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Sweet treats to make this Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to whip up something sweet, whether you’re treating that special someone, your kids, your best friends or yourself! From delicious chocolate to heart-shaped cookies and festive pink desserts, we’ve rounded up the best recipes to make your celebration extra special. Whether you’re a baking pro or just looking for something easy and fun, these Valentine’s Day treats are sure to spread the love — one bite at a time!
Click the arrow above the image or the link at the bottom of the page to see all the treats. Or, skip to the one you just have to try today on the list below:
- Berry-chocolate Rice Krispies Treats
- Chocolate and vanilla panna cotta
- Chocolate trifle
- Chocolate cherry bark
- Red velvet whoopie pies
- Red velvet cheesecake cookies
- Neapolitan cupcakes
- Conversation heart sugar cookies
- Mini cherry pies
- Rocky road brownies
- Heart cutout cupcakes
- Heart-shaped cake pops
- Chocolate soup
- Strawberry two-ingredient fudge
- Chocolate puddle cookies
- Marbled red velvet cheesecake brownies
- No-bake chewy cookies and cream bars
- Pink meringue kiss cookies
- Heart-topped cupcakes
- Chocolate chip cookie cupcake
- Red velvet thumbprint cookies
Up first: Berry-chocolate Rice Krispies Treats
More Valentine’s Day ideas:
Editor’s note: This article was originally published a few years ago, and was updated most recently with new recipes and a fact-check by ParentMap’s associate editor, Kari Hanson.
Berry-chocolate Rice Krispies Treats
Berries and chocolate and marshmallows, oh my! Strawberry marshmallows, dried fruit and a little chocolate drizzle takes these familiar treats to the next level. Head to Our Best Bites for all the details and whip of a batch of these for your loves, they are sure to please.
Up next: Chocolate and vanilla panna cotta
Chocolate and vanilla bliss
This smooth and creamy panna cotta is a mix of chocolate, vanilla and your choice of topping, and it is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Your valentine will know you care when these lovely cups hit the table. Serve them in small containers with dessert spoons to up the fancy, special feelings. This is a make-ahead dessert, so you can whip it up on Feb. 13 and be all set to impress on Valentine’s Day. A win for sure! Olga at Olga in the Kitchen has all the details you’ll need.
Up next: Chocolate trifle
Chocolate all day
Chocolate lovers, this one’s for you. This amazing chocolate trifle from The Pioneer Woman contains layers of brownies, crushed Oreos and creamy chocolate filling. Try using brownie mix and instant pudding to bring this dessert together quickly. Your valentine will want to dig their spoon down to the bottom of their bowl to get all these lovely layers in every bite.
Up next: Chocolate cherry bark
Beautiful bark
If you find yourself in a time crunch and need a quick treat idea for your little ones, consider checking out this yummy chocolate cherry homemade bark included on Mama Harris’ Kitchen. Easily made with graham cracker crumbs, candy melts, cherry chips and toasted coconut, simply place your pan in the fridge for a chill after the candy has melted and then just break up it before dessert. That’s all there is to it!
Up next: Red velvet whoopie pies
Red velvet whoopie love
Annie of the fab foodie site Everyday Annie says that if there is one recipe she’d recommend for Valentine’s Day, it’s gotta be this one for red velvet whoopie pies. And we agree. The picture alone puts up a darn good argument!
Easily made with Annie’s cookie recipe, red food coloring and cream cheese frosting, Annie admits that she had to give these away quickly after they were made because she kept finding excuses to eat them for breakfast. For whoopie pie first-timers, she also recommends piping the frosting onto the cookies rather than spreading it with a knife as it gives the cookie sandwich a cleaner look and saves a little bit of kitchen cleanup.
Up next: Red velvet cheesecake cookies
Cheesecake devotion
Speaking of red velvet cheesecake Valentine’s Day goodies, these gorgeous cookies offered on Two Peas & Their Pod are also sure to be a crowd-pleaser among your pint-sized cuties at this year’s party.
Stating that these sweets “will wow everyone who takes a bite,” Mama Maria admits that she cheated and used a box of red velvet cake mix for the cookies (and that it was ah-mazing). Get the full scoop on how she added the cream cheese filling and more great tips by checking out the full post.
Up next: Neapolitan cupcakes
Delicious Neapolitan sweets
Six Sisters’ Stuff features these gorgeous and colorful Neapolitan cupcakes that are sure to be a hit at this year’s Valentine’s Day bash! Made with — get ready for this — cupcake batter and brownie mix, these bright and beautiful cupcakes are easy to make. Camille admits that they’re one of the most delicious cupcake combinations she’s ever had!
Up next: Conversation heart sugar cookies
Sweet Valentine’s Day messages
Kelsey’s Kitchen features this fun idea for making colorful conversation heart sugar cookies — the ultimate treats for letting your valentines know exactly how you feel! Made with a message-in-a-cookie cutter from Williams Sonoma and food coloring for the classic Sweethearts colors, Kelsey says that she loves this recipe because the cookies have a soft, cake-like texture.
Up next: Mini cherry pies
Cherry pie favorites
Love cherry pie as much as we do? Then don’t miss out on Bakerella’s fantastic idea for making mini cherry pies for Valentine’s Day. These tiny fruit-filled delicious pies are easily made in a muffin tin for bite-size satisfaction. Perfect for your favorite “team pie” sweethearts, these mini confections will surely inspire some “oohs and ahs!” at the dinner table!
Up next: Rocky road brownies
Rocky road love
For those of you out there who can’t get enough chocolate on Valentine’s Day, don’t miss out on these delicious rocky road brownies featured on Joy the Baker. Sure to please your favorite chocoholic valentines this year, Joy says that she’s “making the brownies thicker, more gooey, adding more chocolate and slicing generously.” Doesn’t sound so terrible, right?
Up next: Heart cutout cupcakes
Cutout cupcake cuties
We can’t get enough of these beautiful cutout cupcakes featured on Glorious Treats. The best part is that they’re way easier to make than their elegant appearance might suggest.
To make your own cool cutouts, simply cut the tops off of your baked and cooled chocolate cupcakes, and apply a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Slather on your frosting (Glory includes a maraschino cherry recipe), add the tops back onto the cupcakes, and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Yum!
Up next: Heart-shaped cake pops
Wild at heart
Mama Rosie of Sweetapolita had us completely sold on these sweet heart-shaped cake pops.
Sugar cookies might look simple but they can be a delicate, tricky treat to prepare. But fear not! Mama Rosie gives you all the tips and tricks you need to create the perfect pops for your sweeties.
Up next: Chocolate soup
Sweet Valentine’s Day soup
Soup may not seem like the most exciting Valentine’s Day treat out there, but we have a feeling that this chocolate soup featured on Sprinkle Bakes will change your opinion in no time!
Afraid of offering a dessert that would be too heavy for a date night, Sprinkle Bake’s Heather searched high and low for the best chocolate soup recipe, before making up her own. Deciding to use Ghirardelli semisweet baking chips, fat-free sweetened condensed milk, and half and half, Heather says that her lighter version tasted just as great as the real, full-fat deal.
As for the flavor, she says, “If I could describe where chocolate soup lives, it’s somewhere between rich hot chocolate-ville and chocolate pudding city.” Soup’s on!
Up next: Strawberry two-ingredient fudge
Fantastic fudge
A perfect treat idea for small hands to help with, we can’t get enough of this strawberry two-ingredient fudge included on Cookies and Cups! Only combining the two ingredients of strawberry frosting and white chocolate melting chips, just chill the mixture in the fridge, and you’re completely set for Valentine’s Day treats! Check out Mama Shelly’s full post for tips and tricks for jazzing up these bars with sweet decorative designs.
Up next: Chocolate puddle cookies
Chocolate cravings
When it comes to these chocolate puddle cookies featured on 101 Cookbooks, fabulous foodie Heidi says that she fell completely head over heels for these chocolate-y treats. And though they may not include all of the bells and whistles, we couldn’t agree more that a good cookie is all it takes sometimes!
Simply made using egg whites, unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, sea salt, vanilla extract and walnut halves, it’s easy to see why these cookies are referred to as “puddles.” However, Heidi promises that you can expect to taste plenty of soft meringue and chocolatey goodness. We think they’re perfect for your Valentine’s Day sweeties.
Up next: Marbled red velvet cheesecake brownies
Cheesecake devotion
Cheesecake is always a favorite in our home — and it doesn’t get much better than these marbled red velvet cheesecake brownies featured on The Novice Chef. (Sounds like the best of both worlds to us!) Suggesting that these treats would also work great on a stick or as valentines for classmates, Jessica says that the brownies include cheesecake and red velvet layers, and she even offers up a recipe idea for leftover scraps!
Up next: No-bake chewy cookies and cream bars
Cookies and cream goodness
Another great Valentine’s Day treat that can be dropped into the “easy” file: Picky Palate’s no-bake chewy cookies and cream bars. Promising that these sweets can be “whipped up in about 15 minutes,” Mama Jenny says that this dessert only requires a whopping three ingredients: Oreos, marshmallows and butter.
Up next: Pink meringue kiss cookies
Magnificent meringue
Described as having a wonderful “light and airy texture” by Allie at Baking a Moment, these pink meringue kiss cookies won’t fail to impress at this year’s Valentine’s Day party. Easily made using only a few ingredients — egg whites, salt, sugar, a pinch of cream of tartar and vanilla extract — these cookies are as beautiful to look at as they are yummy to eat. Allie advises not to open the oven door while the meringue is baking, which can cause them to sink and crack. Noted!
Up next: Heart-topped cupcakes
Super sweet hearts
For these sweet cupcakes offered up by Jessie Unicorn Moore’s website Unicorn Love (formerly CakeSpy), we absolutely love their bright and beautiful colors. Made using colorful rolled-out fondant icing for the hearts and cupcake tops, these Valentine’s Day treats are a great idea for classroom sweets or even just fun goodies for your little ones. Colorful, delicious and absolutely beautiful!
Up next: Chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake
Cookie cake
Got a gaggle of cookie monsters at home? (We know the feeling!) Needless to say, we’ve become totally enamored with these chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes featured on Bake at 350!
Making these cookie-lover cuties for her son’s birthday, Mama Bridget demonstrates how to make these cupcakes with a chocolate chip cookie cake, chocolate chip cookie dough filling and brown sugar cookie dough frosting.
Up next: Red velvet thumbprint cookies
Valentine’s Day minis
How Sweet Eats shows off these lovely red velvet thumbprint cookies with marshmallow frosting. Having adapted the recipe from her s’mores thumbprints, baker extraordinaire Jessica walks you through how to make these quick and easy sweets just in time for Valentine’s Day. Overall, a perfectly sized treat for small hands — and one that we’re sure the adults won’t dismiss either!
