Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. What better way to show your love than to make some homemade sweets. If you are in a new relationship or in a seasoned one, this can be a great way to show how much you care.

For the Chocolate Lover

There are lots of great ways to make chocolate treats. Once you get the melting part down, you can dip or mold it into lots of fun stuff. You can use chocolate melts to make basic melted chocolate. They come in a variety of colors and are easy to find at any local craft store. There are simple directions for you to follow on the package. Then it’s time to get creative. You can buy chocolate molds to make candies in. There are even ways to fill those candies with all sorts of yummy fillings. You could also use it to make chocolate covered cherries, strawberries, pretzels or cookies.

Cookies

Everyone loves cookies, and there are lots of different kinds you can make. Using a basic sugar cookie recipe, like the one provided here, will give you a chance to make it your own. You can use food coloring to make the dough red or pink. Get heart-shaped cookie cutters to make them festive. Decorating them with frosting and candies is another great option. And if sugar cookies aren’t your thing, you can always make some chocolate chip cookies and add red and pink candies to the batter.

Sugar Cookies

• 1 Cup unsalted butter
• 1 Cup granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Cream butter and sugar until smooth.
• Beat in extracts and egg.
• In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer, turn out the dough onto a countertop surface. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
• Divide into workable batches, roll out to ¼ inch thickness onto a floured surface and cut.
• Bake for 6-8 minutes.
• Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.

Make a Date Out of It

If you want to make an evening out of it, making chocolate fondue is a lot of fun and a great idea for your Valentine’s Date Night. Use this recipe to make the fondue and put together some stuff for dipping. You can use strawberries, bananas, pound cake, Rice Krispies treats, marshmallows or anything else that sounds good to dip in chocolate

Chocolate Fondue

• 10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Combine the chocolate, milk and cream and heat on low, stirring often, until mixture is smooth.
• Once melted, stir in the vanilla extract. You can add additional milk or cream one teaspoon at a time to make the mixture thinner.
• Pour the mixture into a fondue pot or small slow cooker to keep warm while serving.

Something Different

Maybe your Valentine doesn’t really care for sweet treats. This would be a great time to think outside the box about something different. A homemade gift or card might be the right choice for them. If you don’t fancy yourself as a crafty person, that is ok. You could still put together a homemade coupon book that they could use to cash in for a movie night or a back rub. It doesn’t have to be fancy; it really is the thought that counts.

Whatever you decide to make, keep in mind what your loved one will enjoy. It will mean so much to them that you took the time to think about what they might enjoy and made it especially for them.