By Lydia Browne
Chocolate is often seen as a staple of Valentine’s Day. Along with bouquets of roses and cards with affectionate messages, heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are common gifts to give and receive during this holiday. Chocolate, in all of its sugary delight, is reminiscent of the sweetness of the romances and friendships with which the day is associated. For those who like to bake—and for those with a sweet tooth—this holiday is a wonderful opportunity to display love and appreciation through home-made treats. Students offered the following recipes as chocolate-y favorites to make in honor of Valentine’s Day.
Baked Brownies — Favorite of Justin Magno (11th Grade)
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch by 13 inch glass of light-colored metal baking pan.
Whisk flour, salt, and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl.
Put chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder together in a large bowl. Set that bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. Stir occasionally, until melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water. Add sugar and brown sugar, and whisk until combined. Remove the bowl from the pan. At this point, the mixture should be at room temperature.
Add 3 of the eggs to the chocolate mixture, then whisk until combined. Then whisk in the remaining eggs. Stir in the vanilla. Be careful not to overbeat the batter to avoid cake-like brownies.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture, and fold the flour mixture into the chocolate with a spatula until just a bit of the flour can be seen.
Pour the batter into the pan and make the top smooth. Bake for 30 minutes in the center of the oven, and rotate the pan in the middle of the baking time. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with only a few crumbs sticking to it. Allow the brownies to cool before cutting them into squares and serving them.
When covered with plastic wrap, these brownies should keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Based on a recipe from Baked by Matt Lewis.
Three-Chocolate Fudge — Anonymous (11th Grade)
3 ⅓ cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
32 large marshmallows, halved
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 milk chocolate candy bars (7 ounces each), broken
2 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped pecans
Yields 5 ½ pounds
Combine sugars, butter, and evaporated milk in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until all sugar has dissolved. Boil rapidly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the marshmallows until melted. Then, stir in the chocolate chips until melted. Add in the chocolate candy bars and the baking chocolate, then stir until melted. Mix in vanilla and pecans. Pour the mixture into a greased 15 inch x 10 inch x 1 inch pan. Chill until firm, then cut into squares.
Based on a recipe from Taste of Home’s Chocolate Lover’s Cookbook by Taste of Home.
French Silk Brownies — Favorite of Sydney Dalske (12th Grade)
BROWNIES:
1 box brownie mix, not prepared
1 egg
5 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup milk
FRENCH SILK LAYER:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
4 ounces semi sweet chocolate
¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed
8 ounce Cool Whip
TOPPING:
8 ounce Cool Whip
Chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350°, and use non-stick cooking spray to grease a 11 inch by 7 inch glass baking pan.
Combine brownie mix, egg, melted butter, and milk in a medium mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Spread into the baking pan and bake for 25 to 28 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely to room temperature.
Beat cream cheese and vanilla in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Then mix in powdered sugar.
Heat semi-sweet chocolate and butter in a small microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals until melted. Stir well between each interval. Add this mixture to the cream cheese mixture and stir well. Then gently fold in the first 8 ounces of Cool Whip.
Spread the French Silk layer over the cooled brownies, then spread a layer of the remaining 8 ounces of Cool Whip over the top.
Sprinkle chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips over the top, then slice and serve.
Based on a recipe from https://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com/french-silk-brownies/.
Two-Tone Fudge Brownies — Favorite of Lydia Browne (11th Grade)
BROWNIES:
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup chopped walnuts
COOKIE DOUGH LAYER:
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Yields 4 dozen
Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, then allow to cool slightly. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix in eggs and vanilla, then stir in melted chocolate. Combine flour and baking soda before adding to batter. Stir in the walnuts.
Spread batter into a greased 13 inch by 9 inch by 2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 16 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Then cool on a wire rack.
To make the cookie dough layer, cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat milk and vanilla into the mixture. Add flour gradually, then stir in the chocolate chips. Before spreading this layer over the brownies, make sure that they have cooled. Drop the mixture over the brownies by tablespoons, and spread carefully over the top. Finally, cut into squares, and store in the refrigerator.
Based on a recipe from Taste of Home’s Chocolate Lover’s Cookbook by Taste of Home.
Avocado Fudgesicles (Vegan) — Anonymous (9th Grade)
2 large or 4 small avocados
1 cup oat or plant based milk of choice
Dash of salt
⅛ cup almond butter
2 small or 1 large banana
¼ cup honey
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour the mixture into ice pop molds. If the mixture is too thick, an additional ½ cup of the oat or plant based milk may be needed. Place the molds in the freezer. Wait until the popsicles have hardened enough to hold sticks in place before adding the popsicle sticks. Then, freeze until the popsicles are completely solid. This may take around 6 to 8 hours.
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