Food: Valentine's love crunch and chocolate doughnut treats

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, here are a couple of ideas if you want to make something sweet for your sweetheart. The Sweet and Salty White Chocolate Love Crunch is the perfect snack to munch on while you’re cuddled up with your favourite person on the couch. And homemade doughnuts! Who doesn’t love homemade doughnuts? Brace yourself for plenty of hugs and kisses when your loved ones taste these Chocolate Baked Doughnuts with Raspberry Glaze.

Sweet and Salty White Chocolate Love Crunch

This tasty treat is a great way to use up the random bits and bobs at the bottom of cereal boxes and snack bags. I quite like the Shreddies and pretzel combo, but Cheerios or Corn Flakes would also work. The popcorn and peanuts are a necessity though, as they go so well with white chocolate. I added some lovely candy because it is Valentine’s Day after all. This is an addictive snack and doesn’t last long in my house.

5 cups popped popcorn

2 cups Shreddies

1 cup pretzel sticks

1 cup salted peanuts

1 cup Smarties

sprinkles, heart candies

225 g white chocolate, melted

1. In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients except the white chocolate. Toss well. Stir in the melted white chocolate and toss to evenly coat. Let the Love Crunch cool for 30 minutes so the chocolate can set, then serve. This is best if eaten the day it’s made, which shouldn’t be a problem.

Chocolate Baked Doughnuts with Raspberry Glaze

If you have never made doughnuts at home because you thought you needed to fry them, I have good news! This recipe needs a doughnut pan (or two) instead of a deep fryer. While these baked doughnuts are very good, with their rich chocolate flavour and dense cake-like texture, the real attraction to these sweet treats is the raspberry glaze. That colour is sure to put a smile on any Valentine’s face. To really push the boat out, add some fun sprinkles on top.

DOUGHNUTS

1 Tbsp coconut oil, for greasing the pans

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for

dusting the pans

11/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

11/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup melted unsalted butter

RASPBERRY GLAZE

1/4 cup raspberry juice from thawed frozen

raspberries

2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

2 Tbsp whipping cream

3 cups icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the rack in the centre of the oven. Grease two 6-well doughnut pans with coconut oil and dust with some cocoa powder. Tap the excess cocoa into the sink.

2. To make the doughnuts, stir together the 1/2 cup cocoa powder, flour, both sugars, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients and stir in the melted butter just until the mixture is combined.

3. Scrape the batter into a piping bag (or use a resealable plastic bag and snip off the corner).

Pipe the batter into the prepared pans, just until the wells are half-full. Bake for 10 minutes. The doughnuts should spring back when lightly touched. Let the pans cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes then remove the doughnuts from the pans. You may need to gently pry them out with a mini offset spatula. Let the doughnuts cool completely on the rack before glazing. If you only have one doughnut pan, be sure to grease the pan with oil and dust with cocoa between batches. Pour water into any empty wells.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set a wire rack over it.

5. To make the glaze, beat together the raspberry juice, melted butter, corn syrup and whipping cream in a large bowl. Sift in the icing sugar and beat the glaze well until it’s smooth. You can either dip the doughnuts into the glaze or spoon the glaze on top of the doughnuts. Some crumbs may fall into the glaze while dipping. If having crumbs in the glaze bothers you, then take a spoon and glaze the doughnuts that way. When you’re glazing, set the doughnuts on the prepared rack. Refrigerate the doughnuts for about 30 minutes before serving. This helps set the glaze.

6. The doughnuts are best the day they’re made, but they will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day, though the glaze may get goopy. Baked, but unglazed, doughnuts can be frozen in an airtight container for up to one month. Makes 14-16 doughnuts. Recipe from All the Sweet Things, by Renée Kohlman (TouchWood Editions, 2017).

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