Love is in the air, and Littlest Love is always ready to celebrate that.

Truly, I am a sucker for Valentine’s Day treats, cute cards, sappy movies, overflowing flowers and everything in between. And now my daughter is old enough to love when I tell her stories, so in an attempt to hone my skills, I am going to tell you my favorite Valentine’s Day story of all time!

Once, there was a girl with fire in her eyes and a big, giving heart. The boys she met did everything they could to put that fire out and take, take, take from her very giving heart. After being gaslit by boys into minimizing her needs, she soon believed she did not want any boy to be romantic. She vowed to hate romance, Valentine’s Day, flowers, and anything that symbolized vulnerability. She told anyone who would listen. She wore boyish clothing, and she hid her softness far, far away.

One day, a new boy saw her, and he said he’d like to stand next to her. She saw he also had a big, giving heart and a fire in his eyes too. They began to spend all of their time together.

On their first Valentine’s Day together, he wrote down all of the things he loved about her on tiny little pieces of paper and wrapped them each into the foil of Hershey Kisses to replace all of the little Hershey’s brand flags that he removed. He also bought her flowers and took her out to a very fancy and delicious dinner. She couldn’t stop smiling, and on her way home, she confessed to him that she’s never really had a real Valentine’s Day like this. He looked at her and said “If I would’ve known that, I would’ve gone all out!”

She looked at him and laughed. “That wasn’t all out?”

They both laughed, and she was reminded in that moment that she did, in fact, like love. She liked the way flowers smelled, the way rich chocolate tastes and the way romantic words float off the paper of a perfectly written card. So she chose to love Valentine’s Day. And from that day forward, she decided she was a sucker for Valentine’s Day treats, cute cards, sappy movies, overflowing flowers and everything in between.

This Ruby Toffee is a representation of the ways we can change and grow, and still find our way back to ourselves when we’re lost. The classic, sweet and salty toffee reminds me of aging lovers as they grow old together. The ruby chocolate is a young love, new and floral and rich with complexity. And the Fruity Pebbles are a reminder that we learn about love from childhood, and regardless of how far you stray, you can always find your way back to your roots.

Hope this gives you all of the Valentine’s feels!

Ruby Toffee

Ingredients

1/2 pound butter, unsalted
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8-10 ounces ruby chocolate, finely chopped or in callets
Fruity Pebbles, or another topping of your choice

Process

Line an 8x8 brownie pan or a small baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside. In a small bowl, combine baking soda, salt and vanilla. Set aside.

Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed, 2-quart sauce pan. Add sugar to melted butter, whisking every few minutes until the combination is very bubbly and the edges are an orange-brown, caramel color, around 290-300F using a candy thermometer.

Take off heat and stir in vanilla mixture, whisking quickly to combine. Quickly pour over foil-lined baking sheet and let cool while you chop chocolate, about 2-3 minutes.

Sprinkle chocolate over slightly cooled toffee. Let sit for 2 minutes or until tops of chocolate are shiny. Using an offset spatula, spread chocolate evenly until smooth and level. Sprinkle with Fruity Pebbles, or toppings of your choice, and let cool at room temperature overnight.

Break apart and store in airtight container for a week at room temperature or in the freezer for a month.

Notes

I made this toffee twice. The first time I did, I didn’t top the toffee with enough chocolate, so I very quickly melted more and spread it throughout. This worked just fine for ruby chocolate (other chocolates may seize and become grainy if you mix temps like this!). However, it caused a process known as “chocolate bloom”, which just means that the different temperature chocolates, when combined, cause the cocoa butter (fat) to separate and show up in this honeycomb pattern as it cools. It can also happen with older chocolate even if it’s all at the same temperature. Honestly, it’s still completely edible and delicious. I’ve shown a picture below comparing them. Moral of the story? If you want the visual appeal of that rich, smooth pink chocolate color, err on the side of more chocolate. As if I need to tell you twice!