted then remove the bowl from the pan and continue stirring until it’s completely melted and smooth. Pick up from the instructions in the second paragraph.
Once you’ve decorated the buttons, place the sheet pan somewhere cool (but not the refrigerator) to allow them to harden. When they’re hard, remove them from the silicone sheet and serve. Keep any leftovers in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.
Nigella's warm blondie pudding cake
Makes: 9 large squares
Ingredients
13 tbsp (1 stick plus 5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
85g good-quality white chocolate, chopped into smallish pieces
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup walnut pieces, coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups almond meal or almond flour
Method
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Use a little butter to lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a sturdy saucepan over low to medium-low heat.
Don't stir; just occasionally lift the pan and give its contents a swirl.
Once the chocolate has become a sludgy paste in buttery liquid, remove from the heat before adding the brown sugar and ginger, and stir gently to incorporate. The mixture should become a glossy-looking fudge, with no lumps. Let cool for 10 minutes.
Don't worry if the butter and chocolate separate; all will be well once you add the eggs.
Stir in the eggs and keep stirring until they're completely incorporated (this will take several minutes longer than you expect). Add the chopped walnuts and almond meal, stirring gently to distribute evenly.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly into the corners. Bake (middle rack) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown on top, crisp at the edges, and beginning to shrink from the sides of the pan.
The cake should feel a little soft under its just-firm surface; a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the centre should have a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
Cool in the pan for 30 to 40 minutes before cutting and serving.
Recipe adapted from "At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking," by Nigella Lawson (Flatiron Books, 2018)