It's the day of love - for some, that means flowers, maybe a candlelit dinner followed by your favorite rom-com, or perhaps a sweet but sappy card. For us? We are #TeamChocolate all the way (and we never need an excuse to indulge in a little extra treat).

These cute little candies (known as mendiants) are a Christmas tradition in France, but we love how easy and versatile they are for any holiday! They take just minutes to make - the only challenge is leaving them alone long enough to set.

Free-Form Chocolate Candies - courtesy of Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS

• 6 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled (we used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips) 
• Your choice of toppings, such as dried cherries, flaky sea salt, pumpkin seeds, dried figs, sliced candied ginger, demerara sugar or chopped pistachios

DIRECTIONS

1. Turn a rimmed baking sheet over and place a sheet of parchment paper on top. Spoon or pipe quarter-size mounds of chocolate onto parchment, spacing about 2" apart (you should have about 30). Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread outward in a circular motion to make silver-dollar-size disks. Top as desired. (You don’t need to use all the toppings on every disk.) Chill until cold and set, 30–35 minutes.

2. Carefully peel candies off of parchment just before serving. 

Do ahead: Candies can be made four days ahead. Keep chilled. 

Start a new tradition by making these with your loved ones - they are so easy, even your little ones can join in on the fun. 

Happy Valentine's Day!