Top Romantic Desserts

Have you ever woken up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, worried that you gave your sweetheart the wrong dessert? I know, I know, it happens to the best of us. Is she/he wondering about your commitment to the relationship after you gave her some measly shortbread cookies? Or what if they're expecting you to pop the question after you gave some super fancy chocolate truffles?

Dessert. It's a complicated and weighty thing.

But never fear, Monica and I are here to help. We'll guide you through the subtleties and sub-texts of Valentine's Day dessert.

We gave the following desserts two different rankings:

• Romance Score: On a scale of 1 to 10, we oh-so-scientifically ranked desserts by how romantic they were
• Romance to Labor Value: We then divided desserts' romance level by the amount of effort it took to make them, assigning them a score from 0.0 to 1.0, with 0 being low romance-high effort and 1 being high romance-low effort

So enjoy, good luck baking/gifting, and if it all goes horribly wrong, well, I'm sure we'll be happy to try our hand at relationship counseling too.

-Caroline & Monica

10. Abbracci Cookies
Romance Score:  1/10
Romance-to-Labor Value: 0.20

These abbracci cookies are cute and delicious, don't get us wrong, but they're more of a curl-up-by-yourself-with-a-book-and-a-cup-of-tea kind of dessert. Plus, shaping the shortbread rounds takes a while, requiring you to put more effort in than the romance you get out of them. Translating to "hug," in Italian, these may be the cookie equivalent of friend-zoning.

9. Lavender Sablé Cookies
Romance Score: 2.5/10
Romance-to-Labor Value: 0.35

Another shortbread cookie, these guys are somewhat more romantic because they have a fancy French name. Plus, these are fairly easy slice-and-bake cookies, and you can dress them up or down with chocolate decorations. And if your Valentine doesn't seem sufficiently impressed, just declare "sablés!" as you present them and I'm sure they'll be blown away by your French. Practice in front of the mirror a couple of times, just to make sure you really nail down that accent.

8. Petit Fours
Romance Score: 4.5/10
Romance-to-Labor Value: 0.08

These petit fours are pink and decorated, significantly upping the romance. They're quite time-consuming--definitely a labor of love, and it shows. A little plate piled high with these cakes would be a very cute gift. However, they might be a teensy bit too pink, a bit too reminiscent of a princess tea party.

7. Nutella Hand Pies
Romance Score: 5/10
Romance-to-Labor Value: 0.45

We admit that these hand pies give a bit of a mixed message. The heart shape and chocolate filling is of course suggestive, but pies fall squarely in the category of comfort food or picnic food. If you make these, be careful not to cause too much confusion over your intentions...you wouldn't want to be accused of trifling with someone's affections now, would you?

6. Raspberry Meringue Cheesecake
Romance Score: 6.5/10
Romance-to-Labor Value: 0.30

This cheesecake is elegant (raspberry pastry cream, hello!), yet also kind of fun with the cloud of marshmallow meringue. Romantic without being too suggestive, this is a good dessert for the commitment-shy. 

5. Linzer Heart Cookies
Romance Score: 8/10
Romance-to-Labor Value: 0.40

The third shortbread recipe in our line up, these are by far the classiest and most romantic. Dressed up as heart-shaped jam sandwich cookies and placed in a nice box, they would make quite an impressive gift. They're also a good option if your Valentine doesn't like chocolate. And if you don't know whether they do or not, well, this might be a good safety measure since Valentine's Day seems like an awkward time to do have the I-don't-like-chocolate-but-thanks-for-the-big-box-of-truffles-anyways conversation.

4. Dark Chocolate Truffles
Romance Score: 8/10
Romance-to-Labor Value: 0.85

For those of you who are more confident in your sweetheart's likes and dislikes, consider some chocolate truffles. There's just something about homemade chocolate candies that make people ooh and ah. Plus these chocolates require very little work, perfect for those of you looking for a low-effort, high-reward Valentine's Day.

3. Red Velvet Cupcakes
Romance Score: 8.5/10
Romance-to-Labor Value: 0.70

An old-y but goody, these little bright red cakes scream "Valentine's Day" like nothing else. While most of the desserts on our list are small finger foods, these cupcakes can be shared, which can lead to all sorts of cozy romantic situations. It's a Lady and Tramp moment just waiting to happen. 

2. Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Romance Score: 9.5/10
Romance-to-Labor Value: 1.0

These strawberries are elegant, classy, and require almost no effort. They're no bake and you really don't need any sort of cooking skills beyond melting chocolate. Throw them into a fancy box, and your Valentine will be so very impressed. They'll think that you labored over them all day, and who's to correct them? Though we really don't condone such deception in a relationship, we'll make an exception here.

1. Rose Macarons
Romance Score: 10/10
Romance-to-Labor Value: 0.5

These macarons are, in our humble opinion, the epitome of romantic desserts. The combination of fancy French dessert + pink + roses strikes every romantic cord you can think of. We're talking diamond-ring-on-your-knees-in-front-of-the-Eiffel-Tower kind of romantic. Just make sure you're not raising anyone's expectations higher than you ought; macarons take commitment, you know.

Still want more Valentine's Day ideas? Here are some more desserts covering all degrees of romance.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

As you know, it's been blizzarding here in New England. As Juno dumped almost two feet of snow on us (seriously, the weather was so bad that even the tourists disappeared), I spent much of the week hibernating in the dorm, watching the snow swirl past my window. 

It's times like this that I remember just how incredibly spoiled I am as an undergrad at Harvard. We call getting caught up with school and activities "the Harvard bubble," but Harvard was quite literally a bubble during the snowstorm. I got to spend the blizzard curled up by the radiator while being fairly confident that the power wouldn't give, and if something did break, it would be fixed quite soon. I was able step downstairs and get my hot meals in the dining hall as usual, because some of the staff had slept over the night before so they could be at work during the blizzard. And the next day when we woke up for class, we found all the side walks cleared into neat channels through the deep snow, after the yard workers had worked through the night.

It really makes you realize who has the better work ethic at this place. 

Since the communal kitchen is in another building, I decided to make some no-bake goodies that didn't require me to leave my room. These really are an ideal dessert for making in the dorm. You don't even need a microwave to melt the chocolate; I used a hairdryer, which actually works beautifully.

As you might have noticed, the Pass the Cocoa's logo has long been a chocolate-covered strawberry. Though it's taken on many guises, that strawberry has remained a constant through all our design overhauls. 

There's no real story about why we chose it; I made some chocolate covered strawberries for Monica's birthday some three years ago, and later wrote this post about them. We decided it would make a cool graphic, and it's stuck around since.

Anyways, I thought it was time that we re-visited that old post. Considering how many times we've changed the graphic strawberry, it seemed fitting to take new pictures to match the new design.

As I pointed out two years ago, these are a perfectly Valentine's treat, impressive yet requiring almost no effort. Though I know strawberries are still out of season, they're also a wonderful dessert to make on a cold winter's afternoon, sure to lend some brightness and sweetness to even the snowiest day.

Stay warm!
Caroline

One Year Ago: Abbracci Cookies
Two Years Ago: How to Make Homemade Nutella

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Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Click here for the printer-friendly recipe.
Yields: about 20 strawberries

Ingredients
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
4 oz. white chocolate, roughly chopped
1 lb. fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons finely chopped nuts (optional)

Directions
Melt the white and dark chocolates over a double boiler, or with a hair dryer. Simple turn the blow dryer on low/medium power and hold about 10 inches from the chocolate, stirring occasionally.

Dip half the strawberries in dark chocolate, half in white. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or plastic wrap. Sprinkle the nuts of some of the strawberries, if desired.
Drizzle the white chocolate on the dark chocolate-dipped strawberries, and vice versa.

Refrigerate the strawberries for about 15 minutes, to set the chocolate. 

Enjoy!

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Egg Salad-Stuffed Avocados

Well. I don't know how to begin this post. I'd normally start by describing how (insert any synonym for sugar-laden here) such and such dessert is, but this, this isn't any of those things. It's-dare I say it-healthy. Eek. 

Okay, get a grip, Caroline. You can do this. 

To start, it really is quite delicious. Paired with a piece of toast (of the whole grain variety, if you really want to run away with this nutrition thing), it makes a good lunch or big breakfast. The egg salad is a twist on the egg baked in an avocado that is super trendy right now for reason. Cooked avocado just sounds kind of icky, and a waste of a good avocado. I think this is a definite improvement: the slight tartness of the egg salad and the crunchy celery pairs very well with the mellow creaminess of the avocado.

Since it's New Years Resolution season (or is it? I feel like willpower generally begins to wane by the end of January as we are assaulted with chocolate and pink desserts for Valentine's Day)--anyhow, I switched out the traditional mayonnaise for plain Chobani yogurt. It provides a wonderful tang and flavor to the eggs, and lightens things up a lot. And I'm sure you're more than well-acquainted by now about how healthy / superfood-y etc. etc. etc. avocados are by now.

Snark aside though, this really is a nutritious, filling, and enjoyable meal. I've been asked more than once how I haven't put on tons of weight, baking and eating the desserts I do. The answer is that these are only a small portion of what I normally eat--the everyday, healthy stuff just generally end up on the blog. Today's recipe is an exception, though; it's the sort of thing I'll make for lunch when I'm home on break, quick and easy but good.

So put down the butter for a moment today, and give this a try.

-Caroline

Chobani asked me to create a recipe using their yogurt for their #MadeWithChobani project. All opinions are my own.

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Egg Salad-Stuffed Avocados

Click here for the printer-friendly recipe.
Yields: 2 servings
Egg salad recipe adapted from Girl Versus Dough

Ingredients
2 eggs
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon mustard
¼ teaspoon pepper
pinch of paprika
pinch of salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon chopped scallions
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 medium ripe avocado

Directions
Place the eggs in a small pot. Fill the pot with enough water until the eggs are completely submerged. Bring the water to a roiling boil, then take the pot off the heat. Cover with a lid and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain the water and rinse with cold water.

Peel and roughly chop the eggs.
Mix together the yogurt, mustard, pepper, paprika, salt, scallions, and celery. Add the eggs and mix well. 

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Carefully spoon the egg salad into the hollows left by the pit. Sprinkle additional paprika, if desired, and serve.

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Buckeye Brownies

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Hey guys! So...I realize it's been a while -- okay, a long while since you've last heard from me, and I have to apologize because life has been really hectic lately and it's been virtually impossible for me to bake at all over winter break even though my heart and soul cried, "cookie!" and "brownie!" with all their might. Luckily, Caroline has been a baking goddess as per usual and made some absolutely to-die-for desserts, from what I've seen. Said desserts may include a birthday chocolate sour cream cake, yuzu panna cotta, and wow so many more my taste buds are exploding.

But at long last, I can happily announce to y'all that I am done with the MCAT! And to celebrate, I have gathered a few ingredients and made a brownie for you (and me).

Buckeye Brownies, to be exact.

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The buckeye to these brownies came from a homemade peanut butter sauce I made using Planters peanuts (I used the salted caramel flavor). Amazing! If you haven't tried making your own homemade peanut butter before, I can't emphasize enough how great it is to make your own peanut butter from scratch. Literally, just throw some peanuts into a food processor or blender. Give it a whirl for 3-4 minutes, and voila! Fresh peanut butter. (I might do a post on it if you guys are interested?)

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Imagine what you can do with your own homemade peanut butter. You could make Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cups. Or Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cakes. Or this brownie pie. The possibilities are endless. And the results are infinitely delicious.

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Anyway, these buckeye brownies are the bomb. Soft, chewy, and covered with a sheet of chocolate peanut butter glaze. The salted caramel flavor of the peanuts was a nice highlight, giving the glaze a slightly butterscotch feel. I hope you enjoy it!

As a side note on my future presence on Pass the Cocoa, I will be honest and tell you that I will not be able to contribute posts for the next couple months, most likely until June. As some of you may know, I am currently applying to medical schools and will need these next months to prepare my personal statement and other components of my application. It's a pretty long arduous process, and I'm torn because obviously I don't want to drop baking or blogging -- the things I love -- but I promise after these couple of months I'll be back. In the meantime, be sure to enjoy Caroline's beautiful and delicious sweet creations!

Love,
Monica

Disclaimer: I was provided a free sample by Planters to review. All opinions are my own.

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Buckeye Brownies

Adapted from Culinary Couture Blog and Deliciously Yum
Yield: 12 servings | Time: 1 hour

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon  baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup peanut butter
2 1/4 cup powdered sugar
4 - 6 tablespoons milk

9 ounces dark chocolate

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 8 x 8 inch baking pan.

Combine flour, cocoa, powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Then add the eggs one by one, stirring in between each. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.

Combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and milk. Add more or less powdered sugar and milk until reached the right consistency.

Melt chocolate and pour over peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for 1 hour before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

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