Want to surprise that special someone this Valentine’s Day with unique treats and sweets? Instead of buying the traditional box of chocolates or dozen red roses, check out some of these bakeries, cupcakeries and stores that provide plenty of “eye candy” appropriate for all things Valentine’s Day. 

Dylan’s Candy Bar

Located in The Original Farmer’s Market next to The Grove, Dylan’s Candy Bar includes a special Valentine’s Day section with a plethora of red, pink and white treats. The candy emporium’s Valentine’s section includes everything from traditional chocolates in heart-shaped boxes—of course, with a Dylan’s twist—to uniquely designed chocolate-covered Oreos, decorated “Wheel of Fortune” cookies and giant chocolate “X's” and “O's."

Sprinkles Cupcakes

This Valentine’s Day, say “goodbye” to the customary box of chocolates, and opt for something different … say, a box of cupcakes, instead. Always ready to celebrate any occasion in style, Sprinkles Cupcakes offers customers its “XOX Box” filled with delicious cupcakes to commemorate Valentine’s Day. Available at Sprinkles Cupcakes from Feb. 8 to 17, the “XOX Box” contains the bakery’s classic cupcakes, including Red Velvet, Dark Chocolate, Vanilla and Chocolate Marshmallow. Each cupcake is topped with heart sugar and “XOX” decorations to match the Valentine’s Day theme. 

Crumbs Bake Shop 

For those looking to surprise that special someone with intricately decorated cupcakes, Crumbs Bake Shop provides several solutions. First of all, with its “Dozen Roses Classic Collection,” the bakery gives a new meaning to the traditional “dozen red roses” that many girls hope for on Valentine’s Day. Crumbs’ “roses”—comprising red velvet, vanilla and chocolate cake topped with red- and pink- tinted vanilla cream cheese frosting—are even sweeter than their floral counterparts. For customers looking for single cupcakes, Crumbs offers two Valentine’s Day-themed treats: its “Hugs and Kisses” and “Red Velvet Hearts” cupcakes. “Hugs and Kisses” features a chocolate cake frosted and filled with light pink cream cheese frosting; covered with red, pink and white sprinkles; and adorned with a chocolate “X” and “O.” The “Red Velvet Hearts” cupcake showcases a traditional red velvet cake frosted and filled with vanilla cream cheese and is topped with red and white sprinkles and two fondant hearts. As if those cupcake options aren’t enough, Crumbs also offers a colossal cupcake for those looking to give a big heaping of love this Valentine’s Day. The “Triple Brownie Hearts Colossal” features a larger-than-life chocolate cake frosted and filled with light pink cream cheese and is topped with three heart-shaped brownies as well as moist chocolate cake crumbles.

Baskin-Robbins

Ever have a hard time striking up a conversation with the person you like? This Valentine’s Day, Baskin-Robbins provides a simple solution for the tongue-tied with its “Conversation Heart Cakes." Customers can customize their “Conversation Heart Cake,” choosing their preferred message to be inscribed on the cake, including “Be Mine,” “Kiss Me” and “I Love You.” These petite cakes were perfectly designed with two in mind, and customers can decide exactly what they want inside their cakes.

Magnolia Bakery

According to CBS New York, New York-based Magnolia Bakery is a one-stop shop for delicious Valentine’s Day desserts. Located on West 3rd Street in Los Angeles, Magnolia Bakery’s featured Valentine’s Day sweet is the “Love Note Box.” This assortment comprises six classic chocolate and vanilla cupcakes topped with vanilla buttercream that spell out “L-O-V-E."  

Sweet!

Located close to the Dolby Digital Theatre and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Sweet! forms a rectangular-shaped emporium, comprising 12 variously themed rooms in which individuals can explore their favorite candies or produce their own confectionary creations. One of these rooms, “Forever Valentine’s,” provides a variety of Valentine’s Day-themed treats not only for Feb. 14, but all year long. 

Cake Monkey Bakery

Known for its mini-layered cakes, pies and other treats, Cake Money Bakery offers customers special varieties of some of its most popular menu items for Valentine’s Day. For example, the “Pop Hearts” is the Valentine’s Day rendition of the ever-popular “Pop Pies,” available in brown sugar cinnamon, blueberry, apple or chocolate almond flavors. Other featured desserts on the Valentine’s Day menu include Whoopie Pies with housemade cinnamon marshmallow filling, “Roll in the Hay”—a vanilla cake mixed with raspberry jam, lime buttercream and crunchy, white chocolate pearls and rolled in coconut—and “Raspberry Red Velvet Cakewiches,” featuring red velvet cake sandwiches filled with a raspberry buttercream and smothered in bittersweet chocolate. 

The Good Cookies

With a name like “The Good Cookies,” one can expect to find an immense variety of cookies at this shop. This Torrance-based cookie haven features a wide of cookies with gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free and natural options. For Valentine’s Day, this bakery provides two Valentine’s Day options for customers, as well as a “Valentine’s Day Almond Lovers Gift Box.” “Valentine’s Day Gift Option 1” features a half dozen cookies of each of the following flavors: cranberry & white chip, original chocolate chip, double chocolate chip, white chip and oatmeal raisin. “Valentine’s Day Gift Option 2” features a gluten- and dairy-free assortment of a dozen assorted signature cookies; a dozen assorted almond butter cookies; six coconut macaroons; six chocolate-covered coconut macaroons; and five large, double chocolate brownies. Finally, the “Valentine’s Day Almond Lovers Gift Box” features all almond sweets, including half a dozen macaroons, half a dozen chocolate-covered macaroons, a dozen of assorted almond butter cookies and five double chocolate brownies made with almond flour. 

Georgetown Cupcake

Georgetown Cupcake, the Washington D.C.-based cupcakery that launched its first West Coast location in L.A. last November, offers customers several Valentine’s Day cupcakes in addition to those already featured on its daily menu. For the month of February, five seasonal cupcakes are available, such as “Strawberry Lava Fudge,” featuring a Valrhona chocolate cupcake with a decadent fudge center frosted with strawberry icing and a star-shaped fudge drizzle; and “Strawberry Champagne,” a classic Madagascar bourbon vanilla cupcake made with champagne and fresh strawberries with a chocolate ganache center and frosted with a champagne-infused buttercream frosting and a ganache star drizzle. Valentine’s Day-specific treats include the sweet and simple “Valentine’s Chocolate”—a Valrhona chocolate cupcake topped with baby pink buttercream frosting and a double heart fondant—and “Valentine’s Vanilla,” the vanilla version of the same treat. 

 

Reach Kelli Shiroma here.