Food&Drink Writer Maia Shorley shares some easy sweet treat recipes to celebrate the month of love
Valentine’s Day is all about showing your love and appreciation for others; and what better way to do that than with food? After all, for many of us food is like a ‘sixth’ love language. So, express your affection with these easy, delicious, sweet treats, that require minimal time, ingredients and equipment, perfect for cooking in a university house kitchen and iconic for sharing the love.
After all, for many of us food is like a ‘sixth’ love language.
Rice Krispie Bars
These Rice Krispie bars are simple but effective. They are delicious and quick to make and only need 3 ingredients. You can add that extra pizzazz with the addition of red food colouring to make them pink or red, or even heart shaped sprinkles to stay on theme.
Ingredients:
- 180g or 4 and ½ cups of Rice Krispies
- 440g or 5 and ½ cups of marshmallows
- 60g of ¼ of a cup of salted butter
Optional extras:
- Red food colouring
- Heart shaped sprinkles (you could either stir these in, or if you top your bars with chocolate, sprinkle them over the top).
- Milk or white chocolate to spread over the top of your bars before cutting. If you opt for white chocolate, you could even use red food colouring to make the chocolate pink or red.
Method:
1. Line a deep baking dish with baking paper and measure out the ingredients.
2. To a medium sized saucepan, add the butter and marshmallows and melt over a low heat, stirring continuously.
3. When your mixture has fully melted and reached a smooth and creamy consistency, remove from the heat. Next, pour in the Rice Krispies and start mixing until they are evenly coated in the mixture. This is where you could also stir in some heart shaped sprinkles to make your bars extra cute and Valentine’s Day themed.
4. Pour the mixture into your baking dish and lightly press the mixture into all corners so it is distributed evenly in the dish. Make sure you do not press too hard because this will make your bars hard.
5. As an option, you could melt 150g of chocolate of your choice to spread over the bars and add even more sprinkles if you wish. Next, leave them to set in the fridge for at least two hours before cutting into even size squares.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Chocolate covered strawberries are a classic Valentine’s Day treat, and for a very good reason. Strawberries are associated with the Roman Goddess of love and topping them with chocolate makes for the perfect sweet treat.
Ingredients:
- 250g of strawberries
- 175g of chocolate
Method:
1. Wash and pat dry your strawberries ready for coating.
2. Break up your chocolate and add to a microwave safe bowl to melt. If you do not have a microwave, place chocolate in a glass heat-proof bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water. Make sure the water does not touch the bowl and that the bowl tightly covers the saucepan.
3. Line a baking tray or plate with baking paper.
4. Dip the strawberries into the chocolate, getting a thick even layer of chocolate and then place them onto the prepared tray or plate to set.
5. Add any additional toppings or chocolate to jazz up your strawberries before placing them in the fridge to set.
Extra topping ideas:
- Drizzle over some milk or white chocolate to create a pretty contrast effect
- Sprinkles (even better if they are heart shaped)
- Chopped nuts
- Desiccated coconut
- Crushed biscuit (Oreo’s or Lotus Biscoff would be yummy)
Rocky Road
Rocky road makes for a great sweet treat, all your favourite sweets and biscuits coated in chocolate – what’s not to love? For this recipe, all of the add ins are Valentine’s themed to make them an extra special gift.
Ingredients:
- 80g of butter
- 450g of milk or white chocolate
- 150g of Jammie Dodgers
- 100g of mini marshmallows
- 50g of sweet and salty popcorn
- Love Heart sweets
- 50g of dried cranberries
Method:
1. Line a square tin or dish with baking paper.
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or on the hob over a pan of boiling water.
3. Break up the biscuits and stir into the chocolate along with the other add-ins (you can swap these out for any of your or your loved one’s favourites). Make sure to save a few to sprinkle over the top.
4. Once fully combined and coated in chocolate, pour into the tin and press into the corners, making sure it is evenly spread.
5. Put in the fridge to set for at least two hours before cutting into squares.
No matter who you are celebrating this Valentine’s with, these treats are the sweetest way to share a little love. Even in a shared kitchen, amid the chaos of busy university life, they make the perfect affordable, heartfelt homemade gift.
…these treats are the sweetest way to share a little love.
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