Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! There are so many things that are associated with this day, and one of it would be food. It is very common to hear people giving out chocolates, but why not try something different this year and make something yourself. This way it will look more sincere. You don’t necessarily have to give it to your crush. You can give them to your other half if you do have one, or you can also give them as an appreciation give to your friends or family, just to show them how much you love them. These recipes are really easy to make and only involve simple ingredients. They are super delicious as well, which is so much better than buying those boxed chocolates. 

1, Heart Shape Cookies.

一，心形饼干。

What is simpler and cute than cookies shaped in hearts? They are no different from regular cookies, just that they are in a different shape, which is why they are so easy to make. If you’re someone who is likely to burn down the kitchen if you attempt to make food, perhaps this is your chance to change things. If you’re afraid to make the dough from scratch, you can totally go for the ready-mix flour to make your own dough. But if you’re adventurous enough to start from rock bottom, here are the ingredients and steps to create these delicious and yet adorable cookies. 

Ingredients: Sugar Cookies

- 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour

- ½ teaspoon baking powder

- ¼ teaspoon of salt

- ¾ cup of unsalted butter

- ¾ cup of sugar

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 1 large egg

Ingredients: Icing

- 4 cups of icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)

- 7 tablespoons of water

- 3 tablespoons of meringue powder

- Colouring of choice

Directions:

1. Add the dry ingredients together, which are the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt, and then mix until well combined.

2. Add the butter into the dry ingredients until they are well combined.

3. Add in the sugar to the mixture.

4. In another bowl, beat an egg and add in vanilla extract and mix well.

5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients gradually until they are well combined. 

6. Knead the mixture until it forms a dough.

7. Sprinkle some flour onto a surface and place the dough onto it.

8. Roll the dough flat until it is about ¼ inch thick.

9. Using a heart-shaped mold, cut out the shapes from the dough.

10. Place the heart-shaped dough onto a baking tray lined with baking sheet.

11. Bake the cookies at 175 degree Celsius for around 10 minutes, while flipping halfway through.

12. Let the cookies cool down on a rack for about 5 minutes.

13. For the icing, mix all the ingredients together until the desired texture.

14. Separate the icing into different bowls for different colors to be added.

15. Add the icing onto the cookies and let them set for 4 to 6 hours.

16. The cookies are able to stay fresh at room temperature or in the fridge for a week.

2, Red Velvet Milkshake.

二，红丝绒奶昔。

Nothing says more about Valentines than red velvet flavored food. Instead of making the common red velvet cake, why not make things a little more special with a milkshake? Since they will turn out to be red or pink, they are suitable for Valentine’s Day. Plus, they are super delicious too! This is great for when you’re having a date night in with your loved ones, where you get to enjoy some great movies while indulging in this delicious milkshake. You can top it off with anything you like, but since this is for Valentine’s Day, why not add some vanilla ice cream and pink or red sprinkles?

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of vanilla ice cream.

- 3 tablespoon of red velvet cake mix.

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

- ½ cup of milk. 

- Optional: red/pink sprinkles.

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients into a blender.

2. Blend the ingredients together until they form into a smooth milkshake texture.

3. Pour the milkshake into a fancy cup, and top it off with more vanilla ice cream. You can try other kinds of ice cream according to your liking.

4. If you like you can add sprinkled on top of it. 

5. Enjoy it while it’s still cold. 

3, Heart Shaped Hard Candy.

三，心形糖果。

Candies are also a popular Valentines Gifts if you’re not fond of chocolates. Since they are for Valentine’s Day, you can find them in heart shape pretty often. You can definitely buy them as a gift for your loved ones or your friends, but if you want to appear more sincere, you can definitely put your hands to test. This recipe is super easy and quick to make, and they look very adorable too! In fact, they might even look better than the store bought ones!

Ingredients:

- 1 ½ teaspoon of gelatine powder.

- ¼ cup of clear soda pop.

- 5 to 6 cups of powdered sugar.

- Food coloring of choice.

- A few drops of vanilla extract.

Directions:

1. Add the soda pop and gelatine powder into a bowl and mix them up well.

2. Add the powdered sugar in gradually until the mixture is well combined.

3. Knead the mixture until it forms a dough.

4. Separate the dough into a few sections and add in food colored separately.

5. Sprinkle some powdered sugar onto a surface and roll your dough out until it is around ¼ inch thick.

6. Use a small heart shaped mold to cut out heart shapes from the dough.

7. Place the dough onto a baking tray lined with baking sheet.

8. Dehydrate in the oven at the lowest heat setting for about 6 to 8 hours.

9. Flip every hour to ensure the candies are evenly dried on both sides.

10. Alternatively, you can let the candies air dry for 48 hours, flipping them after a few hours to ensure both sides are dry.

11. After the candies are done, you can stamp on the words using food coloring. 

12. Let the stamping air dry for a few hours and you’re done!

4, Heart Shaped Gummy Candy.

四，心形软糖。

If you’re not a fan of hard candy, you can go with gummy candy. It might sound like a challenge, but making gummy candy at home is not that much of a challenge. If you’re not someone who is comfortable using the stove, then you can go with other amazing recipes on this list. But if you’re confident enough, try some of these candies. The end product of this is so cute you’ll be heartbroken to actually eat them!

Ingredients: 

- 1 cup of strawberries.

- ½ cup of water.

- 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.

- 2 tablespoon of honey.

- 4 teaspoons of gelatine.

Directions:

1. Add the strawberries into a blender and blend it up until it reaches a smooth texture.

2. In a saucepan add in the blended strawberries with water, lemon juice, and honey, over medium-low heat.

3. Stir the mixture constantly.

4. When the mixture comes to a simmer, add the gelatine powder gradually, until they are all well combined.

5. Continue stirring until the gelatine is completely melted.

6. Pour the mixture over a sieve to separate the smooth part and the chunky bits.

7. Pour the smooth mixture into heart shaped silicone mold.

8. Allow the mixture to solidify in the fridge for around 6 hours. 

9. Remove the candies from the mold and keep them in an airtight container or the fridge for up to a few weeks.

5, Marshmallow Pops.

五，棉花糖棒。

There are many foods that are commonly used for Valentine’s Day, and one of them would be marshmallows. They are not just used in hot chocolate or s’mores, but there are many ways in which you can prepare them. There are of course fancy ways to cook them for your partner, friends or family to enjoy, but if you’re someone who would ruin the kitchen the moment you start cooking, then this is perfect for you. There is no cooking involved for this recipe at all, and yet they look adorable.

Ingredients:

- 2/3 cups of white chocolate chips.

- 12 large marshmallows (pink or white).

- 12 Popsicle sticks.

- ¼ cup of red/pink sprinkles.

Directions:

1. Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave.

2. Insert the Popsicle sticks in the center of the marshmallows.

3. Dip the marshmallows into the melted white chocolate. 

4. Dip the chocolate covered part in a bowl of sprinkles.

5. Place the marshmallow pops upright in a cup for the chocolate to be hardened.

6. Once the pops are hardened, you can enjoy it!

6, Chocolate Cupcakes.

六，巧克力杯子蛋糕。

For people who loves baking, this might be the recipe for you. Cupcakes are such a classic gift for your loved ones, as they can be decorated any way you like, they taste great as well. They are just adorable in general. As this is for Valentine’s Day, you can add in hearts, sprinkles and all sorts of Valentine’s toppings on them. After all, who can ever turn down such adorable and delicious little goodies? Although red velvet is the norm for cakes during Valentine’s Day, you can definitely try the chocolate flavor for a change!

Ingredients: Cupcakes

- ¾ cups of all-purpose flour.

- ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder.

- 1 cup of sugar.

- ¾ teaspoons of baking powder.

- ½ teaspoons of baking soda.

- ¼ teaspoon of salt.

- 2 large eggs.

- ½ cup of buttermilk.

- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil.

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Ingredients: Icing

- 1 cup of unsalted butter.

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

- 3 ½ cups of confectioner’s sugar.

- ½ cups of unsweetened cocoa powder.

- 3 tablespoons of milk.

- ¼ teaspoons of salt.

Directions:

1. Add all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well: all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In another bowl, add all the wet ingredients and mix well: eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. 

3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients gradually and mix well.

4. Add the batter into the muffin tray for about halfway to 2/3 full.

5. Bake the cupcakes at 175 degree Celsius for 20 minutes.

6. After baking, let the cupcakes cool down on a rack until they are cool. 

7. The cupcakes can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

8. For the icing, mix the butter until it is soften using a mixer.

9. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

10. The icing can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

11. Using a piping tube to place the icing on top of the cupcakes.

12. Add on sprinkles if desired, and enjoy!

7, Oreo Truffles.

七，奥利奥松露。

One of our favorite snacks would have to be cookies, and what’s better than Oreos? Sure, you can definitely give out Oreos as Valentine’s Day gifts, but that is not too creative is it not? Why not try to recreate some recipes using Oreo cookies! This would make your life much easier because you do not need to make the dry ingredients from scratch. This is especially good for people who are lazy to bake food but still want to put in some effort. And plus, the end product is super delicious and adorable too!

Ingredients:

- 1 pack of Oreo.

- 1 cup of cream cheese.

- 2 cups of chocolate chips.

- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.

Directions:

1. Add Oreos into a food processor and crush them up. Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor, add the Oreos into a zip lock bag and crush them.

2. Keep ¼ cup of the cookie crumbs for topping.

3. Add the cookie crumbs and cream cheese into a bowl and mix well.

4. Shape the mixture into balls.

5. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking sheet.

6. Let the truffles set in the fridge for about an hour.

7. For the dip, combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a bowl and microwave it.

8. After the truffle balls are set, dip them into the melted chocolate.

9. Sprinkle the cookie crumbs onto the truffles before the chocolate harden.

10. Place the truffles in the fridge for an hour for the truffles to set.

11. Remove them truffles and enjoy!

8, Chocolate Covered Strawberries.

八，巧克力盖草莓。

A very easy way to make cute Valentine’s Day snacks is using strawberries and chocolate. This recipe calls for these two very simple ingredients. The process of making this could not be easier. There is absolutely no cooking involved, not even heat at all. Even if you always create a mess in the kitchen, this is something you can definitely not mess up. 

Ingredients: 

- 12 strawberries

- Nutella.

- 12 toothpicks.

- Optional: Sparkle gel or icing.

Direction:

1. Remove the stems of the strawberries, and slice them into half.

2. Arrange them so that they form a heart shape, and use a toothpick to secure the shape.

3. Place them on a rack with the outside facing upwards.

4. Pour Nutella (you could use melted chocolate too if you want) onto the strawberries.

5. Place them in the fridge for the Nutella to harden for an hour.

6. Remove the strawberries from the fridge and add the sparkle gel or icing onto them.

7. Let them set in the fridge for an hour.

8. Remove from fridge and enjoy! 

Are these recipes enough to make your mouth water? Why not try them out to give out to your loved ones?

“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.”

*Disclaimer: The writer is not an expert, a nutritionist or a dietician of any kind. These are just some recipe ideas that she had done researches on and are considered healthy choices and appropriate to be up on this list. If you have any allergy on any of the food shown, or had any unpleasant history with the food mentioned, then please omit them completely. The writer would not be responsible for any medical issues that would happened due to the extracted information shown.