Celebrate love with our top 8 dessert recipes for Valentine’s Day
No matter who you’re spending the evening with — a partner, friends, family members, a pet or just yourself — there’s always reason to celebrate, whether you’re a Valentine’s Day person or not. Besides, desserts are always terrific any day of the year.
Furthermore, there’s lots more to “romantic” fare than just chocolate-covered strawberries … even though those are always welcome at any party, too.
Whether they’re rich and creamy, light and airy, crispy and crunchy or smooth and delicate, these desserts are a wonderful way to cap off a romantic meal or just to enjoy a quick little bite while watching TV or a reliable, go-to movie. These desserts are also pretty darn simple, allowing you to spend the majority of your time with your cherished ones. Though it’s also fun to get your loved ones involved in the kitchen with you!
As Elisha Cuthbert’s Alex Kerkovich repeatedly intones in the St. Valentine’s Day episode of the forever under-appreciated sitcom “Happy Endings” — “For love!”
So make one of these lovely options, play Sarah Vaughan’s insurmountable live rendition of “My Funny Valentine” on loop and cuddle up. You have a beautiful evening ahead of you, complete with a terrific dessert, no matter the company. And that’s something to celebrate, is it not?
Peanut Butter Pie (Mary Elizabeth Williams)Image_placeholderIt doesn’t get much better than that, does it?
Brownie (Getty Images/Jennifer A Smith)Image_placeholderThese are so special in Bibi’s family that they’ve earned the title “The Brownies” because no one other brownies can measure up.
A quick word of warning from Hutchings herself: “Don’t say I didn’t warn you: be careful when you make these. They are rich and wield great power. They are impossible to ignore, and you will over-indulge. They will call out to you like Sirens, particularly in the night, beckoning you over to their foil covered pan with the promise of pure bliss. They deliver on that promise as you will see.”
Whiskey Pear Cobbler (Mary Elizabeth Williams)Image_placeholder
Creamy yogurt panna cotta with fresh strawberry sauce in glass (Getty Images/yumehana)Image_placeholderAs Bibi Hutchings poetically puts it, “Love is a night in with homemade panna cotta.”
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Teddy graham tiramisu (Mary Elizabeth Williams)Image_placeholderA real blast from the past, this adorable, Teddy Graham-topped tiramisu melds two worlds: the nostalgic fun of the sweet, graham cracker classic and the timeless joy that is the Italian stalwart, tiramisu.
One note: don’t skimp on the cocoa powder! It really helps add that special, final touch, both aesthetically and flavor-wise.
Chocolate Snaps (Mary Elizabeth Williams)Image_placeholder
Red Wine Whoopie Pies (Courtesy Meghan McGarry/Buttercream Blondie)Image_placeholderThis is one of the more time-consuming recipes on this list, so feel free to make the cream one day and the whoopie pies another, so that that way, all you have to do on Valentine’s Day itself is combine and decorate.
Sicilian Love Cake (Mary Elizabeth Williams)Image_placeholderThere may be no better way to celebrate the holiday. It’s even heart-shaped!
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