With just a few weeks to go until Valentine's Day, and if you're looking to make this year's event particularly memorable, now is the time to start planning. However, you don't need to splurge and book into a fancy restaurant for an unforgettable evening – sometimes a home-cooked meal can be just as cosy, especially if you're serving up your loved one's favourite dishes.
However, no Valentine's Day meal is complete without a delicious dessert, and a show-stopping cake could not only leave you looking like a culinary genius, but also make the evening extra special.
We've rounded up a host of mouth-watering desserts sure to satisfy your sweet tooth, whether you're looking for easy and quick biscuit recipes, or wanting to take on a dazzling baking feat.
If you're looking for smaller bites, or even want to create a foodie gift, we recommend checking out the recipe for adorable heart-shaped biscuits, which you can personalise with icing decorations. For something with a bit more wow factor, there are puff pastries with apple slices arranged to look like a rose, or even crème brûlées with heart detailing for a romantic twist on the classic dessert.
Don't have time to cook dinner? Why not kick off the day with a Valentine's Day themed breakfast instead? Check out the yummy heart-shaped waffles recipe, complete with topping suggestions if you're in need of some foodie inspiration.
Click through to discover the prettiest and tastiest recipes on offer…
Divine Chocolate Valentine’s Tart for Two
Preparation time: 5 minutesCooking time: 10-12 minutesServes: 1, for two to share
Ingredients:1 pack ready-rolled all butter puff pastry100g Divine 70 per cent Dark Chocolate100ml double cream1 tbsp honey or golden syrup1 tsp double cream + sprinkling of granulated sugar
To decorate:3-4 medium strawberries60g Divine White Chocolate50ml double creamIcing sugar or chocolate shavings to decorate (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C Fan).
2. Unroll the puff pastry and trace a heart shape with a knife (or pencil) scoring the pastry but not cutting all the way. Cut out the shape you traced and transfer to a heavy tray lined with baking paper. (You will probably get two small hearts out of one packet of pastry - you can keep the rest for another use or make two tarts).
3. Score a 1cm border on the inside edge of the heart, then prick within the border with a fork. Brush the edge of the tart with a little double cream and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.
5. Gently press down the middle of the tart to flatten the area you scored and leave to cool completely.
6. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat proof bowl.
7. Put the double cream and honey in a small saucepan and heat until small bubbles appear around the edge – do not allow to boil.
8. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and leave for two minutes.
9. Use a balloon whisk to gently stir the chocolate, starting from the centre of the bowl and slowly increasing your motion outwards until the chocolate is melted and glossy. Leave to cool slightly.
10. Once slightly cooled, spread enough chocolate ganache inside the pastry to fill the tart.
11. Hull the strawberries then slice lengthwise from the top down. Cut a small ‘v’ at wide end to create a heart shape. Decorate the tart with the strawberry hearts.
12. Chop the white chocolate into very small pieces and place in a heat proof bowl. Gently heat the double cream and pour over the chocolate. Leave to stand and then stir gently until the chocolate melts. Leave to stand until the chocolate cools down slightly but is still pourable.
13. Drizzle the white chocolate over the tart and sprinkle with a dusting of chocolate shavings or icing sugar.
Photo and recipe by Lucy Parissi.
Apple roses in puff pastry
Preparation time: 20 minutesCooking time: 30-40 minutesServes: 6
Ingredients:2 Pink Lady® apples1 Juice of a lemon50g melted butter1 x sheet, ready roll puff pastry (thawed)2 tbsp cinnamon3 tbsp caster sugarSprinkle icing sugar
Method:
1. Halve your apples and remove the core but keeping the half apple intact.
2. Thinly slice your apples and put into a microwavable bowl with the juice of the lemon. Cover with cling film and microwave on high for 1 minutes to soften slightly. Leave to cool.
3. Open up your puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface and gently roll to elongate slightly. Cut the pastry along the width into 6 even strips.
4. Brush each strip with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and caster sugar.
5. Place the apple slices skin side up along the pastry strips overlapping as you go. Leave a small gap, approximately 2 cm, at the end to be able to stick the pastry together.
6. Fold over the remaining pastry to cover the bottom half of the apples. Roll the pastry up to create an apple rose and seal with the excess pastry.
7. Place into a lined muffin tray.
8. Cook in a preheated oven for 30 - 40 minutes at 180°C/Gas mark 4
9. Cool on a wire rack then sprinkle with icing sugar to finish.
For more information visit pinkladyapples.co.uk
Nordic Heart Waffles
Serves: 10-12 waffles
Ingredients:2 eggs350ml whole milk100ml Greek yogurt350g plain flour100g caster sugar1 tsp baking powder1 tsp bicarbonate of soda1 tsp vanilla sugar (or use seeds from ½ pod)½ tsp ground cardamom (optional)100g butter, melted, plus 50g for brushing
Vanilla Skyr/Quark and Tart Berries topping:300ml skyr (Icelandic cultured dairy product) or natural quark½ vanilla pod, seeds only2 tbsps icing sugar200g mixed fresh berries
Strawberry jam and vanilla cream topping:300ml whipping cream½ vanilla pod, seeds only1 tsp icing sugar
Method:
1. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk and yogurt. Add all the dry ingredients and finally, add the melted butter. Whisk until you have a smooth batter, taking care not to over-beat. Leave to stand for at least 15 minutes before using.
2. Heat up the waffle iron and brush it lightly with melted butter. Add enough batter to the waffle iron to almost cover the surface (but not quite, or it will overspill), close the lid and cook until golden brown. This will take a couple of minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used. Note that as when making pancakes, the first one of the batch is never as good as the rest! Eat them immediately or they’ll go soggy.
3. For the vanilla skyr/quark and tart berries topping, whip the skyr or quark for 1 minute with the vanilla seeds and sugar. Serve a dollop with each waffle and then sprinkle the berries on top. Note that skyr and quark are naturally sour in taste and you may want to add extra sugar to taste.
4. For the strawberry jam and vanilla cream topping, add the cold whipping cream to a bowl. Add the seeds from the vanilla pod and icing sugar. Whip until peaks form. Serve the cream and jam in bowls next to the waffles and let your guests help themselves (usually a tablespoon of jam per waffle is sufficient).
5. During strawberry season, we omit the jam and serve it with freshly macerated strawberries instead. Other times, we replace the strawberry jam with cloudberry jam – a much tarter jam that perfectly complements the sweet vanilla cream.
6. The traditional Norwegian waffle topping is brown goat’s cheese (brunost or geitost), which is available in speciality stores across the world. The distinctive brown colour comes from the milk sugars which are boiled (along with cream and whey), turning them into caramel. To serve, thinly slice slivers of the brown cheese and add to your waffle as soon as it comes out of the waffle iron, so that it melts slightly before eating.
The ScandiKitchen by Bronte Aurell (Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99) Photography by Peter Cassidy.
Clementine Brûlée
Serves: 2Preparation time: 5 minutes, plus extra time for chillingCooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:2 clementines, peeled and roughly chopped2 tsp Cointreau3 egg yolks50g golden caster sugar170ml pot essential Waitrose Double Cream50ml whole milk1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways
Method
1. Place the clementines in the base of 2 x 200ml ramekins, sprinkle with the Cointreau and leave to infuse. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the yolks and half the sugar until pale. Heat the cream in a small pan with the milk and vanilla. When it just comes to the boil, add it to the eggs, stirring steadily. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water for 15-20 minutes, stirring, until thick and creamy. Remove the vanilla pod.
2. Pour the custard over the clementines, allow to cool, then chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until set.
3. Just before serving, preheat the grill to very hot. For the heart-shaped topping, fold a square of paper in half, cut out half a heart along the folded edge and unfold. Sprinkle remaining sugar over then remove the paper before placing under the grill until the sugar has formed a crisp shell. Serve immediately.
For more information visit waitrose.com
Hearts Full of Fruit
Serves: 6 heartsEquipment: 1x12cm and 1x9cm heart-shaped cutters
Ingredients:375g all-butter puff pastryA little plain flour, for dusting1 medium egg yolk, lightly beatenIcing sugar, for dusting175g white marzipanA small selection of fruits including berries, sliced nectarines, peeled and sliced eating apples25g butter, melted3 tbsp caster sugar
Method:
1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry to 5–6mm thick. Using your larger cutter or template, cut out six heart shapes. Place on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper and brush each one with beaten egg yolk.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6. Dust your work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan to about 4mm thick. Cut out six hearts, using the smaller cutter or template. Place your marzipan hearts on top of the pastry.
3. Arrange a handful of berries or sliced fruit on each marzipan heart. Brush the fruit with melted butter and sprinkle with the caster sugar.
4. Bake in the oven for15–20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the fruit has begun to caramelise. Serve warm.
Recipes from The Higgidy Cookbook by Camilla Stephens (Quercus £16.00).
Piccolo Valentine’s biscuits
Serves: 8 cookiesPreparation time: 20 minutesCooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients: 125g unsalted butter60g (3oz) caster sugar60g (3oz) soft light brown sugar1 egg½ tsp vanilla essence200g plain flourA pinch of salt¼ tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp bicarbonate of soda80g dried cranberries, chopped60g white chocolate chips plus 60g white chocolate for drizzling
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas mark 3.
2. Cream together the butter and both types of sugar, then break in the egg, add the vanilla essence and mix well together.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda, then add to the creamed mixture until a dough forms. Lastly stir in the cranberries and chocolate into the dough.
4. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for half an hour to an hour. Flour a surface and roll out the dough until it is around 1 ½ cm thick (if the dough is too wet, sprinkle flour over the surface of the dough). Using cookie cutters, make shapes out of the dough and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are a light golden on top. Leave on the sheets for about 10 minutes to cool and set before transferring to a wire rack.
6. Melt the white chocolate for drizzling, and once the cookies are cool, drizzle over with a spoon.
For more information visit mylittlepiccolo.com
