Valentine’s Day is only one day away and I know lots of us are in scramble mode trying to get a romantic evening together last minute.  Life is hectic and these occasions arrive quickly!  If you are searching for a quick and thoughtful gift idea or delicious recipe for a romantic evening indoors, I’ve got you covered with my chile-chocolate covered strawberries!  When putting together this special Valentine’s recipe, I wanted to incorporate traditional aphrodisiac flavors into a tried and true dessert with a non-traditional twist!  This dessert is on the lighter side so it won’t leave you feeling bloated or weighed down and it’s smoky sweet flavors are completely unique.  Wrap these treats up in a gift box adorned with a red bow or serve them on a rose-petal covered tablescape and let their ingredients work their aphrodisiac magic!  My girl Ashley Fultz from The Style Editrix came by to share her styling tips with me to create a rocker chic Valentine’s look in exchange for learning this recipe firsthand.  Check out our ‘Valentine’s Date Night Look, Two Ways’ post here.

Ingredients

1 Pack of Fresh Strawberries
1/3 Cup Organic Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Organic Cocoa Powder
Sprinkle of Sea Salt
2 Cups Organic Raw Honey
8-10 Dried Chile De Arbol Peppers (you’ll need 2-3 Tbsp Chile Infused Honey)
Sprinkles or Nuts of your choice (we did cashews and walnuts)

Prep

Heat honey and chopped chile peppers on medium until bubbling and turn down to low to simmer for 20-30 minutes dependent on how much smoky spice you want.  Strain through a sieve bit by bit into a jar you want to store the honey in.  Allow to cool with lid off completely before chucking in an extra pepper for good measure and sealing it up!

Heat honey and coconut oil by placing them in separate glass jars/measuring cups seated atop a double boiler (see above). If you don’t have one, you can achieve the same results by place a saucepan on top of a pot of boiling water and placing your glass containers inside the saucepan until the coconut oil and honey are melted.

Once melted, combine honey, coconut oil, salt and cocoa powder in a bowl until smooth.

Simply dip strawberries one by one into your chocolate mixture and set aside on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Repeat dipping process to achieve the thickness of chocolate you desire and dip into sprinkles or finely chopped nuts for an added delicious texture to your treats.

Once finished, place the strawberries into the fridge to cool and harden before serving or wrapping up as a gift!  I guarantee the recipient of these smoky sweet Valentine’s treats will appreciate the unique flavors and thoughtful effort you put into making them from scratch!  These chile-chocolate covered strawberries are guaranteed to spice up the evening and make whoever’s eating them forever yours!

Happy Valentine’s Day! xo