Sweetheart Thumbprint Cookies
Tell your sweeties, "You're my jam!" in a way that'll turn them into jelly. Simply roll butter-cookie dough into balls, and press the handle end of a spoon into each twice to make a V that expands as it bakes (genius!). Then sprinkle with sanding sugar, fill the indentations with warmed preserves, and give your heart away again and again.
Pink Gin Martinis
Like in the classic cocktail pink gin, Angostura bitters give this drink its lovely blush hue. A splash of vermouth takes it into martini territory, and the addition of kirsch, a clear brandy distilled from cherries and their pits, delivers an unexpected twist.
Fondue for Two
For a romantic Valentine's Day dinner or a cozy date night in, serve a pot of this rich, gooey mix of Gruyere and fontina. It's the perfect partner for all kinds of dippers: roasted potatoes, bread cubes and sticks, fennel, apple, salami, you name it.
Chocolate Heart Cupcakes
In this irresistible Valentine's Day dessert, half the batch is decorated with chocolate hearts stamped out of the cupcakes with a cookie cutter, while the other half is topped with vanilla frosting hearts.
Valentine's Day Cinnamon Toast
Serve up a sweet breakfast by spelling out your feelings on cinnamon-sugar toast. Parchment paper and a pair of scissors are all you need to make the easy stencils.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Chocolate lovers will adore this dessert. The edges and top develop a delicately crisp crust while the center remains moist and fudgy.
Martha's Warm Chocolate Pudding Cakes
There's something extra-special about an individually sized dessert -- especially when it's a molten chocolate cake served warm out of the oven. You can prepare these rich chocolate pudding cakes up to a day ahead and refrigerate them, then just pop them in the oven when you sit down to dinner. They'll be done by the time you're ready for dessert. And they reheat easily, so you can have two one night and two the next. This recipe appears in our cookbook "Martha Stewart's Newlywed Kitchen" (Clarkson Potter).
Ganache
This ganache recipe (which can easily be multiplied) is the base for Apricot and Ganache Tartlets, Chocolate Cakes with Ganache Glaze, Mini Chocolate Whoopie Pies, Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Ganache, and Peanut Butter Truffles. For step-by-step photos, see our handy 101.
Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes
This recipe for delicious strawberry cupcakes is from Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes. There is fresh strawberry purée in both the cake batter and the buttercream frosting.
Molten Chocolate-Espresso Cakes
These little cakes are our new go-to dessert, for so many reasons. They're fast and easy (though they don't look it), and they're great for company or just whenever you need a chocolate fix (pretty much every afternoon). Serve them plain, or topped with a bit of ganache and a sprinkling of pistachios or (our favorite) flaky sea salt.
Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cakes
With three shades of chocolate, these cakes are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the sweet tooth.
Chocolate Creme Brulee
This chocolate-centric creme brulee retains the creaminess and caramelized-sugar topping of the classic version. Though caramel and chocolate are considered sweets, the real secret to their allure is an undercurrent of bitterness, a natural component of cacao and burned sugar.
