Recipes For Valentine’s Day Desserts
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These chewy brownie hearts are the perfect Valentine’s Day treat (seelensturm / Flickr).
Planning the ultimate Valentine’s Day feast? No extravagant meal is complete without dessert.
These decadent and delicious desserts will be sure to surprise—and impress—your sweetie. These easy-to-make treats feature festive Valentine’s Day décor.
“BROWNIE HEARTS AND BROWNIE BITES”
Yield: 12 hearts
These fudgy snacks put a twist on the classic brownie.
Ingredients:
½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 ½ C packed light-brown sugar
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C flour
½ tsp. salt
Confectioners' sugar, colored sugar, cocoa, or crushed toffee bits, for decoration
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; cut a piece of waxed paper to fit the bottom, and press it onto the buttered surface. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and chocolate. Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. If the chocolate is not softened, continue to microwave at 10-second intervals, removing before it's completely melted.
Beat eggs and vanilla into the melted chocolate with a wooden spoon. Beat in flour and salt. Pour batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, 35-40 minutes. Let cool.
Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Turn the brownie cake out onto a baking sheet, and flip over onto a work surface. Cut out the brownies with a 2 ½-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Dust with cocoa if you like. Form the scraps into 1-inch balls, and roll them in the coating of your choice.
“SWEET HEART RICE KRISPIE TREATS”
Yield: 7 hearts
There’s no better way to give away your heart this Valentine’s Day than with these crunchy treat that’s nostalgic of your childhood days.
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
3 T margarine
6 C mini (or regular sized) marshmallows
Red food coloring
9 C Rice Krispies cereal
Heart-shaped cookie cutter
Plastic bags and yarn (for packing)
Directions:
Lightly coat a 10-inch by 15-inch baking sheet with cooking spray and set it aside.
Melt the margarine in a large pot over low heat. Add the marshmallows, stirring them continuously until they melt. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in drops of red food coloring until the color receives a thumbs-up from the chef.
Add the Rice Krispies, stirring until they are evenly coated with marshmallow. Spoon the mixture onto the baking sheet.
With waxed paper (or lightly buttered hands), smooth out the mixture, spreading it to an even thickness.
Cut out hearts with the cookie cutter. Place each heart in a clear plastic bag, tie on a yarn bow, and they're ready for giving.
Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like red velvet (billsoPHOTO / Flickr).
Yield: 2 dozen
… just because nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like red velvet.
Ingredients:
Whoopie Pies
3 C all-purpose flour
1/3 C cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ C unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ C vegetable shortening
½ C light brown sugar
1 C granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tsp. red food coloring
1 C buttermilk
Cream Cheese Filling
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
3½ C powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening and both sugars on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and the red food coloring and beat until just blended.
Add half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk to the batter and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and remaining ½ C buttermilk and beat until completely combined.
Using a spoon (or a medium cookie scoop), drop a tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
While the cakes are cooling, prepare the filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed. Add the sugar and beat on low speed until combined. Add the vanilla and increase the speed to medium-high; beat until creamy and smooth, about 4 minutes.
To assemble: Spread the filling onto the flat side of one cake using a knife of spoon. Alternatively, you can use a pastry bag with a round tip to pipe the filling onto the cake. Top it with another cake, flat side down. Repeat with the rest of the cakes and filling.
Storing: Assembled whoopie pies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you need to stack layers, place a piece of wax paper between layers.
Yield: 12-24 cookies
You’ll steal that special someone’s heart with these melt-in-your-mouth treats.
Ingredients:
1 C butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C all-purpose flour
¼ C baking cocoa
1 C vanilla chips or 1 C white chocolate chips
2 T shortening, divided
½ C semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour and cocoa; gradually add to creamed mixture.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, placing two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a microwave safe bowl, heat vanilla chips and 1 T of shortening until melted, stirring frequently. Dip both sides of the cookie into melted mixture (make a V-shape from the point of the cookie out to the middle of both rounded tops).
In another microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and remaining shortening, stirring frequently.
Drizzle over cookies. Place on wire rack to dry.
Yield: About 14 little pies
Although this recipe uses “Mint Truffle” Hershey’s Kisses, you can include any version of the chocolate in these bite-size pies.
Ingredients:
1 refrigerated pie crust, thawed
14 Hershey’s Kisses of choice
1 egg white whisked with 1 T water
Powdered sugar for dusting
Granulated sugar for sprinkling before baking
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out pie dough onto a lightly floured counter top. Place 10 kisses around the edges of pie dough, about 2 ½ inches apart. Take a knife and cut a 2 ½ to 3-inch circle around kiss. Fold half of pie dough around top of dough and pinch edge around top of kiss.
Now, fold up both sides of remaining dough up to the tip of the kiss, pinching edge. Press together edges and form criss-cross. Continue cutting dough around kisses until all dough is used up.
Brush all little pies with an egg white wash then sprinkle with granulated sugar. At 350 degrees F, bake for 20-28 minutes or until little pies are golden. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Dust each with powdered sugar and serve.
Yield: 12 cupcakes
You won’t need to spend a fortune on flowers this Valentine’s Day, thanks to this recipe that results in gorgeous, fragrant cupcakes. Now, isn’t that better than receiving roses?
Ingredients:
Cupcakes
150 mL pot natural yogurt
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
175 g golden caster sugar
140 g flour
1 tsp. baking powder
100 g ground almonds
175 g unsalted butter, melted
White Chocolate Frosting
100 g white chocolate
140 g unsalted butter
140 g icing sugar
Directions:
Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and heat oven to 190 degrees C. In a bowl, mix the yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract. Put the dry ingredients, plus a pinch of salt, into a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
Add the yogurty mix and melted butter, and quickly fold in with a spatula or metal spoon—don’t overwork it. Spoon into the cases (they will be quite full) and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden, risen and springy to the touch. Cool for a few minutes, then lift the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze as soon as possible.
White chocolate frosting: Melt the chocolate in the microwave on High for 1½ minutes, stirring halfway. Leave to cool. Beat the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Beat in the chocolate. Cover and chill.
Up to 48 hours before serving (or the day before if it’s really hot), bring the frosting back to room temperature, then spread over the cakes. Put the ribbon around the cakes now if you like, tying or gluing in place. Keep cool, out of direct sunlight.
“CHOCOLATE HEART PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES”
Yield: 36 cookies
The way to a man’s heart is thru his stomach … or, in this case, with this delicious chocolate-peanut butter medley.
Ingredients:
1 pouch Betty Crocker peanut butter cookie mix
3 T vegetable oil
1 T water
1 egg
2 T sugar
36 heart-shaped milk chocolate candies (Dove, etc.)
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, oil, water and egg until dough forms.
Shape dough into 36 (one-inch) balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately press chocolate candy into top of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 20 minutes, before storing in tightly covered container.
Chocolate-covered strawberries are the perfect sweet-but-not-overbearing finish to a savory meal (somegeekintn / Flickr).
Yield: 20-30 strawberries
Sweetness abounds when these scrumptious strawberries are dipped in decadent chocolate (dark, milk, white … the choice is yours!)
Ingredients:
2 lbs. good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bean-size pieces
Fresh strawberries
Directions:
Melt 1 ½ lbs. chocolate in top of a double boiler (or clean metal bowl set over simmering water). Remove chocolate from heat when it reaches between 110 and 115 degrees F on a candy thermometer).
To bring into tempering range, add remaining chocolate to the mixture and stir constantly with a rubber spatula until the thermometer registers 82-84 degrees. Put chocolate back over the hot water and bring temperature to between 88 and 91 degrees. Be careful not to let the temperature fall too far or you will have to gently re-warm the mixture. If the temperature rises above 91 degrees in the tempering setup, you will have to start the process over.
Once tempered, use immediately for dipping. Store tempered chocolate at room temperature.
“OREO KISSES”
This isn’t your classic Oreo cookie treat. Instead, these chocolate kisses are Oreos in disguise!
Ingredients:
1 package Oreo cookies (divided; use cookie, including cream center)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)
Chocolate bark
Directions:
Finely crush all but seven cookies in a food processor or place them in a Ziploc bag and crush into a fine consistency.
Stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together.
Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.
Begin to form the shape of a kiss. Flattening the bottom and forming a point at the top.
It helps to put the uncoated balls in the freezer for a few minutes to keep the mixture from starting to fall apart when you drop into the melted chocolate.
Melt chocolate as directed on package and then dip “kisses” one at a time into chocolate, tap off extra and slide them off spoon onto wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.
Once dry, refrigerate and enjoy!
For decorations:
Handwrite your messages or create them on the computer. Cut out the strips (about ¼ inches tall and however wide you need).
Cut up some square sheets of aluminum foil (about 5.5-inch squares).
Place dry kiss in center and start wrapping the foil around the base. Insert message near top and secure it by pressing the foil together at top.
