This year, why not make custom chocolates for, or with, your Valentine?

By ALBERT STUMM
The Associated Press

Rather than spending on store-bought chocolates for Valentine’s Day, why not make your own this year? Many recipes are simple enough for novices. And making chocolates together is a fun way to spend the evening with your Valentine. Sue Quinn is the author of “The Little Chocolate Cookbook.” She recommends an easy chocolate bark recipe. Gently melt dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl with a hair dryer in 30 second blasts. Keep stirring. Then pour it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Add toppings like sweet-tart dried fruit, chopped nuts and flaky sea salt. Or make Jennifer Bell’s simple strawberry truffles by cooking chopped berries for a few minutes, melting chocolate in the pan off heat and forming the mixture into balls.