Valentine's Day 2023: Gifts To Show How Sweet Your Love Is

Is the fastest way to someone's heart through their stomach? Well, according to a survey by YourTango, 80% of people consider preparing food for a partner to be a "significant act of love," while more than half of those surveyed say food plays an important role in relationships.

Despite the emphasis on dining together in many relationships, the reality is that not everyone is a wiz in the kitchen. With Valentine's Day looming, it's time to plan thoughtful, romantic gestures for the people we love. If you want to spoil your beloved with delicious food and treats but would rather steer clear of your kitchen, there are plenty of delicious avenues you can traverse this holiday. Candy sales do usually boom this time of year, after all. Per Statista, they amounted to $1.4 billion in the United States around Valentine's Day in 2021.

Sometimes, however, the path to true love isn't paved with candy hearts. This year, if you're looking to think beyond the classics for your Valentine's Day gift, consider one of these options to wow the person you love most.

Enjoying ice cream is only ever a bad idea if you're dairy intolerant — a condition that unfortunately affects far more people than you might realize. According to Intermountain Healthcare, 70% of the world's population can't eat lactose. This means that millions of people are walking around with lactose sensitivities without even being aware of it. If the one you love has a sweet tooth and a sensitive stomach, consider keeping both in mind this Valentine's Day.

Fortunately, that doesn't mean you have to pass on ice cream altogether. Klimon offers five dairy-free ice cream flavors that you can share with your loved one. They're plant-based, made with almonds, and gluten-free, and beyond that, Klimon promises that they taste just like the real thing. If your significant other likes fruity flavors, especially, options like Cherry Bomb and Sunrise Bang may be a slam dunk on V-Day when you sensually pluck a pint from the freezer.

Whether you'll be treating yourself or your loved one, it's hard to go wrong with chocolate on Valentine's Day. Each year, 58 million pounds of chocolate get sold in heart-shaped boxes, according to Good Housekeeping. Instead of picking up this classic option at your nearest store, though, plan ahead by ordering something much grander. The Simply Chocolate Decadent Valentine Gift Basket is the quickest path to winning over a chocolate lover, as it includes a vast array of chocolate confections, like dark chocolate sea salt popcorn, chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate cherries, cookies and creme graham crackers, and black forest cherry bark.

The basic package costs $59.99. You could also opt for a deluxe basket, which is larger and more elaborate, for $79.99. Both arrive in a wooden basket with faux leather handles, tied up in red Simply Chocolate ribbon for another touch of romance.

If your loved one is accustomed to receiving flowers on a routine basis — because you are a wonderful partner, of course — step it up a notch for Valentine's Day. According to 1-800-Flowers, 36% of people already plan to give out flowers on the holiday. Cheryl's Cookies is offering a different approach to that tradition.

The cookie company is selling frosted cookie flowers that look as beautiful as they are delicious. The best part about these special edible cookie flowers is that you can savor every last moment of the bouquet instead of tossing them into the trash once they die. These florals come in sets of six for $39.99 or 12 for $59.99. They feature flower-shaped cookies in Valentine's colors that come frosted with buttercream and have long stems. It's all wrapped up in a box with a satin bow. Cheryl's also notes that this gift is one of the most popular that the company offers.

If you opt to have a romantic Valentine's Day at home this year, you'll likely be buying some kind of food and beverage to help you celebrate. According to the alcohol delivery service Drizly, wine is the most popular alcohol sold on this holiday, having dominated 46% of the company's entire alcohol sales on February 14 last year. If you anticipate popping the cork on a bottle of red wine with someone you cherish this year, consider giving the gift of Harry & David's Red Wine and Cheryl's Cookies Box.

If you want to woo your significant other with wine and cookies (and you're at least 21 years old), this is the way to go. Each box costs $49.99 and comes with one 750 ml bottle of Harry & David Ross Lane red blend wine and 12 cookies from Cheryl's Cookies. You'll get six different varieties — two frosted white cookies, two frosted devil's food cookies, two oatmeal raisin cookies, two sugar cookies, two chocolate chip cookies, and two chocolate obsession cookies. Nothing says "I love you" more than a pound of cookies!

Red wine may be the most popular type of alcohol on Valentine's Day, but that doesn't mean you have to limit yourself. Whether you're drowning your sorrows or floating around in a love puddle, you might want to think outside the box this year by including tequila on your V-Day menu. Now you can do just that, as Compartés Chocolates has teamed up with 818 Tequila to give you just that opportunity.

The Compartés Toffee and 818 Tequila Chocolate Bar features milk chocolate studded with toffee chunks and dusted in sea salt flakes. It also includes tequila reposado from Kendall Jenner's tequila brand. According to a press release (via Thrillist), this infusion, which makes the chocolate the first ever of its kind, provides notes of vanilla and caramel, two romantic flavors to share with someone special. Created with the concepts of quality and celebration in mind, this chocolate bar is destined to be eaten on Valentine's Day. The Toffee and Tequila chocolate bar debuted in December 2022, and you can get it for $9.95.

Nothing screams "I love you" like chocolate. This year, instead of gifting your loved one the classic heart-shaped box of truffles, you could always opt for something from Hershey's. The beloved brand has a few options for celebrating the day of love, including some new Hershey's kisses and chocolate bars, according to a press release. A new chocolate dipped strawberry flavor, for example, features milk chocolate enveloping a liquid strawberry center for a sweet and tart bite. 

If you're trying to win the heart of a peanut butter lover, Reese's is now offering a peanut butter cup-shaped gift box. Other new releases from Hershey's are Rolo creamy caramels and Hershey's milk chocolate heart bars. The latter is a 2.5-ounce chocolate bar with hearts printed on the surface.  

Valentine's Day can be just as romantic at home as it is at a fancy restaurant. If you're planning to enjoy a movie night in with the one you love, you'll need something to snack on while the action takes place on screen. Plan ahead by grabbing a bag or two of Rob's Backstage Popcorn. Though the brand got its start backstage (literally) with the Jonas Brothers, it has the potential to light a fire in your living room as well. Rob's Backstage Popcorn is available at Walmart for $3.98 per 4-ounce bag and features a sweet and salty seasoning that marries movie theater butter with carnival-style kettle corn. 

You can also find this popcorn in a new barbecue flavor that's the result of a celebrity collaboration. For this option, musician and celebrity spokesperson Kelly Clarkson chose to put a smoky spin on the kernels with flavorings like garlic and paprika. Like the original, it's vegan, GMO free, and gluten free.

Whether you're celebrating with your Valentine or Galentines, this holiday isn't the same without something sweet to snack on. According to a press release, Pillsbury will bring back its heart-shaped sugar cookie dough so you can spread your love through cookies that whip up in no time. All you'll need is a baking sheet and an oven — just break the cookies apart from each other and place them on the sheet. After you pop them in the oven at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes, per Pillsbury, you'll have a sweet treat that will help you communicate your true feelings for the people in your life. These festive cookies are available for $7 per 20-count package at Kroger, Walmart, and Target.

If you're celebrating alone or missing a loved one on Valentine's Day, Baskin-Robbins may have a cure for your broken heart. The ice cream company's beloved V-Day flavor, Love Potion #31, will return to the menu on February 1, according to a press release shared with Mashed. Dubbed a "cult classic," the flavor is a base of swirled white chocolate and raspberry ice creams, finished with chocolate chips, ribbons of raspberry, and chocolate hearts that contain raspberry filling. If you can't take a trip to Baskin-Robbins on Valentine's Day, you can always stock up on a quart of Love Potion #31 beforehand.

Also for the holiday, the chain will debut a new "Crazy For You Cake" that's shaped like a heart and decorated lavishly with fudge, Oreo cookies, and buttercream flowers, able to be filled with any of Baskin-Robbins' 30+ flavors.

If you're spiraling about how to treat your Valentine this year, consider taking advantage of a special deal at Schlotzsky's to celebrate. The deli chain's V-Day offer is for rewards members only and allows these customers to grab BOGO products from Cinnabon, Schlotzskys' co-brand partner, on Valentine's Day. Participating branches will gift free Classic Rolls, Mini Bons, or "Center of the Rolls" with a Cinnabon purchase of equal or greater value. To redeem your free items, you must use the Schlotzsky's rewards app. The deal is only good for one free item, so be sure the one you're treating is your true love.