35 Easy Valentine's Day Chocolate Recipes To Try This February

Believe it or not, February is just around the corner — and that means Valentine's Day is almost here, too. Perhaps you're a hopeless romantic who loves handing out Valentine's Day chocolates to everyone in class or at the office. Or maybe you'd rather channel Jennifer Garner in "Valentine's Day" and smash a heart-shaped pinata. Whichever camp you fall into, there's one thing nearly all of us agree on: This holiday a great time to celebrate all things chocolate. After all, February is National Chocolate Lover's Month, as Foodimentary shares.

Head to practically any store between now and mid-February, and you'll see no shortage of chocolate goodness in decorative bags and boxes. This year, however, we think you should take a pass on the store-bought chocolate and give your true love, your family, or yourself some delectable, homemade chocolate treats. Now's the perfect time to try our most indulgent chocolaty recipes, like fudgy brownies, chocolate-dipped fruit, and rich cakes. Fall in love with these Valentine's Day desserts — there are enough ideas to test out for every day of the month and beyond!

Chocolate-covered strawberries are a Valentine's Day classic for a reason: When you bite into one, you just can't believe how delicious this simple dessert really is. All you need for the recipe are fresh strawberries and semisweet chocolate. In this case, especially, it's worth buying the best quality ingredients you can find since the flavors of each will be front and center. Melt the chocolate quickly and easily in the microwave, then you'll be ready to dip the berries. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle on some extras to make them feel special, like edible glitter, Valentine's-themed sprinkles, or crushed Oreo cookies. Make them in the morning, and they'll be ready in time for your romantic evening.

Recipe: Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Lava cakes come with a built-in surprise, which is what makes them so exciting to eat. Cutting into a petite, unassuming dark chocolate cake to find a center of flowing, molten chocolate is pretty much the best thing on Earth for a true chocolate lover. This recipe is easy and sure to impress dinner guests. A quick batter of chocolate, butter, eggs, and flour is poured into ramekins, then baked just long enough to set the outside of the cakes and leave their centers ultra gooey. 

Recipe: Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

Speaking of chocolate lovers, if you happen to be one (or have one in your life that you really want to treat), then we have just the candy for you: dark chocolate ganache truffles. These decadent, dreamy bites are made from a rich ganache of dark chocolate and cream, rolled into balls, and coated with cocoa powder. That's it! For a visual twist, you can roll them in other coatings, too, like chocolate sprinkles, powdered sugar, or edible glitter.

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffles

Chocolate and cherries are one of the best flavor pairings out there — and a perfect combination for your Valentine's Day treat. Though these pink-frosted goodies are made from scratch, they only require simple pantry staples, like cocoa powder, eggs, and sugar. While the rich chocolate cupcakes bake, the frosting comes together quickly with maraschino cherry juice for a fruity flavor and lovely pink color. Top each treat with a cherry and a few chocolate sprinkles for the sweetest little cupcakes ever. 

Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

Curate a romantic, Parisian café vibe on Valentine's Day morning by presenting your love with a batch of warm and flaky chocolate croissants, served with a freshly brewed espresso. When made from scratch, traditional croissants can take as long as 15 hours from start to finish (via Food52). However, this quick version takes only 10 minutes to prepare and half an hour to bake, making it a buttery treat that's still achievable on a weekday morning.

Recipe: Chocolate Croissants     

If your particular chocolate obsession happens to be Nutella-flavored, than this is the recipe for you. To make a dozen of these three-ingredient cookies, you'll need Nutella, of course, plus a little flour and one egg. Feel free to customize these adaptable cookies with additional ingredients, like chopped nuts, a sprinkle of sea salt, or chocolate chips. Want a gluten-free version? Just use a GF flour that can be swapped one-to-one for regular flour.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Nutella Cookies

A steaming mug of hot chocolate is especially nice if you're celebrating Valentine's Day on a chilly evening. Don't even think about reaching for a Swiss Miss packet, as this homemade drink is easy to achieve in minutes with pure chocolate and warm milk. A hint of spiciness comes from cinnamon, nutmeg, and chili powder, while whipped cream and marshmallows add a sweet and creamy finish. Want some hot chocolate that feels more adult? Add a splash of Kahlúa, whipped cream vodka, or butterscotch schnapps. 

Recipe: Spiced Hot Chocolate

OK, so you want to start your Valentine's Day with a chocolaty breakfast that tastes indulgent but is still packed with nutrients. We have just the thing: this recipe for overnight oats with whole-grain oats, chia seeds, chopped almonds, and almond milk (for health). This brekkie also has pure maple syrup, a generous spoonful of cocoa powder, and a topping of strawberries and chocolate chips (for fun). Assemble this quick, no-bake recipe the night before, and you'll wake up to one of the best morning meals ever. 

Recipe: No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal

The name of this recipe pretty much says it all. If you love chocolate, it doesn't get much better than sinking your teeth into a thick and fudgy brownie. These are made with cocoa powder and chocolate, plus brown sugar for caramel notes under all that deeply rich goodness. If you've never made brownies from scratch before, you'll be surprised at just how easy it is to pull the batter together in one bowl. Bake them for a few extra minutes for a cake-like texture, or pull the pan out early for gooier treats.

Recipe: Gooey Brownies  

Flourless chocolate cake is a restaurant favorite, but this recipe means you can have a slice with your Valentine whether or not you're going out for dinner. The batter is much like that of your favorite brownie recipe: with cocoa, chunks of chocolate, sugar, eggs, and butter — but no flour! The cake comes out of the oven when it's set but still has a little wobble in the middle, which is what gives it that dense and sumptuous texture once cooled. For the best-tasting cake, use the highest quality chocolate you can get.

Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Cake

These cookies are the ideal chocolate treats to bake up in bulk, pack into little bags, and deliver to all your favorite Valentines. Plus, they hit the chocolate sweet spot twice, first with a cocoa-rich cookie and then with melty chocolate chips studded throughout. For motivation to embark on a baking project: Just imagine how delightful your kitchen will smell with each batch you pull from the oven.

Recipe: Double Chocolate Twist Cookies

Need a Valentine's Day dessert worthy of a "Great British Baking Show" showstopper challenge? This cheesecake — with a base made of crushed Oreo cookies, a double-chocolate filling, and lots of cherries on top — certainly fits the bill. The best part: Nestled in the center is a layer of cherry pie filling infused with Kirsch cherry liqueur, making this lightly boozy treat even more swoon-worthy for cherry fans.

Recipe: Black Forest Cheesecake

These cake pops are not only tantalizing to look at, but also a delight to eat thanks to their rich, cheesecake-like center of crushed Oreos. Blending the cookies with cream cheese makes a mixture that's thick enough to roll into balls, which are coated with white chocolate and then decorated. These make super easy Valentine's Day gifts; bundle the cake pops together to make a sweet bouquet, or give them away one by one to your BFFs. 

Recipe: Oreo Cake Pops

Woo your Valentine with a dish of this rich and creamy chocolate mousse. Traditionally, chocolate mousse is made by slowly whipping egg whites and sugar into stiff peaks, then folding the mixture into melted chocolate. Plus, it requires heavy cream and egg yolks. Our recipe gets the job done with a much simpler process and only two ingredients — and it's ready to serve in 10 minutes. Top this easy mousse with whipped cream, heart-shaped sprinkles, fresh fruit, or a drizzle of salted caramel. 

Recipe: Easy Two-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse

There's chocolate and more chocolate in every bite of these soft, moist, and gorgeous cupcakes. No boxed mixes here: These taste infinitely more delicious because they're made from scratch, yet they come together remarkably easily. While your cupcakes cool, whisk together a simple buttercream frosting made with cocoa powder. These beauties' deep chocolate flavors speaks for itself, though these would also look cute sprinkled with pink, red, and white candy hearts.

Recipe: Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

Whether your Valentine's Day is warm and sun-soaked or snowy and cold, a rich chocolate milkshake is always a welcome treat. The core ingredients are vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and milk, but these can easily be customized. Use chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla, shake in some cinnamon, or throw in a spoonful of peanut butter for a nutty flavor. Some of our favorite toppings include maraschino cherries, whipped cream, Valentine's sprinkles, and an extra drizzle of chocolate sauce. 

Recipe: Classic Chocolate Milkshakes

We call these cookies triple chocolate because they have milk, dark, and white chocolate chips in the batter. There's cocoa powder in there, too, so you could argue that they're actually quadruple chocolate cookies. Gluten-free bakers, rejoice: These soft and chewy treats come together with a 1:1 GF flour (or a mixture of GF flour and xanthan gum).

Recipe: Triple Chocolate Gluten-Free Cookies 

Your Instant Pot isn't just for soups and stews. Put your favorite appliance to work on Valentine's Day with this perfectly moist, shareable chocolate cake. Set a round cake pan containing the easy-to-prepare batter inside your Instant Pot, which you'll fill with a little bit of water to create steam that keeps the cake tender as it bakes. Once the cake is cool, you can frost it with chocolate buttercream — or use a stencil and confectioners' sugar to dust a pretty design over the top. Serve sliced with fresh fruit, whipped cream, or ice cream. 

Recipe: Instant Pot Chocolate Cake

If you like Reese's peanut butter cups, you'll love this sweet little tart with nuttiness in every layer. The base of the dessert is made with a blend of peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs, pressed into the bottom of a pan. Then, melted chocolate mixed with even more peanut butter is poured over the top. This no-bake tart sets in the fridge until it's firm and ready to be sliced. Best of all, you might already have all of the ingredients on hand.

Recipe: No Bake Peanut Butter Bar

While you can definitely make these nostalgic dirt cups for kids on Valentine's Day, don't make the mistake of thinking they're only for kids! These treats consist of alternating layers of crushed Oreo cookies and creamy, cheesecake-y chocolate pudding. They're quick to put together and the perfect make-ahead dessert to keep in the fridge until party time. To really lean into the Valentine's theme, use pink and white gummy worms or gummy hearts.

Recipe: Easy Dirt Cake Cups

Having a quiet Valentine's night in and want to keep dessert simple? Easy mug brownies are just the ticket, no oven required. Use a microwave to cook this cup of full-on chocolate indulgence (with butter, eggs, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate chips) in just one minute. Kick these single-serving brownies up a notch with a final touch of whipped cream, ice cream, or a splash of liqueur — like Kahlúa or Baileys.

Recipe: Mug Brownies

Have you and your love been known to bond over the big-as-a-baby's-head chocolate muffins from Costco? Believe it or not, you can make them at home — perhaps for a Valentine's Day breakfast in bed. The muffin batter comes together in just 10 minutes and is rich and chocolaty thanks to cocoa powder and chocolate chips. To replicate the original treats' giant size, you'll need a jumbo muffin pan. Otherwise, just use a regular muffin pan, and you'll get twice as many muffins to share.

Recipe: Costco Copycat Chocolate Muffins 

Nutella lovers will be thrilled to get a slice of this cake on Valentine's Day, and because it only requires three ingredients, you'll be just as excited to make it. Eggs are whipped into Nutella to create an airy, mousse-like mixture, then a little flour is folded in. When baked, these few ingredients transform into a light cake full of chocolaty, hazelnutty flavor. Frost the cake when it's cool — with more Nutella, of course!

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Nutella Chocolate Cake

If you're thinking of baking a batch of cookies for Valentine's Day, may we suggest these ooey gooey chocolate marshmallow goodies? The chocolate cookie dough is loaded with dark chocolate chips and mini marshmallows, which get a beautifully golden, toasted-over-the-fire hue when baked. Enjoy them warm for the meltiest, fudgiest cookie experience, or let them cool first — they'll still be super soft and delicious. If you can find them, use pink and white mini marshmallows in your holiday batch.

Recipe: Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

All you need are chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract for this rich, luscious, old-fashioned fudge. The add-ins are up to you: Try chopped walnuts or pecans, miniature marshmallows, milk or white chocolate chips, or a peanut butter swirl. Fudge is a fantastic treat to give to friends on Valentine's Day, and this big-batch recipe makes enough pieces that you can stash away a few for yourself, too. 

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Fudge

They may look like your typical brownies on the outside, but running through the middle of these special treats is a surprising layer of sweetness. To make them, scoop half of the brownie batter into a baking pan, layer in lots of Hershey's cookies and cream white chocolate bars, and cover the candy with the rest of the batter. Wait for them to bake and cool, then enjoy your friends' delighted expressions when you slice these up to reveal Hershey's in every square.

Recipe: Cookies 'N' Creme Stuffed Brownies

If you like sweet-and-salty combos and have just 10 minutes to spare, you can easily put together a stash of chocolate covered popcorn. Because this recipe makes a big bowl of the chocolaty, crunchy snack, it's perfect for your Valentine's Day (or anti-Valentine's Day) party. Simply stir buttered popcorn with melted milk and white chocolates, plus a pinch of sea salt. Once the mixture is firm, break it up into (highly addictive) pieces. A handful of heart-shaped sprinkles would make things extra festive.

Recipe: Chocolate Covered Popcorn

There's no need to save the Irish cream for St. Patrick's Day, as it makes a wonderfully decadent brownie to give your Valentine. Conveniently, these brownies come together in a flash with your favorite boxed brownie mix, elevated with the Irish cream of your choosing. While they bake, whip up an easy buttercream frosting with even more Irish cream. Maintain these brownies' sophisticated black and white color scheme, or add red and pink sprinkles for a hint of romance.

Recipe: Frosted Irish Cream Brownies

Who out there has a coconut-loving Valentine? If the person who comes to mind drools over Mounds candy bars, then they'll absolutely flip for this homemade version. Incredibly, this recipe only needs three ingredients: shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate. We call for a silicone pan, but you can also let the coconut mixture set in a regular pan lined with parchment paper, and it will still be easy to lift out. If you're craving Almond Joys, add a whole nut in the center of a few bars.

Recipe: Homemade Mounds Bars

Mint chocolate chip may be a divisive flavor combination, but for those who love it, these cookies make a mighty thoughtful Valentine's Day present. They get their flavor from Andes chocolate mints, which are cut into chunks that lend a tingly taste and gooey texture to each bite. These cookies take less than an hour to complete; the most time-consuming part is unwrapping the candies — and, honestly, that's a meditative process.

Recipe: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Marshmallow cereal bars are just the best: They're deliciously sweet, crunchy, chewy, and oh-so easy to make. Loaded with chocolate, these Valentine's-appropriate bars begin with Cocoa Krispies cereal, stirred into a sticky mixture with melted butter and marshmallows. This is pressed into a pan, covered in a thick layer of melted dark chocolate, and sliced into bars when set. Easy enough for kids to make, yet elegant enough for discerning adults to enjoy, these will disappear fast.

Recipe: Easy Chocolate Marshmallow Crispy Bars

Once again, your Instant Pot comes to the rescue — this time for an easy batch of rich and fudgy brownies. This quick brownie batter gets a little extra thickness and complexity from Greek yogurt. Since it "bakes" in the Instant Pot in a round pan, you can slice it up into single-serving wedges or present it as one giant brownie cake. Either way, these moist treats are done in about 45 minutes, and they'll be begging to be served with chocolate sauce, pink whipped cream, or a scoop of ice cream. 

Recipe: Instant Pot Brownies

Chances are you have a box of brownie mix in your pantry, which you can actually turn into a batch of super chocolaty cookies for your Valentine. Chocolate chips make these treats extra decadent, but you could even throw in toffee bits, crushed Oreos, toasted nuts, dried cherries, or chocolate-covered espresso beans instead. There are so many ways to make these chewy cookies uniquely yours.

Recipe: Chewy Brownie Mix Cookies

Put that can of store-bought icing back on the shelf: It's easy to make your own chocolate buttercream that tastes unbelievably rich and delicious. Pure butter and cocoa powder are the key ingredients in this thick frosting, along with cream for a smooth texture and confectioners' sugar for sweetness. Now, what to use it for? You could give your Valentine a Swiss roll cake generously slathered with chocolate buttercream — or use the frosting to make sandwich cookies rolled in sprinkles. 

Recipe: Chocolate Buttercream Icing

One store-bought ingredient can infuse tons of moisture and sweet, fruity flavor into your boxed chocolate cake mix: a can of cherry pie filling. This fruit-forward cake is complex enough in flavor to be served on its own, but the options are endless. Complete it with a chocolate-almond icing, add ice cream or sorbet, or dust it with powdered sugar. It will soon become your guests' new favorite.

Recipe: 3-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Cake