DIY Chocolate Desserts for Valentine’s Day — Comfort Food Feast
It’s February 13. Whether you’re a boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife — or even a good friend — you have just enough time to plan something special for Valentine’s Day. No, we’re not suggesting a last-minute swing by the convenience store for one of those cardboard, heart-shaped chocolate boxes moments before the big date. Instead, show your love by baking up decadent chocolate desserts in your own kitchen. These heart warmingly homemade chocolate-centric recipes come to you just in the nick of time, working as a romantic treat for two or an irresistible dessert for a troupe of sweet-toothed singles.
A fudgy brownie is a no-brainer, but Ina Garten’s Brownie Tart (pictured above) cuts down on flour so that it's extra rich and chocolatey. She deepens the flavor of chocolate by adding coffee granules, making the whole house smell like brownies.
Nothing says love like classic Chocolate-Covered Strawberries. You could pick these quintessentially romantic indulgences up from the store, but making them at home is so easy (and cheap).
Some chocolate desserts are better by the slice, especially A Gooey, Decadent Chocolate Cake by Tyler Florence, blanketed in a chocolate chip buttercream frosting.
There’s a reason Molten Lava Cake stars on menu after menu. Oozing chocolate with the first pierce of a spoon, this warm textural dessert is an impressive one — especially when made from scratch. Even after Valentine’s Day passes, it works as a dynamite party trick.
Fall head over heels for Food Network Magazine's Towering Flourless Chocolate Cake. The cake itself may be dense with chocolate, but the airy meringue topping is as light as a cloud.
Like Romeo and Juliet, chocolate and peanut butter is a star-crossed pair. Ree’s creamy, easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie gets its crust from crushed Oreos.
Show the many layers of your love with Ron Ben-Israel’s Chocolate Layer Cake for Food Network Magazine. The chef’s step-by-step guide reveals how to make this bakery-worthy cake at home.
Classic cheesecake is perhaps the most-decadent dessert of all, and Food Network Magazine’s Chocolate Cheesecake is a real special occasion treat, especially with a drizzle of chocolate glaze.
Food Network Magazine’s recipe for homemade Chocolate Truffles may be the best counter to the store-bought box of chocolate that we could get our hands on, and they’re actually easier to make than you’d think. After rolling them in nuts, cocoa powder or coconut, wrap these bittersweet bites in a box for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.
More comforting Valentine's Day desserts from friends and family:
Feed Me Phoebe: Salted Caramel Budino with Whipped Cream
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: A Chocolate Fondue Party
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Blood Orange Bars
Virtually Homemade: Raspberry Grand Marnier Mascarpone Hand Pies
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chocolate Cake Brownies (Refined Sugar-Free)
Tasting With The Eyes: Puff au Chocolat avec Fraises, Basilic, Fleur de Sel
Blue Apron Blog: Five-Ingredient Molten Chocolate Cakes