I’ll admit it. I’m the kind of person that can’t fall asleep without a bedtime snack…in bed. That’s why I love Valentine’s Day: Watching people on TV eat chocolate-covered strawberries makes me feel a lot better about my otherwise questionable habit.

But, strawberries? In bed? It sounds so messy! Every time I think about it, I imagine waking up the next morning with sticky strawberry juice in my hair and melted chocolate on my pillow.

So this year, instead of avoiding the tantalizing blend of chocolate and strawberries, I decided to make some chocolate-strawberry fruit roll-ups. I even threw in some liqueur for a grown-up twist on the classic snack.

With twice as many strawberries (and twice as many antioxidants) than the commercial ones, these won’t give you a sugar high or a red tongue, but they’ll sure make you feel romantic!

Fruit Roll-Ups

Makes 2 to 4 fruit rolls

Ingredients:

• About 1 pint of strawberries
• 2 oz chocolate liqueur
• 1-2 T cocoa powder (to taste)
• Liquid stevia to taste (I used about 20 drops)
• A drizzle of lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Prep a medium jelly roll pan or dehydrator tray by lining it with plastic wrap. The plastic shrinks a little in the oven so you want at least an inch of overhang on each side.
2. Wash and core the strawberries.
3. In a food processor, blend all the ingredients until smooth. You can strain the strawberry seeds out if you want, but I kind of like the texture.
4. Carefully pour the mixture onto the pan or tray and spread to about 1/4″ thick. If you make it too thick, it’ll take forever to dry and if you make it too thin, it’ll be filled with cracks (believe me, I know).
5. Put the pan in the oven at 150*F (or 170*F is o.k. if that’s the lowest your oven will go) for about 6-8 hours. If you have a dehydrator, put it in there. Either way, you want it dry enough that it’s not tacky, but moist enough that it will still bend without breaking.
6. Cut into desired size and transfer to parchment paper (or don’t–I just find it easier when eating).
7. Optional: once the roll-ups are done, take some cookie cutters and press them far enough into the roll-up that it makes a mark but doesn’t cut all the way through. That way, you’ll have little pull apart pieces that you can enjoy one heart at a time.
8. Roll and tie shut with a ribbon or string.

Whether you enjoy these by yourself or with that special someone, one thing you won’t have to worry about the next morning is a mess (assuming, of course, that you cleaned the cookie cutters before bed).