Friday Feast: Valentine’s Treats

Valentine’s Day is a week today, and our food editor Alana has been busy whipping up some sweet treats in the kitchen that you can share with all your loved ones – no matter what your relationship status.

We have some super easy to make homemade chocolates which taste better than anything shop bought, you can put them in vintage trinkets or thrifted tins for an extra personal touch.
If chocolate isn’t their thing (yes, apparently there are some people out there that don’t like chocolate) we have really simple jam thumb biscuits which will add a much needed pop of colour to any tea time.

We’ll be making more this weekend, and don’t forget when you make them to send us a photo, or use the #bettymagazine hashtag, we love seeing your photos in the kitchen!

Jam Thumbprint Biscuits

Ingredients

Makes approx. 40

250g plain flour
50g ground almonds
1tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Zest of ½ a lemon
190g softened butter
150g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
1 large egg
Raspberry jam

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190C.
2. In one bowl, mix together the flour, almonds, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix until incorporated.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter a little at a time until a soft dough forms.
5. Place the dough in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up slightly. Remove and roll about a teaspoon of dough in to a 2cm ball, in-between the palm of your hands. Repeat and pop on a baking tray about 5cm apart.
6. Press your thumb into the middle of the balls, creating a well to fill with jam. Fill about 2/3 with the raspberry jam. We find it best to pre roll all the balls and place on a plate in the fridge until they are ready to be baked. The cookies spread when in the oven, so the spacing is really important – you’ll most likely need to bake in batches.
7. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool before placing in a pretty tin. They will keep in a sealed container for up to 5 days.

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

Makes approx. 25

300ml double cream
1 ½ tbsp. light brown muscovado sugar
300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or more)
1 thumb sized piece of unsalted butter
1 pinch of sea salt

To dust

Cocoa powder
Chopped toasted hazelnuts

Method

1. Break the chocolate into small pieces by bashing the packet on the surface.
2. Heat the cream and sugar in a pan over a low heat. Make sure it doesn’t boil; you just want to be able to see tiny bubbles appear on the surface, around the edge of the pan.
3. Turn the heat off and add the chocolate to the cream, along with the butter and sea salt (and any extra flavour you might be using). Stir until all the chocolate has melted – the ganache should be lovely and glossy. If it has split a little, stir in a dash of boiling.
4. Pour in to a pretty bowl, leave to cool before covering and refrigerating overnight.
5. About 30 minutes before you plan to make the truffles, remove the ganache from the fridge. Using a teaspoon (or melon baller if you have one), scoop out a little ganache and roll in to a ball using your palms (this can get a little messy).
6. Pop in your coating of choice and toss to make sure the whole truffle is covered. Set to one side and repeat.

These are so easy to whip up and are sure to impress your loved ones on Valentine’s Day. To put your twist on the truffles, try spiking with different flavours – a dash of amaretto, some orange zest or chopped candied ginger will do the trick!