Sugar & spice {special Valentine’s treats..}

I’ve spent the last week covered in caramel and licking chocolate off of spoons. Not a bad place to be, that.

Of course, there are so many chocolate gift options available these days, things you could buy – delicious things! – but it’s extra, extra special to make your own treats for your sweetheart. And oh yes, they make for an absolutely lovely surprise.

So when your friends and lovers unwrap their Valentine, they will find chocolate covered graham crackers topped with sea salt and lavender tea or sinfully good strawberries dipped in dulce de leche and speculoos crumbs.

And if, like me, you enjoy something that both looks and tastes beautiful, pay extra attention to the presentation. Tie a bow (not with your chocolate-covered fingers!), write a card, or attach a custom heart sticker – mine are from the beautiful illustrators at Tiny Prints – to your chocolate parcel.

Sugar & spice and everything nice

You’ll need:

• 2 x 2 oz unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate bars (I used Guittard baking bars)
• strawberries
• Graham crackers
• 1/2 cup dulce de leche
• toppings: fleur de sel, lavender tea (Lavende is the best), speculoos cookie crumbs

1. Melt the chocolate gently in a bain-marie. I like adding 2 T of milk per bar of chocolate to keep it extra smooth and easier to pour.

Temper the chocolate slowly – this will keep it glossy – melting about two-thirds of the chocolate first – do not stir!

2. Take off of heat; add the rest of the chocolate and stir it in with a dry spatula so that it melts into the rest of the mixture.

3. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and place a rack on top. Line up the crackers and the ripest, reddest strawberries you can find (quick tip: fluff up the stems and leaves to keep them away from the chocolate).

4. Working quickly, pour the chocolate evenly over the crackers. Top sparingly with your selected toppings.

5. Repeat process for strawberries, if you’d like to cover them in chocolate. Alternatively, warm the dulce de leche slightly in a bowl and dip in strawberries to form a swirl.

Top with speculoos cookie crumbs or a little bit of flaky sea salt.

Wrap the cookies with a ribbon or bow and attach a card full of sugar and spice.

The strawberries don’t travel as well, so I would recommend everyone sharing them immediately!

Happy Valentine’s Day!