59 Valentine’s Desserts to Make You Swoon
Whether you and your loved ones are chocolate people, vanilla people, cookie people, or cake people, we have Valentine’s Day desserts for you. Come on in.
You know, when it comes to Valentine’s Day dinner, we’re partial to sexy, molten fondue. Yes, it’s specific, but when else are you really going to fire up that little burner and use those long, skewer-like forks? (Still, here are some other ideas for the meal.) When it comes to Valentine’s Day desserts, though, we can’t decide. We’re greedy. We want it all: chocolate desserts, fruity confections, creamy frozen pies, all.
So we took it all. Here are the best dessert ideas for making it a perfect Valentine’s Day. (But if something goes wrong because you didn’t read the ingredient lists right or something, there’s always a quick fix with store-bought cake mix and vanilla ice cream. And if all else fails, turn to the most nostalgia-packed, lowest-effort sweet treat of them all: conversation hearts.)
Photograph by Doaa Elkady, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Gözde Eker1/59Blood Orange–Rosemary Olive Oil Cake
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim2/59Sparkly Red Velvet Cookies
Red velvet cake lovers, guess what? There’s a cookie version—and it only requires one bowl to make. This Valentine’s cookie is calling your name.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kendra Vaculin, prop styling by Gözde Eker3/59Baked Alaska With Pistachio Brittle and Raspberry Curd
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton5/59S’mores Sandwich Cookies
Layered with chocolate ganache and burnt marshmallow, these playful crème pies cram all of the flavors of s’mores into chewy, mess-free sandwich cookies. No campfire required.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni6/59Hot Buttered Rum Pie
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua7/59Victoria Sponge Cake
We all know Mary Berry is a hottie. What about Queen Victoria of England, for whom this sponge cake is named? Dunno—but we do know we like to indulge our inner Berry groupies by pretending we’re on The Great British Baking Show and making this jam-filled, cream-slathered classic.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton8/59Baklava Cookies
When a baklava recipe and a cookies recipe come together, you get a snickerdoodle-like exterior with a surprise filling of honey-sweetened, cinnamon-, cardamom-, and clove-spiced pistachios.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh10/59Passion Fruit Bars
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards11/59Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie
We like using sliced apples instead of chunks or wedges in this pie. Slices melt into each other as they bake, leaving less room for air pockets to develop—and we can’t have air pockets. Tonight, we need maximum flavor in every bite.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton13/59Buttery Jam Diagonals
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones14/59Tres Leches Cake
This cake recipe is delicious as is, but if you want to decorate it for your boo, you could frost the top with sweetened whipped cream.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alex Massillon15/59Giant Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Remember the infamous “I love you” cookie that Miranda received on season six of Sex and the City? (Real ones do.) An oversized chocolate chip cookie is a great idea. Maybe stop there. (An oversized cookie with “I love you” spelled out in chocolate chips is too much.)
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro16/59Foolproof Lemon Bars
Marcus Nilsson18/59Bourbon–Sea Salt Caramels
Not only does salt bring out other flavors, it’s also a perfect foil to rich chocolate and sweet caramel. Try these confections and see for yourself.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Rosanna Anil, Prop Styling by Paola Andrea19/59Lemon Drop Martini
Okay, maybe this one’s stretching it a bit, but also, maybe an after-dinner drink is what you consider dessert. And that would be fine; it’s your life, your Valentine’s Day treat.
Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua20/59Cinnamon Crunch Crinkle Pie
This dramatically ruffled pie, inspired by Greek bougatsa custard pie with phyllo, embraces imperfection. (You have to read the recipe to see what we mean.)
Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua21/59Hazelnut Butter Cup Tart
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich22/59Matcha-Dipped Strawberries
Why make chocolate-covered strawberries when you can make matcha-and-white-chocolate-dipped strawberries? We haven’t been able to come up with any good reason.
Photograph by Rana Duzyol, Food Styling by Jesse Szewczyk, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua23/59Easy-Fancy Pear Galette
Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua24/59Carrot Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Whip
This cream cheese frosting is whipped, honey. Instead of the usual butter and cream cheese, this recipe uses heavy cream and cream cheese for a lighter, fluffier result.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Summer Moore26/59Chewy Date and Dark Chocolate Cookies
These aren’t your average chocolate chunk cookies. What makes these worthy of being chosen as Valentine’s Day cookies is, well, did you know dates are considered an aphrodisiac?
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser29/59Jamaican Black Cake
Named for its deep, dark color, this cake features a splash of browning sauce—a burnt sugar syrup commonly used in Caribbean cooking for color and flavor—in the batter.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton31/59Tiramisu Snowball Cookies
The winning flavors of tiramisu—espresso, chocolate, and mascarpone cream—join forces with the textures of another classic, the snowball cookie, to create a sure-to-please Valentine’s dessert.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene32/59Old-School Tiramisu
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie33/59Miso White Chocolate–Macadamia Cookies
Chewy chocolate chip cookie lovers: Here’s another version to love. Bolstered by brown butter, macadamia nuts, and miso, this recipe’s got depth, balance, and personality.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Floral Styling by LaParis Phillips34/59Chocolate Sheet Cake With Brown Butter Frosting
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Dayna Seman35/59Buttermilk Banana Cake
Ripe bananas can become more than just banana bread, as this simple but striking recipe proves. One bite is all it takes to fall in love with the cardamom-scented cake.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni37/59Chocolate and Coconut Cream Pie
This double-decker pie stacks two forever favorites, chocolate and coconut cream, in a homemade salted graham cracker crust. It’s a best-of-all-worlds situation.
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Photograph by William Crooks39/59Frozen Cookie Dough Pie
This triple-layer pie with chunks of frozen cookie dough, chocolate ganache, and vanilla semifreddo makes for a stunning dessert. (And stunning is what you want.)
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott42/59Blood Orange and Coconut Marshmallows
You win Valentine’s Day if you successfully present your partner with these pink-and-white homemade candies from scratch. That is some next-level love!
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams43/59Triple-Chocolate Brownies
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Maya Rossi44/59Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Simon Andrews, prop styling by Sophie Strangio45/59Cookies and Black Sesame Ice Cream
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott46/59Caramelized-Honey Brûlée
If you don’t have a kitchen torch, it’s time to treat yourself. They’re inexpensive and super fun to use—and you can’t make this dessert without one.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Summer Moore47/59Raspberry Cake With Whipped Cream Filling
You turn lemons into lemonade and fresh raspberries into...cake. That’s how the saying goes, right? If you’re more of a strawberry cake person, try this snacking cake. (Don’t the berries look like hearts?)
Alex Lau49/59BA's Best Hot Chocolate
If you’re feeling like you need things to be easy, we taste-tested the best store-bought hot chocolate mixes. But if you’re feeling fancy, go for this homemade version and add a splash of half-and-half or heavy cream just before serving.
Photograph by Scott Semler, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie Yeh50/59Ginger-Lime No-Bake Cheesecake Bars
In case this is a new relationship: A gingersnap crust, tangy cheesecake, and tart lime curd make these freezer treats a crowd-pleaser. You basically can’t lose with this easy dessert recipe.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens53/59Basque Cheesecake
If you want a more classic cheesecake recipe, here’s the best we reached after loads of testing, but there’s something sexier about this burnt, cracked version.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones54/59Sticky Toffee Date Cake
She’s a Bundt cake, and she’s happy to see you—so much so that she bathed in a salted toffee sauce made with butter, sour cream, brown sugar, and Medjool dates.
Photographs by Jenny Huang, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio55/59Ricotta Cornmeal Pound Cake
In Spanish, this cake is called queque seco, or “dried cake,” because it isn’t iced, glazed, or frosted. We incorporated ricotta, which adds a buttery richness and a bit of tang to the batter.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni57/59Flourless Chocolate Meringue Cake
The shapes of the swirls are completely in your hands. So, using a skewer or toothpick, swirl meringue into chocolate batter either a little or a lot. It’s up to you.
Photograph by Rana Düzyol, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni58/59Strawberry-Biscoff Cheesecake Tart
This is possibly the simplest strawberry cheesecake you’ll ever make: It requires no mixer, no springform pan, and it bakes in 30 minutes flat.
