Chocolate Kiss | 5 Indulgent Valentine’s Day Recipes
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here are five indulgent chocolate recipes to make taste buds swoon.
By Sarah Hearn Morrison
It was a raw, rainy November morning in Paris, and as I walked past L’Église de la Madeleine, I consulted a small notebook. I had recently moved to the city to attend culinary school, and from the moment I arrived, I had been recording every recommendation for the best croissant, the perfect steak frites, the can’t-miss fromages shop. Today, I was on a mission to taste the best hot chocolate of my life.
From across the street, I saw a golden glow, a pop of color among so much gray. I had arrived at La Maison du Chocolat, where the air was filled with the aroma of dark chocolate and the minimalist glass cases displayed small squares of chocolate filled with salted caramel, fennel ganache, and cherries. I made my way to the back corner, where a handful of tiny tables accommodated a lucky few, and ordered un chocolat chaud. A few minutes later, a white teacup filled with steaming, rich hot chocolate was set on the table. I still remember the moment as my personal introduction to the world of chocolatiers. This was in 2001, a few years before the craft chocolate movement exploded in the United States.
Chocolate’s roots in America go deeper than you might realize. In 1670, Dorothy Jones and Jane Barnard opened a public house in Boston serving hot chocolate—the earliest such permit on record. In 1765, James Baker and John Hannon established the first American chocolate company in Dorchester, Massachusetts, using cacao beans that they imported from the West Indies, at a time when chocolate production was inextricably linked to the slave trade. It wasn’t until the 19th century, though, that chocolate was produced with enough efficiency and scale to make it affordable for the middle class.
Today, of course, chocolate is everywhere, and New England is home to many excellent chocolatiers—from larger operations like Vermont’s Lake Champlain and Goodnow Farms to small producers like Maine’s Ragged Coast Chocolates. For baking, there are myriad bars, chips, and powders to choose from. Learn more about chocolate varieties and get a list of our favorite makers here.
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, chocolate becomes less of a treat and more of a love language. The following recipes include two versions of New England favorites—Boston cream pie and whoopie pies—as well as rich chocolate bread pudding, a simple orange cake with a chocolate glaze, and a chocolate-walnut-banana coffee cake. I may not always have Paris, but I’ll always have chocolate.
Note: The following recipes all give both volume and weight measurements for flour. People’s measuring styles vary greatly, and this can impact the final product. Use whichever method you prefer.
Learn More:Chocolate 101 | Origins, Varieties & Top New England Makers
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