Valentine’s Day Recipes as heard on 2Day FM with Kevin Fell

Who needs romance and roses when you can have a homemade chocolate treat, right? If you share my theory – I’ve got you covered (in chocolate) with a few chocolaty recipes perfect for any Valentine’s Day celebration!!

Spicy Black Bean Brownies with Caramel Mascarpone Frosting

I’m not one to hide ‘healthy’ foods in dishes to make them more ‘healthy’, but OMG – these brownies are A-MAZ-ING! Who knew a can of black beans could taste so darn good?! And I totally made up for the healthiness with a worth-every-calorie-frosting. Balance folks.

Ingredients

• 1 (540 mL) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup (60 mL) softened butter
• 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
• ½ cup (125 mL) cocoa powder
• ½ cup (125 mL) dark chocolate chips (3 oz/90 g)
• ½ cup (125 mL) brown sugar
• ¼ cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
• ½ tsp (2 mL) baking powder
• ½ tsp (2 mL) salt
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
2. Place beans in a bowl of food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until roughly
   chopped.
3. Add eggs, butter and vanilla and pulse until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the
   bowl when needed.
4. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until batter is very well combined and fairly smooth.
5. Spread batter into an 8 X 8 inch square baking pan lined with parchment paper (check
   out my parchment paper trick at bottom of this post).
6. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until edges are set
   and center is slightly jiggly.
7. Remove from the oven and cool completely while making frosting.

Caramel Mascarpone Frosting

No judgment if this frosting doesn’t even make it on the brownies. Yup, it’s that good. I’ve been known to have a few spoon to mouth encounters with this frosting over the kitchen sink.

Ingredients

• ½ cup (125 mL) brown sugar
• ¼ cup (60 mL) butter
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) 35% heavy cream
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) vanilla
• Pinch salt
• 4 oz (120 g) mascarpone cheese, room temperature (or brick style cream cheese)
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) icing sugar

Directions

1. Place brown sugar, butter and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Sir occasionally until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute, stirring once or twice until sugar has dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt.
4. Cool completely at room temperature.
5. Beat mascarpone cheese with icing sugar.
6. Beat in cooled caramel until evenly combined (if frosting seems too soft to spread, chill
   for about 20 minutes).
7. Spread frosting evenly on brownies. Store in the refrigerator for up to five days – but they
   won’t last that long!
8. Makes 16 brownies.

Delicious & Doable Tips:

• substitute ⅓ cup (75 mL) store bought caramel instead of making your own.
• for an extra chocolatey touch, drizzle melted dark chocolate over frosted brownies.

Ginger Studded White Chocolate Tahini Blondies

~ click here for recipe

Grilled Chocolate Sandwiches

~ click here for recipe

Charmaine Broughton is a Muskoka/Toronto-based cooking show host & guest expert and author of ‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life‘.

‘Delicious & Doable ~ Recipes For Real and Everyday Life’ is on Amazon! Get your copy today!