Make a Solid Foundation for a Special Valentine's Day with Hot Chocolate Stones

You have to be careful when making someone a homemade gift for Valentine's Day. There's a very fine line between, "Oh, you are so thoughtful, romantic, and creative!" and "You cheap bastard!"

To hedge your bets, this beautiful box of chocolates would look even better in a gift bag with a few other tokens of your love, like perfume and lingerie. That said, if this is all you manage to offer this holiday, once the object of your affection bites into these smooth, rich, warm-from-the-pepper chocolate stones, how could they be disappointed?

Whenever I post things like this, I always get lots of questions, like… can I use milk chocolate? Can I use skim milk? Do you know where I can get a date for Valentine's Day? Let me save you some time, and answer "no" to all of those.

I'm not a candy maker, or a pastry chef, so I just don’t have the experience to tell you how you can alter the recipe. All I know is this works as shown – both as a formula and technique, as well as a sexy alternative to more expensive, less personal gifts. Enjoy!




8 ounces good dark chocolate
1/8 tsp chipotle pepper or cayenne
big pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
cocoa to dust
sexy black bow with the word "Love" across the top, or something similar

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