These Adorable Strawberry Marshmallows Are Perfect For Valentine's Day

New Year's is past, so that means you're already running behind if you haven't stocked up on Valentine's Day treats. When you think of Valentine's Day, you think of chocolate, but the mostly classical seasonal flavor pairing to go with that chocolate is typically strawberry. Sure, you can always make your own chocolate-dipped strawberries, or buy them, though they do tend to be pricey. If wintertime berries don't appeal, however, you can always buy your true love a DQ Choco-dipped Strawberry Blizzard or badger your Starbucks barista into creating a Chocolate Strawberry Cold Brew from the notorious secret menu.

Or how about strawberry-flavored marshmallows instead? Instagrammer candyhunting reports seeing Jet-Puffed brand strawberry marshmallow hearts in the seasonal aisle at Target, but Jet-Puffed is a major brand so you should be able to get them at most grocery stores. It seems that Walmart carried last year's version (at that time called HeartMallows), and they also stocked Jet-Puffed's Christmas peppermint and Halloween pumpkin marshmallows, so these seasonal marshmallows don't appear to be a Target exclusive.

While the marshmallows on its own are cute, you can fancy them up even further by dipping them in chocolate and sprinkles to make Valentine's mallow pops. They could also be used to decorate a Valentine's cake or cupcakes or to top off a special chocolate-strawberry ice cream sundae, and you can even find ways to incorporate these marshmallows into cookies without losing its heart shape. Perhaps something along the lines of this Betty Crocker marshmallow-topped cocoa cookie recipe could work.

If artificially-flavored marshmallows aren't to your taste, however, you might just want to try a DIY version. The Kitchen McCabe has a recipe for homemade marshmallows flavored with strawberry puree that can be cut into heart (or other) shapes. They do contain red food coloring, but you can omit it for a more subtle pink shading from the strawberries alone. Yes, these will take a little time and effort, but these handcrafted treats make for an impressive Valentine's gift if you wrap them up in cellophane and tie it with a pretty pink ribbon.