So every man and his dog loves a good Valentines day baking blog post. Or at least that’s what I’ve decided by looking at the amount of stuff that is all over Pinterest. Really, it’s hard to know where to start; there are that many recipes for any kind of scenario! I could create an entire dessert degustation from the recipes, and still not get through even a quarter! It would be a tasty experiment though, perhaps next year!
Regardless of the wealth of options, I was on the hunt for something specific. A while ago I booked flights back up to see my partner for Valentines Day. I know it’s a commercial holiday and a reason to spend money on flowers and cards, but I don’t care. I’m a sucker for romance, and I love any excuse to get into my romantic mood and pamper my partner. I think the only reason he humours me is because he can see how much I enjoy it, plus he benefits from my love of planning!
Anyone who knows me knows that I always go over the top for these sorts of things, I always love to go above and beyond, and I never know when to stop! Last year we were on a plane to America for Valentines Day (the struggle is real) and so I organised a plane care package for my partner full of delicious goodies and things to make his journey more comfortable! This year I had to come up with something different, and it was hard to not let my brain get away with me! It is, after all, a lot harder to organise things to give to your partner when you have to bring it up from Melbourne on a 2 hour flight with a luggage allowance! It certainly makes you think a little more creatively about the whole thing, and I think it might have been the first year where I have learnt a little bit of constraint (just a little bit of course).
We are going to spend a weekend away together, which will be amazing, and I’m really going to enjoy just chilling out with him without any distractions. Plus I have organised a winery tour, which is practically my favourite hobby other than cooking! So I have organised a little bit of a picnic package from a couple of cute shops around Melbourne, keeping in mind his favourite things. But I always want to do more, and I decided it would be a perfect excuse to get back into the kitchen and bake something delicious!
So I searched around and found a recipe for white chocolate and raspberry brownies, which I then altered a lot based on what I love in a brownie i.e. lots of chocolate! My partner loves most food, but he is a bit of a sucker for anything with raspberries, and I thought that this was such a cute Valentines Day treat! The brownies themselves end up being pink and white, which is perfect! I also, being the chocoholic I am, decided to add a little bit more chocolate to it by cutting up some Lindt and adding it to the recipe, because you can’t go wrong with Lindt chocolate, am I right?
These recipe suggested cooking these in heart shaped moulds, which I couldn’t seem to find and decided it wasn’t worth buying. You don’t need everything to be all love hearts on Valentine’s Day, after all, it’s the taste that really counts! I decided it would be lovely to put these into a little jar to take up to Brisbane, along with some heart shaped lollies just to give it a little something extra!
Ingredients
- 50 grams of unsalted butter
- 180 grams of white chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- ¼ cup of caster sugar
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon of plain flour
- 1/3 cup of frozen raspberries
- ½ block of 70% Lindt Dark Chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a baking tin with baking paper. Set the tin aside.
- Place butter, white chocolate and milk in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. If the butter and chocolate is not completely melted after 1 minute, place back in microwave for 15-second intervals, checking and stirring each time until fully melted. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool once melted.
- Add sugar and egg to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Sift in the flour and stir again until completely combined without lumps.
- Crush the raspberries using a fork until broken apart and break the dark chocolate apart into small chunks. Add to the mixture and stir until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin and use the back of a spoon or spatula to distribute the mixture evenly across the pan
- Place in oven and bake for 15-17 minutes or until the edges are firm and the top is golden. These brownies will harden as they cool, so don’t worry too much if they are a little soft coming out of the oven.
- Allow to cool completely and then cut into even squares.
- Serve with a dusting of icing sugar, or if you are gifting these, place into a jar along with your favourite heart shaped candy.
And there you have it, my recipe for white chocolate brownies with raspberries and dark chocolate. These brownies are full of ooey gooey goodness, especially with the addition of dark chocolate to the already chocolate filled batter. They are incredibly decadent, and perfect to give to the one you love to show them you care. Plus, they are so perfectly Valentine’s Day with the colours in the brownies, so you really can’t go wrong.
They look so cute in the glass jar along with some heart shaped lollies, and I just tied a ribbon around the outside with a note to give it that extra touch. It’s the perfect way to give someone something special without breaking the bank. Plus, it comes from the heart and takes more effort than grabbing a card off the shelf, that’s for sure! I’m sure anyone you made these for would really appreciate what you had done for them, especially once they taste the goodness that is these brownies!
I hope you all have amazing Valentine’s Days, I know a lot of people don’t really celebrate it. But I think it gives you the opportunity to do something with someone you love. Whether its just hanging out, watching a movie at home or cooking a meal for one another, you don’t need to buy into the whole concept and go out spending a lot of money. It’s all about making the other person feel special, and I think baking or cooking really delivers this message home. It’s such a nice way to give back!
Until next time, Happy Eating
Ella xx
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