Chocolate Valentine's Gifts

Chocolate—the ultimate food symbol of Valentine's Day. Most people observe this romantic holiday with the exchange of cards, by sending flowers or presenting some other token of heartfelt affection. But to others, there is no substitution for the passion of chocolate.

This year, instead of buying a box of chocolate candies, do something special: prepare a basket of goodies made by your own two hands. The best thing about chocolate baked goods is that they really don't have to take a lot of effort to come up with a splashy presentation. In the Totally Chocolate cookbook, we discovered a few simple but elegant recipes to win the heart of your chosen Valentine. The best part though is the little book itself: like all of the Totally cookbooks, it is about the size of your hand, die-cut in a fanciful shape with a colcorful cover, and sprinkled with fun tidbits of information. (With over 40 recipes, we think it's a bargain at under $5.)

Here, the electronic Gourmet Guide presents a few of the book's recipes for chocolate fudge, brownies, biscotti, kisses and cake. Bake them up, wrap them well, and place in a basket or box lined with red, purple and pink tissue paper. Add some ribbons and, as the finishing touch, insert a copy of the Totally Chocolate Cookbook as a keepsake. with any luck, your targeted mate will be sharing these delights solely with you on Valentine's—and you'll both be able to indulge in the sweet fruits of your labor.

Happy Valentine's Day!