Graphic courtesy of Ashlynn Robinson.

Valentine’s Day, the holiday of celebrating love, is a day where people anticipate giving gifts, writing cards, and spending time with loved ones. An essential factor in a “perfect” Valentine’s Day is the food you are going to serve. These dishes have the ability to bring the whole night together, while adding a tasty and festive treat.

Chocolate-covered strawberries:

First up, we have a very simple, yet spectacular, addition to a Valentine’s snack. Chocolate-covered strawberries. Despite this being one of the easiest and cheapest desserts to make, they are bite-size, simple, and impressive. All you need is 20 minutes of baking, some chocolate, and strawberries. You can either boil the chocolate in a glass bowl in a pot, or microwave as long as you are using high-quality chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, you wash and dry the strawberries, prepare any toppings you want, prepare parchment paper for strawberries, dip the strawberries, and allow them to rest on the parchment paper after adding toppings. Finally, once they are fully dry, you can drizzle white chocolate over them. Put them on a plate and they are ready to be served!

Classic heart-shaped cookie:

Next up we have a classic heart cookie. This recipe takes roughly an hour and a half so you’ll want to save time for this one. First you’ll want to mix the butter and sugar, then the egg and vanilla, then the sour cream, and end with slowly adding in the dry ingredients. Next, you’ll have to put the dough in a bowl wrapped in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour. Once the dough is chilled you will roll it out and start cutting, then you’ll bake for nine to ten  minutes. Then you’ll want to make the frosting and spread it onto the cookies after cooling the cookies—then you’re done. These lovely cookies are bound to make everyone happy.

Red velvet cream cheese bundt cake:

Next, we have the perfect dessert: a Red Velvet Cream Cheese Bundt Cake. This dessert will take about four hours of preparation in total. First, start the oven at 350 degrees. Then, you will want to prepare the swirl mixture in the middle. Then you will want to set aside two separate bowls, one for wet ingredients and one for dry ingredients. Once all the ingredients are mixed, you will mix the dry and wet ingredients together. After everything is mixed together, you will put about ⅔ of the mixture into the prepared bundt pan and then pour the swirl mixture, then put the rest of the regular mixture. After that, you will bake for one hour and ten  minutes. Once out of the oven, let it cool for  20 minutes, then transfer it to a plate and let it cool completely—at least 2 hours— then you will make the glaze and pour on the cooled cake.

Candy heart bark:

Next is Candy Heart Bark. This one is out there, but it is bound to make a statement at your Valentine’s day celebration. The full preparation will take about two hours. First, you will want to melt white chocolate with either a double boiler or a microwave. Once melted and smooth, you will want to stir it in oil and set it aside. Next, you’ll want to melt semi-sweet chocolate the same way you melted the white chocolate, pour it onto a prepared baking sheet and spread it out with a spoon or rubber spatula. Then you will drizzle the white chocolate mixture on top, and using a knife or tooth-pick swirl the layers together, then sprinkle conversation hearts and sprinkles on top. Refrigerate for two hours, and once it has hardened, break it into pieces as large or small as you want.

Love and Kisses Cookie:

Lastly, we have the Love and Kisses cookie. This one is fairly easy and definitely well-known. The total amount of time this will take is about one hour and 20 minutes. First, you will want to heat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, with either a double boiler or microwave, melt the chocolate chips, then in a standing mixer mix the sugars, butter, and melted chocolate. Add eggs and vanilla, then in a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients then gradually add to the mixer until just combined. Then, add sprinkles to a bowl and roll the dough into ball shapes and cover the cookie dough in sprinkles, then add to baking sheet. Bake for about ten minutes, and once you take them out of the oven, add a chocolate candy on top of each cookie, let it sit for two minutes then they are ready to enjoy!