The Recipe for Love: Deliciously Decadent Desserts for Valentine’s Day

If prix fixe menus and crowded restaurants aren’t your idea of a romantic Valentine’s Day out, why not stay in? Whip up something special for your special someone and end the night on a sweet note with a deliciously decadent (and guilt-free!) dessert. These 3 recipes will help you hit the sweet spot this Valentine’s weekend!

Chocolate Soufflés from Hilton Head Health
Makes 10 Ramekins; 194 calories each

What you’ll need:
4 large egg yolks, reserve the whites
1¼ cups milk
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablesoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 large egg whites, at room temperature (including reserved)
½ teaspoon cream of tartar

What you’ll do:

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 375⁰F. Butter 10 (4-oz.) ramekins. Coat the insides with sugar, tapping out any excess.
2. In a 3-quart saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt. Over medium heat whisk until the mixture bubbles about 4 minutes; may be lumpy. Continue simmering, while whisking until smooth and very thick, about 2 minutes more.
3. Remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate, butter, and vanilla until smooth and glossy. Transfer to a large bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water and whisk often until cooled to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, on a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds.
5. With the mixer running, add the cream of tartar and continue beating until the whites form soft peaks, 30 to 60 seconds more.
6. With mixer still running, add confectioner’s sugar 1 T. at a time and beat until whites hold a glossy, pointed, stiff peak when beaters are removed.
7. With a spatula, stir pastry cream to loosen it, then stir in a third of the meringue until combined. Gently fold in another third of the meringue from edge of the bowl to the center, repeating until a few white streak remain; add remaining meringue and fold just until combined, leaving no visible white streaks.
8. Divide mixture among prepared ramekins and smooth tops with spatula. Run index finger around edges of the ramekins to create a shallow trench. Put ramekins on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean with wet tip, 15 to 20 minutes.

For a fresh raspberry sauce to drizzle over your soufflés:

1 pint fresh raspberries
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Purée in a blender and strain

Chef’s Tip: It is a myth that when baking soufflés you must walk lightly or they will fall while baking. When beating the egg whites, avoid overbeating which causes them to curdle from heat generated by the beating and resulting in difficulty in folding into pastry cream. Stiff peaks can form even while meringue is creamy, so check periodically while beating.

Vegan Chocolate Ganache Fondue with Fresh Fruit from our Nutrition Expert, Dr. Lana Kontos

What you’ll need:

1 cup vegan chocolate chips (be sure the label reads dairy-free and it does not contain casein)
¼ cup nut milk
Your favorite fresh fruit cut up for dipping (pineapples, strawberries, raspberries, bananas)

What you’ll do:

1. Melt the chocolate over a low flame and add nut milk, stirring constantly until the mixture is sauce-like (add more milk if it’s too thick).
2. Pour into a small bowl and enjoy with the dipping fruits!

Red Velvet Cake Pops using Quest Bars
Makes 18 cake pops

What you’ll need:

Cake
½ cup Quest Vanilla Milkshake Protein Powder
1 Double Chocolate Chunk Quest Bar
½ cup almond meal
1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons zero-calorie sweetener
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ tablespoon red food coloring
Coconut cooking spray

Frosting
1 scoop Quest Vanilla Milkshake Protein Powder
3½ oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
¼ cup zero-calorie sweetener
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Coating
6 oz. sugar-free milk or dark chocolate

What you’ll do:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, heat unwrapped Double Chocolate Chunk Quest Bar for 10 seconds. Using a rolling pin, roll the bar out to ¼-inch thickness. Bake for 4 minutes, or until bar is lightly crisped. Remove to cool.
3. Break the crisped bar into pieces, place in a mini blender, and process into a powder.
4. In a medium-size mixing bowl, add Quest Vanilla Milkshake Protein Powder, the powdered Double Chocolate Chunk Quest Bar, almond meal, cocoa powder, zero-calorie sweetener, baking soda, and salt, and mix well.
5. Add almond milk, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. Mix cake base until fully incorporated and batter is dark red.
6. Coat a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in batter. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and cake is completely cooked and springy. Remove and let cool.
7. Break the cake into small pieces, and place in a large mixing bowl.
8. For frosting: In a medium-size bowl, add Quest Vanilla Milkshake Protein Powder, cream cheese, zero-calorie sweetener, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
9. Add frosting to crumbled cake, and mix together until all frosting is incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 20 minutes.
10. Remove cake from freezer. Take a small amount of cake batter and form eighteen walnut-sized balls.
11. Break chocolate into even-size small pieces. Melt slowly over a double boiler or in a dry bowl that fits snuggly over a pot. (Water should not touch pot or bowl above it. Before placing pot on top, simmer water in pot on low heat, then turn off heat and place the dry bowl or pot with chocolate in it on top, and stir when chocolate starts to melt, until chocolate is shiny and smooth)
12. Once chocolate is ready, remove cake balls from fridge and carefully submerge each into melted chocolate. Gently tap the edge to remove excess. If chocolate begins to seize, simply return to double boiler. Place each pop on wax paper and insert lollipop sticks.
13. Chill for 10 minutes in freezer, or until chocolate hardens and creates a shell.

Nutrition Info: 110 calories | 7g protein | 7g fat | 3g carbohydrates | 4g fiber