Valentine hearts
Valentine hearts
I adore
these chocolate hearts, and what makes them even better in my book is that they
are so easy to make, they barely require a recipe.
You will, however, need to be snappy and catch the chocolate
at the right moment: if you try to pipe it before it’s firm enough, it will
simply spread too much to hold a heart shape; and if it’s too firm, it will be
impossible to squeeze it out of the piping bag. Which is the very reason that I
suggest making small quantities at a time.
·
Makes 6
·
Prep 10 mins
Ingridient
·
100–150g brightly coloured cake decorating sprinkles
·
200g dark chocolate, finely chopped
Recipe
1.
Scatter the sprinkles in an even layer on to a parchment-covered baking
tray. Fit a disposable piping bag with a small star-shaped nozzle.
2.
Tip the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of barely
simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth, and then remove the bowl from the
pan. Leave the chocolate to cool and thicken, stirring frequently until it will
just hold a ribbon trail, at which point you will need to move quickly.
3.
Spoon the chocolate into the prepared piping bag and pipe heart shapes
directly on top of the sprinkles. Leave until set firm, then thread each heart
with coloured ribbon.
·
Cook’s Tip: You can re-use any leftover sprinkles either for cake
decorating or to make more chocolate hearts. The hearts will keep for up to 3
weeks in an airtight box in a cool place.
