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Over the weekend, I was racking my brain for a fun, unique way to show my love on Valentine’s day. And then I had an epiphany– something delicious, interactive, different fun. My gosh, there it was in front of me, chocolate fondue! Seriously, I’m not a big fondue girl. I love it but I never make it or think about it. But I stumbled upon the cutest fondue set on Amazon, and I thought why not? Talk about creative!
- For my daughters, it’s a fun, interactive way to enjoy desert
- For my guy, what is sexier than feeding each other chocolate drenched strawberries?
- For my girlfriend who just had a painful breakup, it’s a great way to show her (and her children) that I’m thinking of her
And the fondue set isn’t just for Valentine’s day– I can use it any time. So I placed my order and got my set yesterday. While I had alone time, I tried it out and it was amazingly delicious and I can’t wait to surprise the people in my life with fondue over the weekend. And the next time I throw a dinner party, guess what we are having for dessert?
Liz’s Chocolate Fondue Recipe
Ingredients
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 cup of whipping cream
-1/4 cup of sugar
-2 bags of chocolate chips, 12 oz (you can opt for milk chocolate chips, dark or semi-sweet). I always buy Guittard Chocolate Chips because I find the quality second to none. (Plus my good friend’s family owns the chocolate company!) For this recipe, I went for milk chocolate chips
-orange essential oil or vanilla or other flavoring/liqueur (I only by Doterra essential oils because you can ingest them. If you buy essential oils, make sure you can ingest them because you can’t always do so– quality matters!)
In a saucepan, combine the cocoa powder and water over low heat. Stir frequently until combined and just barely warm (about two minutes). Stir in the whipping cream and sugar; turn up your stovetop to medium high (about seven). Stir frequently until it simmers (do not boil). Add the chocolate chips and stir until they melt and is thoroughly mixed together. Add a few drops of orange essential oil, liqueur of your choice, or vanilla. You can also stir in peanut butter, which gives it a really different taste.
Add to your mini crockpot or mini fondue set to keep warm. For dippers, try bananas, strawberries, apples, oranges, pineapple, mango, brownies, pound cake, sugar cookies, marshmallows. You can also add nuts, like cashews or walnuts.
So this is how my Valentine’s weekend is planned out.
Friday night is family night with my daughters. I purchased Monster Truck Show Tickets (we’ve never done this, so why not?) and a Groupon for a fun Mexican restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City. We are leaving early in the evening, getting dinner, and braving loud noises, dirt, and, well, big trucks. I hear it’s fun. I hope so! When we get home, we’re having dessert of, guess what, chocolate fondue! I plan to insist my daughters help me make the fondue. It takes, like, five minutes.
Saturday morning I am surprising them with a very simple gift– a card, a magazine for my 14-year old and a glue gun for my 9-year old (she loves crafts). Saturday morning we are taking over fondue, dippers, and a fondue set to my friend who, as of three days ago, no longer has a boyfriend. Saturday evening, my guy and I are going to a very swanky restaurant and afterwards, I’m feeding him, you guessed it, fondue!
I don’t know why I haven’t done this in the past– it’s so pretty, fun and simple. Seriously, my next dinner party is going to feature my fondue set in the center of the table just waiting for my guests to enjoy. You should try it, too! (As a side note: this also makes a great gift.)
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