This Valentine’s Day, serve up something sweet to your sweetheart! Need some ideas for a dessert recipes? We’ve got ’em for you from Delish !
Strawberry Love Notes
The best kind of love note.
TOTAL TIME: 0:35
PREP: 0:10
LEVEL: EASY
YIELD: 6
INGREDIENTS
2 refrigerated pie crusts
Flour for rolling out dough
1/2 c. strawberry jam
Egg wash
1/4 c. Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 375°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 pie crust. Using a paring knife, cut out long diamond shapes, about 4″ on each side. Transfer diamonds to baking sheet. Re-roll extra dough to make more diamonds. (You should have enough dough to make about 6.)
2 Fill the center of each diamond with a very thin layer of strawberry filling, then fold three of the corners into the center so that the dough looks like an open envelope. Use a small heart cookie cutter to stamp out remaining dough into hearts, and place in the center of each.
3 Brush envelopes with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until envelopes are golden, about 15 minutes.
4 Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Heart Cookie Pops
This hack for making heart-shaped cookies is amazing.
TOTAL TIME: 0:25
PREP: 0:15
LEVEL: EASY
YIELD: 12
INGREDIENTS
1 log sugar cookie dough
12 popsicle sticks
Assorted candy melts, for drizzling
Melted white chocolate, for drizzling
DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 350º and line a baking sheet with parchment. Lay out cookie dough on a clean work surface and use knife to cut a small “V” off the top. Shave the sides off to make a heart shape.
2 Thinly slice and place on prepared baking sheet.
3 Stick with popsicle sticks and bake until lightly golden, 10 minutes.
4 Let cool, then drizzle with melted candy melts and white chocolate.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry No-Bake Cheesecakes
Chocolate-covered strawberries are a classic V-Day treat. Serve them on top of tiny cheesecakes for an extra special dessert.
TOTAL TIME: 2:30
PREP: 0:30
LEVEL: EASY
SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CRUST
1 c. crumbled Oreo cookies
1/4 c. butter
FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING
1/2 c. pureed strawberries (from about 1 cup strawberries)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. frozen whipped topping (like Cool Whip or TruWhip)
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 c. heavy cream
Chocolate-covered strawberries, for garnish
Melted white chocolate, for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1 Lightly grease 3 mini springform pans or line a standard 6-muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2 Make chocolate crust: Combine Oreos and butter until Oreo crust is moist. Gently press crust mixture into bottom of the springform pan or muffin tins.
3 Make cheesecake filling: In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring strawberry puree to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. You should have about 1/4 cup puree remaining.
4 In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add strawberry puree and powdered sugar and beat until incorporated and smooth. Add thawed whipped topping and continue beating until creamy and fluffy, scraping down sides as needed.
5 Divide filling evenly between crusts, flattening the tops with a knife or spatula.
6 Make chocolate ganache: Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, then microwave heavy cream in a glass-measuring cup until bubbling, about 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate and let stand for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
7 Pour ganache over each mini cheesecake. Garnish with chocolate-covered strawberries and drizzle with white chocolate, if desired.
8 Refrigerate, 2 hours, then serve.
Candy Heart Bark
This bark takes five seconds to make and tastes great because you’re eating candy AND chocolate at the same time!
TOTAL TIME: 2:15
PREP: 0:15
LEVEL: EASY
SERVES: 8-10
INGREDIENTS
6 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 oz. pink candy melts
1/4 tsp. canola or vegetable oil
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Conversation heart candies and sprinkles, for decorating
DIRECTIONS
1 Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
2 With a double boiler or microwave, melt white chocolate and candy melts together. If using a microwave, stir chocolate every 20 seconds. Once melted and smooth, stir in oil, then set aside.
3 Melt semisweet chocolate the same way you melted white chocolate. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and spread out into a large rectangle using a spoon or rubber spatula. Drizzle white chocolate mixture on top, then use a knife or toothpick to swirl layers together. Sprinkle top of bark with conversation hearts and sprinkles.
4 Refrigerate to set, 2 hours. Once hardened, break into pieces as large or as small as you want and serve.
Red Velvet No-Bake Cheesecake
If you’re not afraid of a little red food coloring, this ganache-drizzled cheesecake is a delicious low-stress holiday dessert.
TOTAL TIME: 4:20
PREP: 0:20
LEVEL: EASY
SERVES: 8
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. boxed red velvet cake mix
red food coloring
1 graham cracker crust, homemade or store-bought
1 c. heavy cream
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (or chips)
Whipped cream, for serving
DIRECTIONS
1 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add cream cheese and beat until completely smooth.
2 Fold in sugar, red velvet cake mix, and a few drops food coloring (the color will be pink; continue adding until it’s to your liking).
3 Pour mixture into prepared pie crust, smoothing over top with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours.
4 When ready to serve, make ganache. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat and pour over chocolate. Let sit 3 minutes, then stir until creamy.
5 Remove cheesecake from fridge and drizzle with ganache. Serve with whipped cream.
