Love is in the air… and in the kitchen! Celebrate with 36+ Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipes including cakes, cookies, small-batch desserts for 2, and more. From rich chocolate cake and fudgy brownies to festive Valentine’s Day cupcakes and easy sparkle sweetheart cookies, there’s something on this list for everyone to love.
As a New York Times best-selling cookbook author, I’ve made my fair share of seasonal desserts. February is one of my favorite baking months, because the flavors of rich chocolate, sweet berries, and buttery red velvet thrive. Of course, all the pink sprinkles and frosting is a lovely bonus. (Looking at you, pretty pink strawberry cake!)
If you’re in need of a special treat, here are 36+ Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipes.
Every year, my first Valentine’s Day bake is a batch of Valentine’s Day Cookies. I use my fan-favorite sugar cookies and decorate with royal icing to make the cookies look like the popular conversation heart candies. You’ll need just a few cookie decorating tools, or you can use my easy cookie icing and leave off the words for plain heart cookies. (Equally delicious!)
If cookie decorating isn’t your thing, grab a bag of chocolate hearts for easy sparkle sweetheart cookies. (Or peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies the peanut butter lover in your life.) These white chocolate red velvet cookies are also simple to make but look extra elegant with a generous dunk of white chocolate and festive sprinkles to finish.
This list also includes several small-batch recipes that are ideal for small celebrations. My small chocolate cake yields just enough for a single layer 6-inch round cake—or 6 cupcakes. Top with decadent chocolate ganache or your valentine’s favorite frosting. Or my 1 giant double chocolate cookie was made with chocolate-lovers in mind!
To really make your valentine swoon, try my show-stopping chocolate raspberry cake. For more Valentine’s Day baking inspiration, see my Valentine’s Day recipes section.
36+ Popular Valentine’s Day Dessert Recipes
Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
My recipe for sugar cookies promises flavorful cookies with soft and thick centers, slightly crisp edges, and flat tops for decorating with royal icing to resemble conversation heart candies.
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Exceptionally quicker and much easier than a full cheesecake, these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars are luxuriously creamy, perfectly sweet, and swirled with layers of fresh raspberry.
Valentine’s Day Cupid Cupcakes
These Valentine’s Day-inspired cupcakes are all dressed up with Nutella filling, strawberry and Nutella swirled buttercream, and a chocolate candy heart.
Chocolate Raspberry Cake
This is a decadent 3-layer cake with so much to love: layers of moist dark chocolate cake, sweet silky chocolate buttercream, and homemade raspberry filling, all covered with a luxurious chocolate raspberry ganache.
Raspberry Sugar Cookies
These raspberry sugar cookies are like regular cut-out sugar cookies, but with two major upgrades in the dough: tangy cream cheese and freeze-dried raspberries.
Valentine’s Day Chocolate Bark
Little bakers love making this easy recipe for Valentine’s Day sweetheart swirl bark featuring pure chocolate, pink swirls, festive sprinkles, and lots of conversation hearts (or your favorite candy!).
Sparkle Sweetheart Cookies
These are drop-style sugar cookies, so there’s no rolling pin or cookie cutter required—just roll in colorful sprinkles and top with chocolate hearts for the perfect easy treat for your sweetheart.
Easy Cheesecake Pie
This easy cheesecake pie is smooth, creamy and perfect for cheesecake lovers who want a quicker, easier alternative to a classic cheesecake.
Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
With a chocolate heart candy nestled on top, these super soft sweetheart peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies are the February version of peanut butter blossoms.
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This recipe produces my best red velvet cake with superior buttery, vanilla, and cocoa flavors, as well as a delicious tang from buttermilk, all topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
White Chocolate Red Velvet Cookies
Enjoy the signature red velvet cake flavors of vanilla, butter, and cocoa, but as a soft-baked chewy cookie with a generous dip in smooth white chocolate.
Seriously Fudgy Homemade Brownies
This is our go-to recipe for seriously fudgy brownies that are thick, dense, and intensely chocolatey with shiny crackly tops and melt-in-your-mouth centers.
Homemade Strawberry Cake
The one thing that sets this strawberry cake apart from others? Tons of REAL flavor. This recipe is also in my best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Chocolate Raspberry Crinkles
Just like chocolate crinkle cookies, but with the added flavor of real raspberries, these chocolate raspberry crinkle cookies are soft-baked and chewy, deeply rich and fudgy, and coated in a raspberry-confectioners’ sugar topping.
Chocolate Cherry Thumbprints
Sweet maraschino cherries strike just the right flavor balance in these deeply chocolatey cookies found on page 49 in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Easy Chocolate Lava Cakes
Chocolate lava cakes with their deliciously rich molten chocolate center come together with 6 simple ingredients and are ready in just 25 minutes.
Champagne Cake Roll
This light and spongey champagne cake roll is flavored with reduced champagne and vanilla and filled with champagne whipped cream. Cheers!
Homemade Chocolate Truffles
Spread the love this Valentine’s Day with rich, creamy, and indulgent chocolate truffles made from the comfort of your own kitchen!
Date Night Chocolate Fudge Cakes for 2
This recipe for chocolate fudge cakes for 2 is a 30-minute small-batch recipe, and is perfect for when you don’t need to feed a crowd.
Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies
These red velvet cake-inspired chocolate chip cookies marry the velvet-soft texture and light cocoa undertones from the popular cake flavor with classic chocolate chip cookies.
Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
Pink, pretty, and irresistibly rich—these ultra-fudgy raspberry cheesecake brownies are swirled with creamy, tangy cheesecake and real raspberry flavor.
Chocolate Cake Pops
Combine rich chocolate cake with the best chocolate buttercream, and coat in melted chocolate for a treat that will make your tastebuds pop!
Homemade Chocolate Mousse
With the pure flavor of real chocolate and its smooth, velvety texture, this mousse strikes the perfect balance between rich and light. You need just 6 ingredients and there’s no baking required.
Oreo Balls
These are a simple, no-bake treat everyone loves, and you can customize them by using your valentine’s favorite flavor of Oreo cookie and type of chocolate for dunking.
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
Topped with a thick layer of pretty pink frosting, these sugar cookie bars are soft, chewy, and a thoughtful treat for any sweet tooth.
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Extra moist chocolate cupcakes filled with sweet strawberry buttercream and topped with rich chocolate ganache!
White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
These are strawberry cupcakes made with real strawberries and zero artificial flavor, topped with an ultra-creamy frosting that combines melted white chocolate and freeze-dried strawberries.
Creamy Small Batch Cheesecake
If you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day with cheesecake but don’t want the large yield of a standard recipe, try this easy creamy small batch cheesecake made in a loaf pan.
Easy Crème Brûlée
Flecked with espresso and vanilla, you only 6 simple ingredients to make the best and creamiest crème brûlée I’ve ever had.
Small Chocolate Cake (6 Inch)
If you’re entertaining a small crowd or if you just need to satisfy a chocolate cake craving, here is my much loved recipe for a 1 layer 6-inch chocolate cake.
Chocolate Hand Pies
Steal their heart with a batch of warm and gooey chocolate hand pies featuring chocolate pie dough and chocolate ganache filling!
Tiramisu
Tiramisu is a timeless, always impressive no-bake Italian dessert combining espresso-dipped ladyfingers and a creamy lightly sweetened mascarpone cream.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
A 1 bowl dark, rich, and deliciously moist flourless chocolate cake recipe without any special tools, decorating, or assembly required, this is chocolate cake made easy… and completely gluten free.
Chocolate Soufflé
Although rich and fluffy chocolate soufflé certainly looks impressive, it a relatively quick recipe that only requires 7 basic ingredients.
1 Giant Double Chocolate Cookie
Extra chewy, fudgy, and with double the chocolate, this mega-sized cookie couldn’t be easier to make and is perfect for sharing with your valentine… or not.
How to Make Crepes
Easy to make with just a blender and regular skillet, these crepes ready for your choice of sweet or savory fillings and toppings to start Valentine’s Day off on a sweet start.
