Since Valentine’s coming up, I’m sharing yet another simple but delish Valentine recipe. No cookies this time around but instead it’s all about berries, chocolate and my favorite baker’s tools as of late- heart shaped cookie cutters!

This recipe was inspired by the infamous Valentine’s treat- chocolate dipped strawberries except for my version is way easier, less perfect and basically fail-proof. Don’t be fooled, however, it’s just as yummy! You can make these a few days in advance but they should be refrigerated and consumed within a week since the berries are fresh.

Just a little side note, my sis has been in town and we’ve been living in the kitchen making all sorts of stuff. Here’s a peek at our newly renovated kitchen space that my hubs basically planned, designed and built from scratch. No, he’s not an architect, designer or contractor. He’s just a plain ol’ handyman! All he had to start with was an empty room once filled with colorful rose wallpaper.

As you can probably tell, there are still missing features such as the backsplash, open shelves and baseboards. I’m not complaining, I’m just grateful that I no longer have to go down into the basement kitchen to cook!

Stay tuned for a complete kitchen renovation before/after post in the near future!

Here’s my secret to melting chocolate. I use the microwave version (the amateur way). I start with putting half a cup of white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 40 secs. Take out and stir. Heat for another 20 secs. Take out & stir again. Repeat the process until the chocolate has fully melted. It took me about 4 cycles of microwaving. This may vary depending on your microwave. Be careful to not overheat the chocolate otherwise it will become lumpy and grainy. It this case, stir in a little bit of oil or butter and let it sit for a few minutes. This should fix the consistency.

With this, you are basically making chocolate barks so nothing needs to be perfect. Also, the ingredients can vary based on your taste. For example, you can substitute the white chocolate with dark chocolate, add dried cranberries, use different types of nuts, etc. The possibilities are endless!

It’s very important to line your pan with parchment paper. This will save your life! After the chocolate sets, you can easily lift it off the paper. Also- another tip, don’t allow the chocolate to harden all the way prior to cutting it with the cookie cutters. It’ll be too brittle and break into pieces. You want the chocolate to be fudge-like in consistency when cutting out the heart shapes.

Other berries to consider for this recipe are raspberries and blackberries. If you prefer a longer shelve life treat, I would opt for dried fruits/berries.

These make perfect Valentine’s gifts. Put them into cute heart containers, add a bow and you’re all set!

A bonus? You’ll have lots of leftover chocolate bark bits and pieces to nibble on.

Hope you’ll give these a try!

In Instagram news- 1. wishing you a rosy day! 2. beautiful snow-covered branches in my neighborhood 3. Zoey had a snow day so we spent the day together in my office 4. morning light, tea and pretty things #saturdaymorning.

For my full Instagram feed, please click here.

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend and enjoy the Superbowl!! Go Broncos!!