Heart-Shaped Sweets For Your Valentine

Now, you can always craft a beautiful dinner for your loved one — break out the big guns and cook up a steak or grill a lobster coated in butter — but let's be real here. Valentine's Day is all about the desserts. The chocolate-covered strawberries and sampler boxes of chocolates fly off the shelves en masse and show up wrapped in a pretty ribbon at the bedside table of every girlfriend, wife, and significant other. Yes, buying up those treats is customary and easy, but it is just as easy to make your own treats at home. It is equally as easy to turn those homemade — and, if we may, more thoughtful — treats into heart-shaped goodies. 

For some people, Valentine's Day means crafting a special breakfast for the one you love. Make it extra special by turning your muffins into pretty, heart-shaped ones. Simply insert a marble between the muffin paper and the muffin tin (on the side, not underneath). It will keep the muffin from filling to its standard shape and will create an adorable heart-shape for breakfast.

Click here for the Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe.

Desserts are pretty much a given on the most loving day of the year. Tartlets are great for the occasion, since they can be shared over a romantic candlelit dinner. To make your tartlet heart-shaped, simply press the crust into the bottom of a heart-shaped mini tart pan. Bake as usual.

Click here for the Tartlet recipe.

Brownies are the ultimate easy Valentine's dessert. They are chocolatey and delicious, but take no time at all to turn into hearts. Bake, grab a cookie cutter, and slice away. Take any remaining scraps and shove them promptly into your mouth.

Click here for the Brownie recipe.

Wear your heart on your sleeve...  or on a cheesecake, with these simple treats perfect for Valentine's Day.

Click here for the Heart-Shaped Cheesecake recipe.

Lollipops are such a nostalgic treat, made special with a heart-shaped twist. They bring back memories of childhood and can bring a smile to anyone's face. Grab yourself a heart-shaped mold and you can easily make them at home.

Click here for the Homemade Lollipops recipe.

The ultimate in elegant cookies, jam sandwich cookies make a fun and beautiful Valentine's Day treat. You can customize them any way you'd like, with different jams or curds inside. Just grab a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make the sandwich cookie dough and have fun.

Click here for the Jam Sandwich Cookies recipe.

Nothing says "love" like these yummy brownies — literally! Use store-bought brownie mix as the base for this Valentine's Day treat.

Click here for the Love Brownies recipe.

Also known as elephant ears, palmiers are already heart-shaped. They are flaky, sweet, and perfect for the occasion.

Click here for the Palmiers recipe.

Maybe your loved one wants breakfast in bed. And maybe you want to add a nice little romantic touch. Pour your pancake batter into a squeeze bottle and squeeze it onto your griddle in a heart shape. Top with raspberry sauce for an extra special treat.

Click here for the Pancakes recipe.

Who can resist a Rice Krispies Treat? Really, show of hands, please. These babies are truly impossible to turn down. Grab your trusty cookie cutter and shape them into hearts. Your loved ones will thank you.

Click here for the Rice Krispies Treat recipe.

Sugar cookies are the top when it comes to versatility of shape. You can form them into any shape you want, essentially. Shape them into hearts, of course, and top them with some tasty icing.

Click here for the Sugar Cookie recipe.

Ah, whoopie pies. Little bites of heaven. You get a little bit of cake, a little bit of icing, and you can have it in any flavor you want. Try red velvet for this occasion. Place the batter in a piping bag and simply pipe it into a heart before baking. Easy peasy.

Click here for the Whoopie Pie recipe.