Wash and dry strawberries and twist off the green top. Look at the strawberry and determine which side has the best natural heart shape and use this as your guide for where to start. (Note that some strawberries are uniform so all sides are equally good for making a heart.)
Using a sharp paring knife, cut off the top white portion in a TRIANGULAR shape using two angled cuts. Then you will cut this strawberry in half from top to bottom, making a cut that is perpendicular to the triangle cut. If you have very large strawberries, you can cut this into 3 or 4 pieces instead of just two. See images or video for more details. Set aside.
Peel your banana and slice into approximately ⅓-inch rounds.
Place the round banana slice flat on the surface of your cutting board. Cut a very small triangular shape from the top to create the top of the heart. Then shape the bottom into the base of a heart by cutting a small angled sliver from either side of the bottom. See images or video in notes for more details. Set aside.
In a small heat-safe bowl, warm the nut butter just until it becomes 'drippy'. This should take 10 seconds in the microwave. (Be careful here - if too hot, it will seize up and burn.) Combine the nut butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and salt (if using). Stir well - it will thicken and form a bit of a paste, but you can loosen this up by adding a little lukewarm water. (Or, optionally, a teaspoon of melted coconut oil.)
If using a chocolate spread like Nutella, simply warm this in the microwave for a few seconds until it becomes looser and easier to drizzle. (Be careful here - if too hot, it will seize up and burn.)
Arrange the strawberry and banana hearts in a bowl. Drizzle the chocolate nut butter over the fruit and enjoy! I like to use both plain nut butter and chocolate hazelnut spread if I have them both!
Notes
Replace the almond butter, cocoa, and maple syrup with your favorite chocolate spread such as Nutella. Homemade Nutella is also a great idea!Consider skipping the Nutella altogether and drizzling with melted chocolate instead.Reminder: nutrition labels are merely an estimate. Please note this label-maker does not differentiate from naturally occurring sugar (such as that in fruit) and added sugar (such as that in maple syrup). Watch me make this on Instagram.