Dear sweethearts,
Sometimes you just need some chocolate, ya know? You can make these under the guise of crafting sweet treats for your Valentine, but make sure you put a secret stash in the freezer for, like, emergencies or whatever. Chocolate emergencies are a thing.
I dreamed up these recipes by having a stack of chocolate in my kitchen, a row of Vitality oils begging to become something delicious, and an insatiable crave for the fruit of the cacao bean in my heart. I ended up creating these based on what I had on hand, and a desire make Valentine’s treats that are gluten-free.
These are basically assembly instructions since these recipes are so ridiculously easy, you pretty much just melt a bunch of stuff and then let it get solid again. Enjoy.
Ingredients
Sugar and Chocolate: Use organic. Use high-quality chocolate. Use Ghirardelli’s or better. Whatever you choose, know that it matters. Cheap chocolate cannot be dressed up enough to taste like quality chocolate. Quality chocolate needs no dressing up to taste amazing.
Essential Oils for Infusing: I use Young Living’s line of Vitality oils for flavoring and spicing up dishes in the kitchen! Vitality oils are approved by the FDA for ingestion, are labelled for supplement use and are delicious, fresh and 100% chemical-free. They are distilled without the use of solvents and grown in pesticide-free soil without any chemical sprays – not even organic ones! You might already have essential oils for flavoring, or you can go here and click “Member” to purchase a 50% off bundle of oils, including five Vitality oils. (Read more about essential oil stuffs here)
download all the recipes in one handy PDF
Frankly My Dear Peanut Butter Cups
Rhett Butler might bring the swoon to the silver screen, but these peanut butter cups will have your lover falling all over you with adoration. I don’t even know what I just said but I was really trying to work that Frankly phrase into the name of these delicious, freaking amazing cups of delight.
1 cup organic, creamy peanut butter, well-churned to mix in the oil **CHECK the label – even “natural” and “organic” peanut butters may include additional sugar, palm oils and hydrogenated soybean oil**
1 Tablespoon Kerrygold or raw butter, melted
1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
12 ounces Ghirardelli’s semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces Ghiradelli’s milk chocolate chips
2 drops Frankincense Vitality essential oil
Paper mini-muffin cup liners, about 30 – 35
- Whisk 1/2 cup peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar and salt together with a fork. Set aside.
- In a glass microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. When fully silky-smooth, stir in 2 drops of Frankincense Vitality oil and stir vigorously.
- Place about one teaspoon of chocolate in each mini muffin cup.
- Spoon a teaspoon of peanut butter filling onto each chocolate blob.
- Spoon a final teaspoon of chocolate on top of each peanut butter blob, smoothing out the chocolate. Remove to the refrigerator or freezer to chill until firm; store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer and ENJOY! into the center of each muffin cup.
Citrus Dream Meltaways
My friend Holly taught me how to make meltaways back in Virginia Beach. I couldn’t remember exactly how we did it so let’s be real, I just had to make measurements up to recreate our chocolate experience – but follow these measurements approximately and you’ll have delightful melt-in-your-mouth chocolate treats. You can use any flavorings you like – citrus is a particular favorite of mine – and the more chocolate to coconut oil ratio you have, the less melty they will be.
1 cup organic expeller-pressed coconut oil or virgin coconut oil if you like the coconut flavor
12 ounces Ghirardelli’s semisweet chocolate chips
5 drops Citrus Fresh Vitality essential oil blend
4 drops Orange Vitality essential oil
- In a glass microwave-safe bowl or a double-boiler, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together. For microwave: heat for 60 seconds, stir, then heat for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
- Remove from heat/microwave and add Vitality oils (other flavors I love: Peppermint Vitality for a peppermint patty flavor, Lavender Vitality for a tea party, Ginger, Clove and Nutmeg Vitality at Christmas time, Cinnamon Bark Vitality for a spicy burst …).
- Pour or spoon into small silicone molds or paper mini-muffin cups. Freeze until solid; store in an airtight container in the freezer. Melt in your mouth GOODNESS!!
Bergamot Berry Fudge
This is an easy, easy fudge. It’s stupid easy. You can make it on the stove in a heavy pan, in a double boiler or in the microwave – whatever floats your chocolate fountain boat.
12 ounces Ghirardelli’s semisweet chocolate chips
9 ounces butterscotch chips
1 14-ounce can organic sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or caramel extract
1/2 cup Ningxia wolfberries, separated so they aren’t in one sticky ball **
5 drops Bergamot Vitality oil
- In a heavy pot, a double-boiler or in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and condensed milk together. For microwave: heat for 60 seconds, remove and stir, then heat for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted and smooth.
- Remove from the heat/microwave and stir in extract, wolfberries and Bergamot Vitality oil.
- Pour into a 9×9 pan and let cool (it will firm up very quickly!!) Cut into cubes of divine goodness and float away on a blissful cloud of all your happiest dreams come true. I mean literally. Also share some with people you really really like.
**I buy the Ningxia wolfberries from Young Living in one-lb bags. Absolutely delicious, and bursting with antioxidants. Just what we need to make our fudge a lil less, um, guilty.
Infused Brownies Virtually From Heaven
Use your favorite brownie recipe or mix to infuse the Brownies Of Your Dreams. Serve with lavender-vanilla ice cream, oh creative one!
1 Ghirardelli’s triple-fudge brownie mix, another brownie mix you love like this awesome gluten free one for an 8×8 pan of brownies, or a single-pan recipe of these seriously amazing Paleo brownies
Lavender-Lemon Brownies
5 drops Lemon Vitality essential oil
2 drops Lavender Vitality essential oil
Peppermint-Orange Brownies
8 drops Orange Vitality essential oil
4 drops Peppermint Vitality essential oil
Frankincense-Bergamot Brownies
3 drops Frankincense Vitality essential oil
8 drops Bergamot Vitality essential oil
- Stir together liquids for the brownies and drop in the Vitality oils of your choice. Add dry ingredients and continue with recipe as directed.
- Serve to an adoring, grateful crowd of brownie lovers, or, don’t share. You choose.
If you have brilliant ways to use the Vitality oils, I am ALWAYS keen to hear them!!!!! Shout out your fabulous ways in the comments below and I will try them out in my own kitchen!!!!!
LOVE to all you beautiful WONDERFUL readers!!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!!!!!