Now that the New Year’s resolution dieters have a couple of weeks of exercise and skimpy rations under their belts, along come the Valentine’s season and yours truly to chip away at that commitment to thin living.

I’m actually behind the curve to be talking about Valentine’s Day in mid-January. The supermarkets have had their Valentine’s candy displays out for a couple of weeks now. You’ll find them where the Christmas candy was and where the candy Easter eggs will be. The big attractions, of course, are the heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, which are a nice but impersonal thought. After all, one heart-shaped box of chocolates is just like the next one.

We can do better than that. There are plenty of excellent recipes for chocolate desserts we might prepare for the object of our affection, and many of these recipes are ridiculously simple.

So, to get us thinking loving thoughts about Valentine’s Day edibles, I’m going to declare that Valentine’s season has begun. Why confine a perfectly good excuse to eat chocolate to just one measly day? For the next month, every chocolate-loving person should be thinking chocolate thoughts and experimenting with chocolate recipes in hopes of locating the perfect chocolate gift.

I’m going to toss out an easy dessert that requires assembly, rather than actual baking. I was recycling and shredding the junk mail a month or so ago when out floated a recipe for something called Gooey Chocolate-Carmel Fantasy. This was part of a promotion for Midwest Living magazine, to which I did not subscribe. But the come-on was pretty impressive.

If you like turtle candy, you’ll love this. As some of you readers pointed out once when I could not find chocolate wafers in the grocery store, they are often located in the ice cream section.

Gooey Chocolate-Caramel Fantasy

2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs

(about 38 wafers)

1/3 cup butter, melted

30 vanilla caramels

1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 cups chopped pecans

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

1/4 cup whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together chocolate wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool slightly on a wire rack.

In a heavy medium saucepan, melt caramels in caramel ice cream topping over low heat, stirring often. Stir in the first 1/4 cup whipping cream. Remove from heat, stir in nuts. Spread over crust. Cool, then cover and chill for 1 hour.

For topping: In a heavy small saucepan, melt chocolate. Remove from heat; stir in remaining whipping cream. Drizzle or spread over caramel-pecan mixture. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Makes 12 servings.