Health/Wellness
BySammi Smith
Date February 8, 2019
Skip the candy aisle this Valentine’s Day and treat yourself (and the ones you love) to these deceptively simple yet totally delicious desserts. Adorably holiday-appropriate yet low on the “I choo choo choose you” cheesiness we normally associate with Valentine’s treats, you can make any or all of them with just five ingredients: strawberries, whipping cream, sugar, wafer cookies and chocolate. No need to break the bank or spend your entire day off in a kitchen frenzy; these three desserts are no-bake, require minimal assembly, and are guaranteed to deliver the sugar buzz you desire.
Cookies And Cream Mini Ice Box Cakes
No baking needed for these cute mini cakes. Just layer some chocolate wafer cookies with sweet strawberry whipped cream, refrigerate for an hour and you’ve got dessert. It’s seriously that easy.
Ingredients:
1 package chocolate wafer cookies (6 cookies per mini cake)
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup of strawberries, tops removed and roughly chopped, plus a few extra for decorating
Instructions:
To make the strawberry whipped cream
Purée the strawberries in a food processor or with a hand blender until they are a smooth, saucy texture and then set aside. Next, pour the cream into a large, high-sided bowl along with the sugar and whisk until stiff peaks start to form. Add the strawberry purée to the whipped cream and fold in gently with a spoon or spatula. If the cream loses some of its stiffness after adding the pur´e, whisk the mixture again to help add back structure. Chill the cream until you’re ready to use.
To assemble the cakes:
Line a sheet pan or tray with parchment paper to build your mini cakes on. Start with a cookie for the base, then add a small spoonful of cream on top and spread it out slightly to cover the surface of the cookie. Add another cookie layer, then another layer of cream and repeat until you have built a stack of six cookies. Once you have the final cookie layer placed on top, add a dollop of cream and garnish with a strawberry slice. You can leave the sides of the cake bare (naked style) or cover them with cream as well. Place the tray in the fridge for at least one hour or up to two days to set before serving.
Berries And Cream Parfaits
These look like you worked really hard, but are so easy and fun to make once you have some whipped cream, berries and cookies crumbs ready to go. Plus you can get creative and uniquely layer each parfait to perfectly suit the tastes of all the deserving #baes you’re treating for the holiday.
Ingredients:
½ package chocolate wafer cookies
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 ¼ cup of strawberries, divided, plus a few extra for decorating
23 tablespoons dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions:
To prepare the toppings:
Remove the tops of one cup of strawberries and chop them into small pieces. Place in a bowl and add one tablespoon of sugar, mix well and then set aside. Make the chocolate crumble by pulsing the cookies in a food processor or by placing them in a sealed Ziploc bag and bashing away with a heavy jar or rolling pin until you have a fairly even, fine crumbs. Set aside until ready to use.
To make the chocolate strawberries and plain whipped cream:
Purée ¼ cup of strawberries in a food processor or with a hand blender until they are a smooth, saucy texture and then set aside. Next add the chopped chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and melt on high for 20-30 seconds at a time and stirring until the chocolate is completely melted.
Set aside to cool slightly. Make the whipped cream, pouring the whipping cream into a large, high sided bowl along with the remaining two tablespoons of sugar and whisk until stiff peaks start to form. Divide evenly into three smaller bowls and add your flavourings strawberry puree to one bowl, melted chocolate to the second, and leave the third bowl plain. Gently fold in the purée or chocolate to the cream then give the mixture another whisk to help stiffen and fully combine the ingredients. Chill until you’re ready to use.
To assemble the parfaits:
Using some nice highball glasses or canning jars, layer the ingredients in each container starting with the chopped strawberries, followed by a couple spoonfuls of cream and then a layer of cookie crumbs. Repeat once more then top with a final dollop of cream, a sprinkle of cookie crumbs and a strawberry garnish. Feel free to play with how you layer the flavours of cream and decorate the tops of the finished parfaits.
Chocolate And Cookie Crumb Dipped Strawberries
We’re pretty sure it’s not actually Valentine’s Day unless you eat a chocolate-covered strawberry. So while you have all these ingredients at the ready, melt, dip and decorate away with these classic treats.
Ingredients:
¼ package chocolate wafer cookies (or whatever you have leftover from the other desserts)
1 pint of strawberries (or whatever you have leftover from the other desserts)
½ a bar of dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions:
To prepare the dips:
Make the chocolate crumble by pulsing the cookies in a food processor or by placing them in a sealed Ziploc bag and bashing away with a heavy jar or rolling pin until you have a fairly even, fine crumb. Set aside until ready to use. Next add the chopped chocolate to a microwave safe bowl and melt on high for 20-30 seconds at a time and stirring until the chocolate is completely melted.
To assemble:
Line a sheet pan or tray with parchment paper and set up your station with your strawberries, melted chocolate and cookie crumbs. Grab a strawberry by the top leaves, dip into the melted chocolate, swirling it slightly to get it well covered and then dip in the cookie crumbs. It’s nice to just cover the tip of the strawberry with the cookie crumbs so you can see a layer of cookie and chocolate. Lay the finished strawberry on the parchment paper and repeat until you’ve dipped all of the strawberries. Put the tray in the fridge for 20-30 minutes so that the chocolate can harden. Keep them refrigerated and covered until ready to serve.
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