Very Dark Valentine Variety Chocolate Box

I love chocolate. I mean what girl doesn’t? In fact what guy doesn’t?And in Japan it’s all about the boys on Valentine’s Day. Girls spend hours in the days leading up to Feb. 14th making chocolates for the men in their lives and expect nothing in return until the mysterious candy-company created “White Day” that takes place exactly one month later on March the 14th. Well, which ever way the romance happens I’m happy to participate so here is my contribution to the day.

Valentine’s Day Naturally Sweet Kinako and Chocolate Truffles

 

I asked my sweetheart what kind of chocolate was his favorite and he replied “kinako choco“. If you’re unfamiliar with this particular flavor, it comes from a very traditional ingredient for Japanese sweets and is loosely translated as “roasted soy bean powder“. You either love it or hate it. But if you love it, you’ll especially love it when combined with rich white chocolate, or as in the case of this most popular CHIRORU kinakomochi chocolate, also with a chewy rice dumpling center.

Chiroru Kinakomochi Chocolate チロル きなこもちチョコ

In keeping with the spirit of showing love with a homemade box of (naturally sweet) chocolates and the absolute truth of “you never know what you’re gonna get” when something comes out of my kitchen, I tossed aside the little CHIRORU chocolate and went to work.

I started with a bag of kinako (which comes from the words “yellow” and “powder”) and racked my brain for something else to add to it besides sugar or straight up chocolate to make it sweet and something besides coconut oil, which my darling hates with a thousand fires of ugly death, that might give it a relatively chocolaty consistency.

Eventually I made two versions of kina-choco and a couple other varieties of very dark chocolate with and without the controversial coconut oil and other sundry despised ingredients. The only issue is… I’ve mostly forgotten which is which!

Bitter and naturally sweet chocolate and kinako truffles

Frozen Hearts Chocolates (Kinako, Peanut Butter Chocolate and Bitter Dark Chocolate)

 

Life really is a box of chocolates!

Especially on Valentine’s day!

What’s your favorite flavor of chocolate? Mine is mint-choco! Share your favorite Valentine chocolate memories below!

 

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