valentine’s sweets

So I did something really dumb.

The week before Valentine’s Day, the day of love and of chocolate and of love of chocolate, I decided to cut as much sugar from my diet as possible. That means no refined or added sugars, and therefore no dessert of the chocolate/cake/cookie variety. I just felt like I’d had one too many brownies (I know, is that even a thing?) and I needed to press the reset button on my sugar-loving life.

But then… Valentine’s Day. And all the red velvet and the chocolate and the drippy ganache and the fudge and the ugh. I can barely deal. I just want a cookie to get over my sadness of not having a cookie!

Anyway, enough boo-hooing from me. Instead, let’s look at all the easy-peasy desserts you can make (and eat!) with your sweetie this Valentine’s Day that I’ve collected from the GVD archives, as well as a few from other bloggers on le world wide web. Let’s take a stroll down droolworthy lane, shall we?

Cheesecake. Yes, cheesecake is easy — no, THIS panna cotta cheesecake is easy. And it’s flavored with lemon and ginger and topped with a blueberry sauce and love.

And what could be potentially better than a cheesecake? Cheesecake bars swirled with cappuccino and Nutella with a chocolate cookie crust, that’s what.

Excuse me while I dunk my face into these Prosecco poached peaches with coconut yogurt.

This strawberry galette may take some time to make, but it’s super simple and scrumdiddlyumptious (and so pretty, too!).

Sweet and salty meet cookies. It’s like When Harry Met Sally in cookie form — except without the awkward diner scene and Meg Ryan’s poor choice of high-waisted pants.

OK so yessss, maybe these are a little Christmas-y but if you’re still all about that peppermint, you’ll want these dark chocolate peppermint mocha brownies in your life.

For the love of your life — whether it’s your spouse, your mom, your BFF, your cat (OK not your cat, he can’t eat these) — vanilla bean sandwich cookies with maraschino buttercream frosting say “I love you” in so many delicious ways.

Whole wheat clementine yogurt cake — for those who want a little health (and yums) in their V-Day menu!

These adorable blueberry white chocolate mug cakes are too easy — you make them in the microwave and suddenly, it’s cake-in-mah-belly time. Extra whipped cream and berries on top encouraged.

Bourbon. Peanut Butter. Maple syrup. Chocolate Ice Cream. Who needs a Valentine when you have all of these things in a milkshake, amiright.

For the little ones (and the grown-up ones, too!), these brown butter peanut butter crispy treats are a love letter in marshmallow-y, peanut buttery bar form.

Oh how do I love thee, carmelitas? Let me count the ways. Oatmeal, caramel, chocolate…

I highly suggest this plan for Valentine’s Day: Order a pizza, then make this cookies and creme pizza for dessert. Double the pizza, DOUBLE THE LOVE.

Gluten free dark chocolate cherry hazelnut galettes will win over that special someone, every time (even if that special someone is yourself).

And in case you haven’t sufficiently drooled yet, here are 10 more delish desserts from some fellow dessert-loving bloggers:

A Kitchen Addiction — Fudgy Flourless Brownies with Sea Salt Ganache
Bakerita — XL Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cup
Baking a Moment — Pavlovas with Strawberries and Balsamic
Broma Bakery — Red Velvet Brookies
FoodieCrush — German Chocolate Brownie Pie
Dessert For Two — Molten Chocolate Cakes
Glazed and Confused — Candied Rose and Crushed Pistachio Brownies
How Sweet Eats — Chocolate Coconut Cream Cupcakes
London Bakes — Butterscotch Pots de Creme
The Moonblush Baker — Coconutty Mandarin Syrup Cake with Mandarin Jelly and Candied Zest

Yeahhhhhhh I’m going to need a cheat day.