Granite Kitchen: You can learn some sweet stuff on the internet

Adding to the challenge is that sometimes the narrator is speaking another language or you can’t find the same ingredients.

As I was flipping through dessert videos on TikTok, I was certain I heard Dolly Parton explaining how to make a three-ingredient fruit cobbler and I knew I had to try it. To make it, all you have to do is combine flour, sugar and a can of fruit cocktail, then bake it in the oven. It comes out really moist and is pretty sweet, but if you want a treat with little effort, Dolly’s creation won’t let you down.

I also came across a more sophisticated concoction that looked absolutely delicious: Fresh strawberries were lined up on the bottom of a pan and then some kind of melted chocolate was poured over the top. The whole thing was put in the refrigerator to set, and once it was sliced, it looked like the strawberries were embedded in chocolate.

Since there was no description, ingredient list or recipe of any kind, I used the video as inspiration for a strawberry-chocolate ganache dish that’s decadent enough to serve to your Valentine.

There was also a lot of guesswork in the last TikTok-inspired recipe I made, but it looked so good when the creator took it out of the oven and pulled off a piece complete with gooey, melted chocolate, I had to figure out how to make it.

It’s gluten-free too but in my version I added some ground flax to give it a nutrition boost.

Chocolate Smothered Strawberries

1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

12-ounce bag dark chocolate chips

Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Prepare the strawberries by cutting off the hulls (tops). Then fill the bottom of the baking pan by lining the strawberries up cut-end down.

Set a medium pot of water on the stove to boil.

Add the egg yolks to a heat-proof bowl large enough to set over the pot of water (or use a double boiler). Add the sugar to the egg yolks and whisk together, then add the heavy cream and whisk again.

Set the bowl over the boiling water and add the chocolate chips. Stir the mixture constantly until the chocolate is melted and is well incorporated into the cream-egg mixture.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the strawberries to cover them completely. Transfer the pan to the refrigerator and let it cool until it’s set, about 4 hours.

Fruit Cocktail Cobbler

15-ounce can fruit cocktail

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Add the fruit cocktail, flour and sugar to a bowl and stir until well combined, then transfer the mixture to the prepared dish. Set it in an oven preheated to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top starts to turn golden and the batter is set.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Snack Cake

2 bananas, mashed

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups oat flour

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1/2 cup coconut (or brown) sugar

1/2 cup almond milk or milk of choice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup mini chocolate chips

2.6-ounce cashew butter chocolate bar (optional) broken into dime-size pieces

Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Add the bananas and eggs to a bowl and whisk together. Add the oat flour, ground flax, chia seeds, sugar, almond milk, baking soda and salt, and stir together until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and mix to combine.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish, then sprinkle the pieces of cashew butter chocolate over the top.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the edges are pulling away from the pan.

Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.