Do you remember those pretty pasta frolla cookies with lots of jam and hearts? Well, I have more Valentine’s Day cookies for you: same delicious pastry dough, different shape, more hearts + a splash of color! Enter: Pink Chocolate-dipped Cookies!

I have to confess that one my favorite things to do is watching mesmerizing videos of colorful cookie decorating on Instagram. Another recent similar obsession is watching Zumbo’s Just Desserts on Netflix. Have you ever seen it? I’m totally blown away by the colors the contestants are able to create!

I really love color in dessert-making but I’m not a fan of artificial food coloring and I tend to refrain from using it in my cakes or cookies (the only exception is Olivia’s playdough!). A few years ago, I experimented with natural powder dyes in macarons but I had inconsistent results with taste…so it was a short-lived thing.

How do I get a naturally-colored pink cookie for Valentine’s Day, then? I first thought of using hibiscus after I saw these gorgeous mini hand pies by super talented Dev Amadeo…but then I found something else that’s natural and it’s pretty much ready to be used: hello Ruby Chocolate!

A NATURALLY PINK CHOCOLATE

Am I late to the party? Apparently so. Ruby Chocolate was introduced to the market a couple of years ago by Callebaut. They presented it as a “fourth” kind of chocolate (alongside dark, milk, and white) and it’s naturally pink because it derives from the ruby cocoa bean found mostly in South America. Besides its gorgeous rosy-pink hue, it’s surprising for its flavor: slightly acidic and semi-fruity, with a hint of berries.

Think of white chocolate and raspberries. That’s pretty much Ruby Chocolate, to me.

PINK CHOCOLATE-DIPPED COOKIES

To make these cute Pink Chocolate-dipped Cookies, you’ll just need to melt the Ruby Chocolate and dip the pasta frolla cookies in it. Finish them up with a nice sprinkle of heart-shaped nonpareils (OK, mine nonpareil are artificially colored…but they’re so tiny!).

Like any other type of chocolate, you should temper it in order to get a silky and shiny finish. This tutorial will guide you through the tempering process specific for Ruby Chocolate.

So, I think I’ve got Valentine’s Day covered this year. Jam-filled or pink glazed…both cookie options are delicious! While brainstorming, I even sketched out my cookie ideas –>

I hope you get to make these cookies and you can share them with your loved ones! If you make them, please share your photos and tag me with #veryeatalian! Grazie!! <3