There's no better way to say "I love you" than with a delightful, decadent chocolate dessert. But better than any box of store-bought bonbons is a homemade dessert or treat to share. Whether you enjoy it with your partner, the family, or a group of friends is up to you, but we're offering a stellar selection of cacao recipes just right for the holiday of love. There are classic heart-shaped cookies and decadent raspberry-filled whoopee pies (of course, we have more heart-shaped ways to express your affection if your significant other isn't a chocolate lover), as well as cupcakes that aren't just cute—they're sophisticated and heartfelt, too.
If your heart desires a dessert to be shared, try a brownie cake or a mousse pie—or go with bite-sized treats like handmade truffles or chocolate-peanut butter cups. Package them in a special box or present them on a gilded platter—either way, your Valentine is sure to swoon over these heartfelt creations.
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Chocolate Heart-Shaped Cakes with Buttercream
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Mini flourless chocolate cakes get a flavor boost from dark rum and instant espresso. They puff up slightly in the oven, then set into a delicate, truffle-like consistency as they cool. Piped meringue buttercream decorations are the finishing touch that takes these decadent treats over the top.
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Loaf-Pan Buckeye Brownies
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Bake brownies in a loaf pan using our small-batch recipe when you need a smaller amount of decadent treats. Inspired by buckeye candies—an old-fashioned confection of chocolate-dipped peanut-butter fudge—they are run through with a ribbon of rich peanut-butter cream that takes on a caramel flavor in the oven.
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Candied-Orange Chocolate-Caramel Tart
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Chocolate and orange is a blissful combination, as this tart shows. It has a chocolate wafer crust, a citrus-infused caramel, and a thick layer of ganache on top. It's a dessert project that has delicious results.
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Dark Chocolate-Walnut Date Bar
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It's rich and indulgent but also free of refined sugar and eggs and gluten-free. This dessert bar is our top choice for anyone with dietary restrictions or who prefers a healthier dessert.
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Molten Chocolate-Espresso Cakes
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For a quick chocolate fix for your valentine, turn to these easy mini cakes. Serve them plain, or topped with a bit of ganache and a sprinkling of pistachios or a touch of flaky sea salt.
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Handwritten Valentine Cupcakes with Chocolate Glaze
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Sweet messages written in white chocolate adorn these easy one-bowl chocolate cupcakes.
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Vanilla Pudding Pie
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For white chocolate lovers, there's this creamy, dreamy pie with white chocolate in the silky vanilla filling and a chocolate wafer cookie-crust.
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Mile-High Triple-Chocolate-Espresso Mousse Pie
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A chocolate dessert that deserves a pedestal. This lavish sweet has two different chocolate mousses layered over a chocolate wafer crust. On top is an espresso cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.
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Chocolate-Olive Oil Crisps
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Made with olive oil instead of butter, these cookies have a crisp texture and more intense cocoa flavor. Serve them to your sweetheart on their own or with scoops of fruit sorbet.
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Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow Hearts
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Give a sweet new meaning to the idea of "warm hearts" when you plop fluffy homemade marshmallow cut-outs into rich, creamy hot cocoa.
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Soft-Serve Peanut Butter Cupcakes
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Talk about spectacular, these cupcakes are one tall treat. Under the semisweet chocolate glaze lies a both swirl of peanut butter and vanilla buttercream and under them, chocolate buttermilk cupcakes.
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Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
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It's so easy to make your own version of this classic, coveted Valentine's Day treat. Coat the chocolate-dipped strawberries in pistachios as shown in this recipe, or branch out with other kinds of nuts, coconut, crushed cookies, edible glitter, and more fun surprises.
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Chocolate-Mousse Parfaits
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Espresso powder intensifies the chocolate flavor in this light and luscious make-ahead mousse.
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Chocolate Heart Cupcakes
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Sometimes love is black and white, as in these adorable heart-adorned chocolate-cherry cupcakes topped with vanilla-bean frosting.
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Chocolate-Peppermint Hearts
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Soft, chewy homemade peppermint patties are bathed in dark chocolate to make gift-worthy bonbons for your valentine.
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No-Bake Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup Bars
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Sweet, fluffy peanut butter filling luxuriates between two blankets of dark chocolate in our homemade version of the classic candy. Swirl peanut butter hearts on top for an extra-loving touch.
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Dark- and White-Chocolate Shortbread Hearts
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Your valentine's heart will grow four sizes when you present them with these beautiful (and totally Instagram-worthy) layered shortbread cookies.
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Chocolate-Caramel Truffles
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Inspired by Brazilian brigadeiros, these chewy truffles have a heart of rich, fudgy caramel made from sweetened condensed milk, cream, and chocolate.
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Couscous Crunch Bar
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Crispy-rice crunch bars are for amateurs! Double down on the toasty, crunchy goodness when you make chocolate treats filled with pearl couscous and flaky sea salt.
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Chocolate-Pistachio Tartufo
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Layers of ice cream and cookie crumbs coated in chocolate make the perfect romantic dessert for sharing. Grab two spoons and dive in to discover the two surprise maraschino cherries inside.
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Whoopie Hearts with Raspberry Meringue
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Make your valentine shout "whoopeeee!" with these heart-shaped chocolate whoopie pies filled with fluffy pink raspberry meringue.
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Fudgy Brownie Cake
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Simple yet seductive, this dense, almost-flourless cake is pure chocolate bliss. Serve with an understated dusting of cocoa powder or dial up your garnish game with berries and whipped cream.
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Chocolate Pots de Creme for Two
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These elegant chocolate custards will transport you to romantic French bistro with every silky bite.
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Chocolate Eclair Hearts
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Declare your love with heart-shaped cream puffs coated in a glossy chocolate ganache glaze.
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Vegan Chocolate Cake
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Use your favorite dairy-free creamer to concoct this decadent vegan chocolate-mocha layer cake.
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Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Tart
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A chocolate pastry crust envelops a fudgy pecan filling to create the most dreamy grown-up candy bar. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt takes things to the next level.
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Fudgy Chocolate Beet Cake
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Spelt flour and puréed beets are the healthy secrets behind this moist, ganache-coated chocolate cake.
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Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
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Cookies, like love, are meant to be shared, and there's plenty to go around when you bake up this great big chocolate-chip beauty.
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Milk-Chocolate Pudding Cupcakes
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Achieve ultimate chocolate nirvana in these chocolate cupcakes filled with milk-chocolate pudding, coated in milk-chocolate ganache and decked out with chocolate curls.
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Chocolate-Raspberry Cake
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Chambord raspberry liqueur and a fresh raspberry filling build layers of bright berry flavor into this centerpiece-worthy chocolate-buttermilk cake.
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Flourless Chocolate-Date Cake with Salted-Caramel Sauce
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A seductive mixture of dates and bourbon is at the base of this sophisticated cake.
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Chocolate Mousse Pie with Phyllo Crust
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Crisp, buttery layers of phyllo dough are coated in a layer of chocolate and then heaped with fluffy chocolate mousse in this all-new interpretation of chocolate cream pie.
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Raspberry-Filled Molten Chocolate Cupcakes
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Tender, chewy, rich, and gooey—these molten chocolate cupcakes hit all the right notes. Don't forget the vanilla ice cream!
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Chocolate Tart with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust
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This restaurant-worthy dessert is easy to make at home, especially if you use store-bought chocolate chip cookies to make the crust.
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Chocolate-Peanut Butter Semifreddo with Caramel Corn
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Semifreddo is Italian for "half-cold," and this dessert is a mousse-like riff on ice cream cake. This one is for the chocolate and peanut-butter lovers among us, with meringue folded into dark chocolate and PB ganaches, layered in a loaf pan, and frozen. To knock it out of the park, serve it with our extra-nutty rendition of Cracker Jack.
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