Here we go- a bunch of chocolate recipes of one category or another: Either EASY, or HEALTHY, or JUST DELICIOUS, or all three!
We’re all pretty busy, right? I mean, who even has time to read all the messages in our inbox?! Or to research which “Valentine’s Day Recipes” to try, in the many articles all over the web right now, in any cooking section?!
So let’s boil it down. Maybe some of these recipes will make it into your arsenal of “Go-To Chocolate Recipes”.
1.) Among the easiest of recipes: Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries! You only need to melt a cup of chocolate chips to a quarter cup butter, to make a delicious dip for some beautiful strawberries. If the strawberries are organic, this is practically a super-food, right? These won’t hold up for long (it’s best to make them day-of), but it’s easy to eat quite a few of these!
2.) On the healthy side, and also on the easy side, are Easy Chocolate Truffles that are quite simple to make- just some melted coconut oil mixed and a few other simple ingredients, rolled in cocoa powder afterward. (Saves that dipping step). When red palm oil was all the rage, I tried a version of these subbing the palm oil for coconut oil. It was definitely an acquired taste. (The coconut-oil version has proved more popular!)
3.) On the healthy side, but a little more involved to make, are these Chocolate Strawberry Truffles. Frozen strawberries are pureed and mixed with coconut butter and honey. Formed into balls, they get dipped into a bittersweet chocolate mix that’s just cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey, and butter. One can save time by using melted chocolate chips and butter for dipping into, but the non-sugar version is pretty easy! (And healthier, of course.)
4.) On the easy side- this “Chocolate Truffle Cake” was my Go-To-Cake-Recipe for years, when I was so busy raising kids in the midst of running The New Deli. It was so easy to just microwave a few ingredients, stir in eggs, and put it all into a lined pan. The toasted pecans added before baking helped the dessert to look even better. Nom… I was digging this recipe before gluten-free was even a thing! (Oh, here’s the “Kahlua Chocolate Truffle Cake Version” too- the other one is sans alcohol.)
5.) Now, back to the healthy side. “Quinoa Chocolate Cupcakes” has been a popular choice lately. Even the kids at the last birthday party were chowing down on ’em, to our surprise! There are a bunch of versions of this recipe- mine’s not much different, except that I usually streamline the methods and simplify ingredients whenever possible. Note to self, and others: Process the quinoa AFTER it cools, or it’ll get too glue-y!
6.) This “Chocolate Genoise Cake w/Pistachio Marzipan” is at the bottom of the list, not because it’s not as tasty, but because it’s more complex to make. If you’re up for a challenge, go for it. It looks beautiful and tastes delicious. The beauty of the sponge cake is that the cake itself is light and airy, since it’s lower moisture, but because it’s dry (and light), it takes a nice soaking from a sweet syrup poured on the finished cake.
