If you ask us, a homemade Valentine’s Day dinner is just as romantic — if not more so — than a night out. And every memorable meal deserves a worthy finale, which is where this collection of sweet endings comes in. You’ll find plenty of ways to cap off the evening, from rich chocolate treats like Espresso Martini Brownies and Chocolate-Amaretto Pudding Cake to fruit-forward desserts featuring cherries and berries, plus a few giftable candies, too. This Valentine’s Day, seal it with a kiss — and a dessert to remember.
Tropical Mendiants
Forget the heart-shaped box and give your special someone these pretty tropical chocolates instead. They’re easy to customize with your favorite combo of chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. Plus, pastry chef Paola Velez’s simple microwave method for tempering chocolate keeps the process approachable.
Espresso Martini Brownies
Food & Wine / Photo by Fred Hardy II / Prop Stylisng by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling
With a fudgy brownie base and a mascarpone whipped cream spiked with espresso and Kahlúa, this transcendent chocolate treat is our favorite kind of nightcap.
Chai Cherry Cheesecake Blondies
Food & Wine / Photo by Greg Dupree / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey
The pretty red cherry swirls atop these best-of-all-worlds bars make them the culinary equivalent of a lacy handmade Valentine’s card. Warm chai spices flavor the brown butter blondie, a perfect base for the creamy, fruity cheesecake.
Molten Chocolate Cakes
Cakey on the outside with an irresistible center of warm dark chocolate flowing through the middle, this seductive chocolate dessert is surprisingly easy to make and ready to serve in under an hour.
Spiced Chocolate Fondue
Caroline Yeh’s ganache-based chocolate dip holds its silky texture at room temperature, so it’s great for making ahead of your Valentine’s Day dinner. There’s no limit to the dunking possibilities: Cubed pound cake or gingerbread, marshmallows, fruit, pretzels, and cookies are all tasty options.
Battenburg Cake
Food & Wine / Photo by Jake Sternquist / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell
Buttery bars of pink and yellow sponge cake are brushed in apricot jam and strategically stacked, then wrapped in marzipan for an impressive Valentine’s Day treat.
Roasted Strawberry Sorbet
Cedric Angeles
What’s more romantic than strawberries and red wine? For this silky sorbet, Pinot Noir is reduced to a syrup to help sweeten roasted strawberries, then more wine is stirred into the pureed fruit before it takes a spin in your ice cream maker.
Chocolate French Crullers with Dried Raspberries and Fudge Glaze
Pastry chef Clarice Lam fries rounds of cocoa-tinged choux dough to make her crunchy, airy crullers. They’re dipped in a warm fudge glaze and sprinkled with dried raspberry pieces for a sweet-tart topping that’s as tasty as it is beautiful.
Red Velvet Beet Bars with Brown Butter Sour Cream Frosting
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Toasty brown butter perfumes both the blondie-like bars and the tangy sour cream frosting that’s spread on top; beets add earthy sweetness while helping create the treat’s signature hue.
Salted Caramel Tart
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Rich, buttery, and easy to love, this simple tart starts with a blind-baked crust that comes together entirely in the food processor. Pour in the amber caramel, cover with dark chocolate ganache, then sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top for tiny bits of contrasting crunch.
Mille-Feuille
Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelesa Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Also known as a Napoleon, this decadent stacked French dessert layers on the butter — first in the flaky puff pastry, then in the rich, vanilla-flecked pastry cream.
Chocolate-Amaretto Pudding Cake
Alex Lau / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by JILLIAN KNOX
Tricia Manzanero Studeman’s delectable dessert, spiked with almond liqueur, separates into two layers as it bakes: a luscious chocolate cake and a glossy chocolate sauce. Serve it with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries.
Pistachio-Rose Brittle
Dried rose petals, pistachios, and a pinch of saffron turn standard nut brittle into a striking and sophisticated sweet treat to share with your special someone.
Chocolate-Raspberry Icebox Cake
This sweet-tart frozen dessert is creamy, dreamy, and a breeze to prepare. Crushed cookies, fresh raspberries, and layers of raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream transform into a gorgeous marbled layer cake in about 15 minutes — no frosting required.
No-Bake Chocolate-Cherry Cheesecake
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
In February, use frozen sweet cherries rather than fresh to make a jammy compote for draping over slices of silky, dense double-chocolate cheesecake — a gorgeous, no-fuss dessert that’s easy to prepare in advance.
Honey-Ricotta Mousse with Strawberries
Make creamy mousse in just 15 minutes from whipped ricotta, heavy cream, and vanilla; chill for an hour or more; then finish with sliced strawberries, a sprinkle of toasted almonds, and a drizzle of honey.
Chocolate–Peanut Butter Mug Cakes
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Dessert for two that’s ready in just 20 minutes is definitely a recipe for romance. Be sure to have some ice cream on hand to top these extra-rich hybrids of devil’s food cake and peanut butter cup.
Tiramisu Sundae
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Tiramisu sundaes effortlessly capture all the flavors of the classic dessert — they’re an especially terrific way to end your Valentine’s Day meal if you’ve got an Italian main on the menu. It takes just 10 minutes to layer them up — use cooled espresso or coffee liqueur to mirror the coffee ice cream.
Giant Chocolate Cookie with Cacao Nibs and Flaky Salt
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland
Cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, and cacao nibs go into this giant, fun-to-share cookie; a balancing sprinkle of flaky sea salt offers a bit of extra crunch. Serve with ice cream and/or caramel sauce for a decked-out dessert.
Brigadeiros
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Sally McKay
A little indulgence goes a long way with these fudgy, bite-size Brazilian confections. They come together from only four ingredients: condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter, and chocolate sprinkles.
Crostata di Marmellata (Italian Jam Tart)
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Use any spreadable fruit preserves to fill a buttery lattice crust for a simple yet stunning tart reminiscent of those displayed at bakeries across Italy.
Tanghulu (Candied Fruit Skewers)
Impress your darling with these skewers of ripe fruit covered evenly in a thin, clear sugar shell. 2021 F&W Best New Chef Lucas Sin shares a streamlined recipe that sticks to water, sugar, and a little bit of light corn syrup rather than candy thermometers, parchment paper, and ice baths.
Plain, Mango, or Raspberry Marshmallows
Make your own ethereal marshmallows in just 35 minutes, and flavor them with freeze-dried fruit to suit the occasion — raspberry is a lovely choice for Valentine’s Day. Or, opt for vanilla and pair with chocolate fondue for a well-rounded dessert experience.
Toasted Chocolate-Hazelnut Sandwiches
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Piled high with a blend of sweet-tart preserves, toasty hazelnuts, and melted chocolate, these decadent dessert sandwiches are a memorable way to end a special meal. The bread is crisped, lightly salty, and golden brown from the butter, while the inside of the sandwich is both gooey and delightfully crunchy.
Raspberry Macarons
Michael Turek
Pastry chef François Payard’s raspberry macarons combine almond flour, powdered sugar, and a glossy Italian meringue tinted pink. The cookies are sandwiched with seedless raspberry jam for a wonderfully bright, sweet-tart treat.
