Chocolate Desserts for Valentine's Day: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

Mile-High Chocolate Cake

This four-layer stunner may just render all your other chocolate-cake recipes obsolete. A generous amount of sour cream keeps the cake layers tender, and the frosting is a glossy triumph. It’s a natural fit for practically any get-together—from a simple family birthday celebration to an elaborate dinner party.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Salted Chocolate Caramels

It’s the sprinkle of sea salt that really takes these caramels over the top, teasing out the creamy richness of the buttery chocolate candies.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Basler Brunsli (Heart-Shaped Chocolate Almond Spice Cookies)

These bittersweet chocolate hearts were made to be broken—and devoured.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Brandied Hot Chocolate

This grown-up cocoa is great on its own—and even better as a dipping sauce for tiny ginger doughnuts.

Photograph by Mikkel Vang

Fried Bittersweet Chocolate Bread

Buttery and crunchy, with a rich, oozy center, these little sandwiches (a cross between panini and chocolate croissants) provide a sweet ending that can be prepared in just minutes.

Photograph by Roland Bello

Chocolate Griddle Cakes with Chocolate Sauce

These amazingly chocolaty pancakes blur the line between brunch and dessert.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Robert Linxe's Chocolate Truffles

When Robert Linxe, founder of La Maison du Chocolat in Paris, came to town recently, he showed us how he makes our favorite chocolate truffles. We've adapted his method for the home cook—no tempered-chocolate coating—but if you follow the directions, you'll end up with a close facsimilie of the truffle that wowed us.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Mexican Turtle Chocolate Mink

Megan Gill-Kopp won our September 2005 Cook the Cover contest with her delicious recipe for Mexican Turtle Chocolate Mink.

“I have made some simple changes to create a Mexican twist to Gourmet’s Chocolate Mink recipe,” she writes. “I have added cinnamon to the chocolate batter. In addition, I have topped the dessert with a Mexican caramel, cajeta, and toasted pecans. Living in San Diego has opened my eyes, and taste buds, to the wonderful flavors of Mexican cuisine. I couldn't help adding some of those flavors to this recipe.”

Photograph by Martyn Thompson