Hudson Valley Valentines: Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts

If you know me you probably already know, I have this thing for peanut butter.  Now if you add some chocolate, that’s a perfect combination and I’m in LOVE.  This Valentine’s Day I’m celebrating my love for chocolate and peanut butter by making something very special. Okay so I’m stretching the definition of Farm-to-Table a bit for this post, but we’re still keeping with the theme of using local vendors and food produced in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains.  I purchased several scrumptious chocolate varieties from the local award winning Fruition Chocolate and used them to make some Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts. They came out delicious…take a look at the recipe below and try them for yourself!

I didn’t use just any chocolate for these treats.  Fruition Chocolate has won over three dozen major awards for their handcrafted chocolate made in small batches right here in the Catskill Mountains. Customers can visit one of Fruition’s storefronts in Woodstock or Shokan or purchase their chocolate at select stores in the area, or online here: https://www.tastefruition.com/collections/products

For the hearts,  I used two of Fruition’s dark chocolate varieties (Marañón Canyon Dark and Heirloom Costa Rica Dark), as well as two milk types (Dark Milk with Flor de Sal and Brown Butter Milk Chocolate) and one white chocolate (Toasted White Chocolate).

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts

1 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
10 bars (60 grams each) of Fruition Chocolate
Heart Shaped molds

First, mix up the peanut butter with powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and coconut oil.  If the coconut oil is solid, melt it over low heat until it liquefies.  Go ahead – you can taste it. Yup, I know – it’s amazing right? Just wait…

Break up your chocolate bars into many smaller pieces and melt in a double boiler.  If you don’t have a double boiler you can make one by putting a smaller pot into a larger one a couple of inches of water in the larger/bottom pot.  As the water comes to a boil it will heat up the chocolate so that it melts but doesn’t burn the way it would if it were directly over the heat.   I used several different varieties so melted one bar at a time, but if all of your chocolate is the same you’ll want to melt half of it.

I used heart shaped molds for my chocolate hearts and filled the bottom of each with about a teaspoon of chocolate to coat the bottom (which will become the top) completely.  Place in the freezer for at least five minutes to set (or 30 minutes in the fridge).

Once your first layer of chocolate has hardened, add a small amount of the peanut butter mixture to the center of each heart.  Place back in freezer or fridge to harden a little.

Melt the rest of your chocolate and pour onto each heart over the peanut butter mixture.  Place back in freezer or fridge to harden.

When the chocolate is solidified, pop each heart out of it’s mold onto wax or parchment paper.

I suggest placing back in the fridge overnight to set. But first you can eat one – delicious, right? Enjoy and share them with someone you love!

Here’s to a day full of happiness and love! Happy Valentine’s Day!