[1] Share the love with heart-shape brownies.

[2] Dutched cocoa removes the bitterness by adjusting the pH with alkali.

[3] Use the best quality chocolate chips. We like Ghirardelli and Guittard (photos 1, 2 and 3 courtesy King Arthur Flour)

[4] Dutched cocoa at left, and natural cocoa at right (photo courtesy Silk Road Spice Merchant).

If you want to do something special for Valentine’s Day but are short on time, here’s a hack for this recipe:

All you need are a brownie mix and a heart-shape cookie cutter.

We prefer made-from-scratch, of course. The recipe below is from King Arthur Flour.

You can save time with the from-scratch recipe by omitting the chocolate ganache. Brownies are plenty sweet and chocolatey without topping them with more sweet chocolate.

If you do want the ganache, we suggest the drizzle rather than the full ganache coating (i.e., frosting).

Prep time is 20 minutes, bake time is 28 to 30 minutes.

> The history of brownies.

> Check out the year’s 6 brownie holidays, below.
 
 
RECIPE: VALENTINE BROWNIES

Ingredients For 3 Dozen 2″ Hearts

 
For A Ganache Drizzle

 
-or-

For A Full Ganache Coating

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan. Line with parchment and grease the parchment. While this step isn’t strictly necessary, it makes getting the brownies out of the pan a whole lot easier.

2. MAKE the brownies: In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Then add the sugar and stir to combine.

3. RETURN the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it’s hot (about 110°F to 120°F) but not bubbling. It will become shiny-looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

4. STIR in the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth; then add the flour, chips and espresso powder, again stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

5. BAKE the brownies for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges and barely set in the center.

7. USE a 2″ heart cutter to cut 3 dozen hearts out of the brownies (or use a smaller or larger cutter to cut more or fewer hearts.) Place the hearts on a rack set over a piece of parchment or waxed paper.

8. DECIDE whether you want to drizzle the hearts with ganache, or coat them completely. You’ll make the lesser amount of ganache for drizzling, the greater amount for glazing.

9. MAKE the ganache: Combine the chips, cream and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat until the cream is very hot.

10. STIR the mixture until the chips melt. Then, drizzle over the brownie hearts or spread to cover completely.
 
 
NATURAL VS. DUTCHED (DUTCH PROCESS) COCOA

Cocoa powder in its untreated state is called natural cocoa. It is yellowish-brown in color.

Dutched chocolate, or Dutch process chocolate, is a deeper brown color, which leads most people to think that it is richer and has more chocolate flavor.

In fact, the alkali added to Dutched cocoa changes the pH of the cocoa to make it milder in flavor than natural cocoa, not deeper.

In 1828, Coenrad Johannes van Houten, the same engineer who developed the hydraulic press that created cocoa powder by crushing the nibs to separate the fat (cocoa butter), developed the process of treating the nibs with alkaline salts (alkali)* to neutralize the acidity and bitterness prior to crushing.

Van Houten was Dutch, so the process became known as Dutch process, or Dutching.

No Substitutions!

Because the pH is changed, you should not substitute these two types of cocoas in baking. While both will make a nice cup of cocoa, leavening will vary because of the differing acidities.

Here’s more about it.
 
 
THE YEAR’S 6 BROWNIE HOLIDAYS

________________

*Alkali is a chemical salt that neutralizes or effervesces with acids, such as lime or soda. If you remember back to high school chemistry, it turns litmus paper blue. The process darkens the cocoa powder, changes its taste by reducing bitterness, and increases the dispersability of cocoa powder for various applications such as flavoring beverages.

†A molasses bar recipe can also be a “molasses brownie.” Or, it could be in another type of bar cookie, such as an energy bar.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

For Martini lovers, here’s a twist for Valentine’s Day:

A peppadew stands in for a red heart on the cocktail pick, along with anything else you like. (Or, you can stack two or three peppadews on a pick.)
 
 
ADDITIONAL MARTINI GARNISHES

 
 
RECIPE: PEPPADEW MARTINI

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the cocktail pick. Shake the gin and vermouth with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

2. ADD the cocktail pick and serve.
 
Variation

Although we love the visual of the clear Martini and the red peppadew, you can apply the Dirty Martini approach by mixing some of the juice from the peppadew bottle into the Martini.
 
 
WHAT ARE PEPPADEWS?

These bush fruits from South African add “pep” to food and drink. They are available in mild and hot versions.

Here’s the scoop.

More Ways To Use Peppadews

[1] Say “I love you” with a peppadew (photo courtesy DeLallo Foods).

[2] You can also use peppadews to garnish Bloody Marys, or as part of a relish tray or antipasto plate (photo courtesy Murray’s Cheese).

[3] Peppadew and brie crostini. Here’s the recipe from Castello Cheese.

[1] A favorite sweet treat: the Cosmopolitan. Here’s the recipe (photo courtesy Kitchen Swagger).

[2] For savory palates, the Bloody Mary is spot on. Here are recipes (photo courtesy Bonefish Grill).

[3] Pink sparkling: affordable and delicious (photo courtesy Martini & Rossi).

A couple of years ago, we proposed a Valentine’s Day dinner/buffet with all pink and red foods.

This year, we’re taking things easy: just cocktails and light appetizers. And we’re going one step easier:
 
 
THE DRINKS

 
You can also offer:

 
 
For the alcohol averse:

 
 
DRINK GARNISHES

We’ve omitted organic rose petals in favor of garnishes that everyone likes to eat.

 
 
Don’t forget the ice!
 
 
PINK APPETIZERS

If you’re inviting a cohort of friends who ask “What can I bring,” assign them a pink or red appetizer. Here are some ideas:

 
You can also assign a Valentine soundtrack to the group’s musicologist.

Next step: Send out a brief invite.