Romantic Desserts for Valentine's Day

If there's ever a day to disregard calorie counts and enjoy the most decadent of all food and drink, it's Valentine's Day. Whether you're sharing with your sweetie or you're indulging with friends, we found some romantic desserts to help celebrate. Give them a try with someone you love.

Romantic Desserts: Salty Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts

Candy was made for Valentine's Day. We think these homemade goodies from Dessert for Two look far more tempting than a sampler from the grocery store.

You'll need a silicone candy mold, and natural peanut butter is also key. You can use a fork to submerge them in melted chocolate, but we've found a toothpick works well too. Don't forget to sprinkle fleur de sel on top.

Romantic Desserts: Chocolate Fondue

Taking turns dipping fresh fruit in melted chocolate -- we're not sure there's another dessert that's more fun than fondue. Add some heavy cream to your melted chocolate, along with a pat of butter. This keeps the texture smooth and creamy. Then stir in a few tablespoons of a sweet liqueur, like Chambord or Grand Marnier.

While you can dip all sorts of goodies in chocolate fondue, we prefer fresh fruit. It's not as heavy as baked dippers, like cake and cookies and brownies. Strawberries are wonderful, but you can also try bananas, pineapple chunks, and even clementine segments.

Romantic Desserts: Mini Chocolate Cake

We love this mini chocolate cake from Dessert for Two we featured in our post on small batch baking. It's perfectly sized for two people, and the chocolate glaze and pomegranate arils make it both elegant and romantic.

You can slice it and serve it on dessert plates, but we might opt for eating it straight from the cake plate.

Romantic Desserts: Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse is a classic Valentine's Day dessert. There are hundreds of recipes out there, but if you don't already have a favorite, allow us to suggest this one from Craftsy. It's a bit involved, but mise en place will keep everything under control.

We especially like the way Craftsy describes and illustrates the process of folding. We've found folding to be one of the most challenging parts of chocolate mousse. Take it easy and have patience; the results will be worth it.

Romantic Desserts: Crème Brûlée

We couldn't leave out two of our favorites: Alton Brown and crème brûlée. Dessert doesn't have to be chocolate to be rich and decadent.

Allow plenty of prep time for making crème brûlée. In fact, we recommend an advance trial run if you've never made it before. You'll need  ramekins or cocottes, and a kitchen torch is key -- you can't create that signature crust without it.

Romantic Desserts: Macerated Berries

Finally, if you prefer your desserts on the tart side, you can't go wrong with macerated berries. Get out the Grand Marnier, amaretto or Chambord, add some to a bowl of berries, and let them soak. The good news is you don't have to do anything else to them. Even better, you can eat them plain, or top them with homemade whipped cream. Such an elegant, no-fuss way to make dessert.