chocolate recipes Archives - Living La Vida Holoka

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Skip the box of chocolate this Valentine’s Day and bake up a batch of these Valentine’s Day Chocolate Dipped Meringue Hearts instead!

It seems like I can’t go grocery shopping without seeing an entire aisle devoted to Valentine’s Day this time of year. But there’s only one reason I keep venturing down these aisles – my husband. Every year for Valentine’s Day, I buy him the same small box of chocolates. It’s become a yearly joke between us.

My husband loves Blue Nose Pitbulls. So five years ago, when I stumbled across a box of chocolates with a couple of blue pits on it, I knew I had to get it for him. He ended up loving it so much that he kept the cover of the box.

Year after year, I kept seeing the same box of chocolates. So every year, I’ve bought it for him. This year, I haven’t seen that box of chocolates yet, but I’m determined to find it! In the meantime, my permanent Valentine gets to help me test out recipes for Heart Day – you know, just in case that box of chocolates doesn’t show up this year!

These chocolate dipped meringue hearts are better than a box of chocolates!

During the holidays, I did a lot of baking! Most of it was semi-homemade from cookie mixes, but I did manage to bake a batch of homemade meringues. I had misplaced my star tip, so I affectionately called my holiday meringues “snowman poop.” They were vanilla meringue cookies decorated with a snow inspired sprinkle mix. The cookies turned out so good that I decided to make them again for Valentine’s Day. This time, I made them into pink hearts and dipped them into dark chocolate.

I figure these cookies will easily keep me from nosing around those Valentine’s Day aisles for myself, as tempting as they may be. My sweet tooth will stick to meringue. After all, a plain meringue cookie is only 10 calories. It might be a little more dipped in dark chocolate, but it’s so worth it. Especially when you compare it to the candy hanging out in those seasonal aisles in the store!

These cookies are light, crispy, and have a subtle vanilla flavor. You could definitely swap out the vanilla extract for a strawberry or raspberry extract. I dipped them in dark chocolate because that’s what I had on hand. Plus, dark chocolate is basically the healthiest chocolate you can consume. Despite the sweet temptation of the Valentine’s Day season, I’m still trying to keep my healthy eating habits in check.

Yum

Valentine’s Day Chocolate Dipped Meringue Hearts

Ingredients

3 large egg whites
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
Dash of salt
2/3 cup sugar
Red food coloring
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
Valentine's Day sprinkles

Instructions

Add egg whites to a small bowl and let them come to room temperature, at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat with a whisk attachment until the eggs become foamy.
Gradually add the sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated, add a couple drops of red food coloring.
Continue mixing on high until glossy and stiff peaks form.
Add the mixture to a piping bag with a round tip. Pipe heart shapes onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the meringue cookies in the oven for 45 minutes. Then, turn off the oven and let the meringues sit in the oven for an hour.
Once the meringues are baked, melt the dark chocolate over low heat, stirring continuously until the chocolate is smooth and melted completely.
Dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate. Then, sprinkle with Valentine's Day sprinkles.
Let the chocolate set in the fridge (or at room temperature) and enjoy!
Store the cookies in a sealed bag or container in a cool, dry place.

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Have a Galentine’s Day gathering coming up or want a special treat for your Valentine? Whip up a batch of these cookies! As long as you make sure that your egg whites come to room temperature before whipping up these meringues, you’ll be good to go!

Don’t forget to share your meringue hearts by tagging me @lavidaholoka and using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats!

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If you like this Valentine’s Day recipe, you might enjoy these as well:

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These No-Bake Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Bars are the perfect snack for when you’re trying to stay on track with your healthy eating goals, but crave the occasional chocolate treat!

We’re halfway into January and I’ve been doing pretty well with making healthy switches in my diet. But the one thing I can’t manage to shake is the craving for a snack before bed. If you’re like me and have read an abundance of diet/healthy lifestyle books, then you know that the debate about snacking before bed hasn’t quite been settled. Some dietitians say you should cut off eating before a certain time eat night. Other diets have said you should be eating right up until you go to bed to keep your metabolism lit like a fat burning fire.

Now, I’m no expert when it comes to dieting, but I hate going to bed hungry. There’s nothing worse than your growling stomach keeping you awake at night. So I’m all about that “everything in moderation” business. If your stomach is still begging you for a bite after dinner, eat something. Obviously not a full dinner, but a little something-something to stave off the hunger and keep you satisfied.

I feel the same way about cravings. Want pizza? Eat a slice of a pizza (not half a pie). Want chocolate? Eat some damn chocolate! That’s where this recipe comes in.

Okay. Let me just preface this recipe by saying that it’s health-ish. I’m not going to tell you that you can scarf down half a baking dish of these bars just because they’re made with almond butter, coconut flour, and dark chocolate. It goes back to that “everything in moderation” thing. However, these Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Bars are made with simple ingredients that definitely have a few added benefits.

Almond butter

Almond butter has healthy fats in it, which is good for heart health. It’s also full of vitamins and minerals.

Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate may actually have higher amounts of antioxidants than some fruits! It’s also another heart-healthy food and may lower cholesterol levels. It’s also pretty good for the brain!

Coconut flour

Coconut flour is a great, gluten-free substitute. It also may aid in fueling your metabolism and keeping your blood sugar a healthy level. Coconut flour is also high in fiber, so it’s good for digestion.

Oh, and have I mentioned that they’re no-bake? So when that craving for something sweet hits, you can whip up a batch of these bars in no time!

Yum

No-Bake Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Bars

Ingredients

1 cup creamy almond butter
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
12 oz. dark chocolate chunks, 1/2 cup set aside
Optional: 1/4 cup almonds, chopped
Coconut oil, to grease the pan

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, add the almond butter, coconut flour, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium until well combined.
Stir in 1/2 cup of the dark chocolate chunks.
Grease an 8x8 square baking dish with coconut oil.
Then, spread the almond butter mixture evenly into the pan.
Add the rest of the dark chocolate chocolate into a small saucepan.
Heat the chocolate over low and continuously stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
Remove from heat and pour over the almond butter.
Sprinkle chopped almonds on top, if desired, and let the chocolate set in the fridge for at least an hour.
Once the chocolate is completely solid, you can cut into bars and enjoy!

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A few other things about this recipe:

If you want perfectly cut square bars, you’re probably not going to get it. If you do somehow manage – well, you’re a wizard, Harry. That was not happening for me!
The almond butter may separate a little from the chocolate while you’re cutting this recipe into bars. Not a big deal. You can easily press it back into place and let them harden up in the fridge again.
I definitely recommend wrapping these bars up individually after cutting them and keeping them in a baggie or container in the fridge.
If you want to make tinier portions, grease a mini muffin pan and make them like homemade almond butter cups instead!

Next time your craving for something sweet and chocolaty hits, make a batch of these No-Bake Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Bars! They’re pretty much guilt-free, have no added sugar, and taste just like an almond butter cup!