What’s better than receiving a dozen red roses? Being surprised with sweet and floral, lychee-flavored treats! This Valentine’s Day, bypass crowded restaurants, and overpriced meals, and enjoy a night-in with luxurious desserts made with our NEW Lychee Super-Strength flavoring. Homemade desserts make for a perfect, romantic evening at home, and these options below will surely impress your significant other. Scroll on to get these elegant and delicious, V-Day themed desserts that will go perfectly with your elaborate entrees in mind!
What is lychee?
Lychee is a slightly acidic stone fruit native to Southern China. The balance of sweet and tart along with floral undertones (often described as a hint of rose) makes lychee especially appealing in hard candy, gummies, and fruity or tropical desserts or beverages.
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Lychee Pavlova with Raspberries
This dessert is like biting into a cloud! A pavlova is a meringue-based dessert that features layers of fresh whipped cream & berries. The meringue layers are baked at a very low temperature to yield a crisp exterior & soft interior. Side note, you will love the sweet floral undertones in every bite!
Although the meringue can be made up to 24 hours in advance, it is best to assemble & serve this dessert right away to ensure the layers stay crispy. Always use a clean glass mixing bowl when preparing the egg whites, as the smallest amount of oil residue can cause the egg whites to not reach those stiff glossy peaks. Lastly, the sugar is to be added gradually to ensure the egg whites do not deflate.
Not sure what to do with all those leftover egg yolks? Make homemade Crème Brulee!
Ingredients
6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup + 2 tablespoons superfine sugar, divided
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon LorAnn Pure Vanilla Extract
½ teaspoon LorAnn Lychee Super-Strength Flavor
1 pinch fine salt
1 cup whipping cream, cold
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Trace out two 8-inch circles on the parchment to use as a stencil for the meringues.
- In a large glass mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Slowly add in 1 cup of sugar while continuing to whisk. Once the egg whites have reached stiff peaks fold in the cornstarch, vinegar, vanilla, lychee flavoring and salt.
- Evenly divide the mixture amongst the two prepared baking sheets and shape the meringue into an 8-inch circle. Bake for 90 minutes, remove trays from the oven & let cool to room temperature on the baking sheet.
- Just before assembly, prepare the whipping cream layer. In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer whisk the whipping cream & remaining sugar to stiff peaks.
- Transfer one layer of meringue to a serving plate. Top with half the whipped cream & half the raspberries. Repeat this step finishing with a layer of raspberries. Garnish with mint & serve.
Lychee Rose & White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
It isn’t Valentine’s Day without rolling out heart shaped cookies and these lychee-flavored shortbread cookies will not disappoint! This elevated twist features a classic shortbread base dipped in white chocolate and finished with a sprinkle of dried rose petals. You can of course use Valentine’s sprinkles too! Shortbread is a crumbly dough that can be a little tricky to roll out, but adding a tablespoon of water before shaping into a disk will make all the difference.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon LorAnn Pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon LorAnn Lychee Super-Strength Flavor
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon water (optional)
Melted white chocolate, for dipping
Dried rose petals, for sprinkling
Directions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper & set aside until ready to use.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and lychee. Beat until incorporated.
- Sift in the flour & salt. Beat until dough comes together. Add water if the dough appears too crumbly. Transfer to a lightly floured surface & shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to ¼ inch thick. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter cut dough into 24 cookies.
- Transfer to prepared baking sheets & bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before decorating.
- To finish, dip half of each cookie in melted chocolate. Transfer back to the cookie sheet & finish with a sprinkle of dried rose petals. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to fully set.
Lychee Panna Cotta
A panna cotta is an Italian-style dessert made of gelatin and sweetened cream. The perfect ending to a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner at home. It can be made up to 48 hours in advance, making this a simple make-ahead dessert. This version features a lychee flavored base topped with a lychee simple syrup and crumbled shortbread. You can use store-bought shortbread cookies for ease or use the leftover cookies from the Lychee Rose Shortbread Cookie recipe. It adds a little bit of crunch to an otherwise smooth and creamy dessert!
Ingredients
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin (1 package)
⅓ cup + ⅓ cup superfine sugar, divided
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon LorAnn Pure Vanilla Extract
½ teaspoon + ½ teaspoon LorAnn Lychee Super-Strength Flavor, divided
1 pinch fine salt
⅓ cup water
Dried rose petals, to garnish
Crushed shortbread cookies, to garnish
Directions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat whisk together the milk, gelatin and ⅓ cup sugar. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer, but do not boil. Remove from heat.
- Whisk in the whipping cream, vanilla, ½ teaspoon lychee flavoring and salt. Evenly divide mixture amongst 4 serving glasses or ramekins. Refrigerate until fully set, about 4 to 6 hours.
- As the panna cotta sets, prepare the simple syrup. To a saucepan over medium heat add the water, remaining sugar & remaining lychee flavoring. Bring mixture to a simmer and continue cooking until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat & set aside until ready to use.
- When ready to serve, evenly divide the syrup amongst the panna cottas. Top with crushed shortbread and dried rose petals.
Lychee Roasted Strawberry Loaf
This recipe features a wonderful combination of lychee & strawberries! The extra step of roasting the strawberries really brings out the natural sweetness & flavor, which compliments the hints of floral flavor from the lychee flavoring. Although I prefer to use fresh strawberries, roasting frozen berries works as well. This is the perfect pound cake to enjoy with an afternoon espresso or tea this Valentine’s season. It will carry you all the way through to the spring as well!
Ingredients
2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon LorAnn Pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon LorAnn Lychee Super-Strength Flavor
½ cup full-fat sour cream or plain full-fat yogurt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
Powdered sugar, for serving
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease & line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside until ready to use.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the strawberries in a single layer and drizzle with syrup. Roast until the strawberries have softened, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool while you prepare the batter.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla, lychee and sour cream.
- Once combined sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until batter comes together, about 2 minutes. Fold in the strawberries & transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake at 350°F until the top bounces back to touch, about 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar, slice and serve!
