If you need special Valentines’ Day ideas for treats and desserts (something to go along with those Valentine flowers or other Valentines’ Day gift ideas), then we just might have something here for you! Many of the desserts mentioned are made with fresh fruit, which is an important component of good nutrition, especially elderly nutrition. Strawberries and raspberries are especially popular (and healthy) for this day. Of course, there are ways to dress these up or make them decadent too!
And remember, if you have sugar restrictions, most recipes can be made with a sugar substitute (such as stevia, a natural plant derivative – it’s the healthiest we’ve found). We recommend using low-fat, low or no-sugar products for Valentines’ Day desserts, whenever possible. Including chocolate. Many of these alternative sweets are found in health food stores. If you haven’t shopped them and want to eat healthily, do visit and see what healthy substitutes you can find.
Adding drizzles of chocolate (have you ever tried carob instead?) or caramel will dress up any of these Valentines’ Day desserts, as will adding a chocolate heart to the top – perhaps a-top whipped cream or ice cream? Or encircle the bottom of the serving plate or bowl with valentine candies. You can get many kinds of sugar-free.
Valentines Day Desserts
Valentine Apple Bowl
Valentines Day desserts look more extravagant when you use many layers, and this one has a special surprise topper too, a pink chocolate swirl.
You will need
- Large red apple halved and core scooped out
- 3 or 4 strawberries, halved
- 3-4 strawberries, cut into pieces
- 4-5 raspberries
- Raspberry sauce or jam
- Chocolate sauce
- Valentine candy
This is just a matter of cutting and scooping the core out of the apple and then filling it up with goodies. Berries were also placed at the base of the apple. Cut some strawberries with a little honey or pure maple syrup for about 30 minutes in a covered pan on low until berries are soft. Then mash them to make a healthy sauce. You could also add in strawberry ice cream under or over the sauce.
Next, stack more berries, and then chocolate syrup, letting it drizzle down. Lastly, coming towards the pink chocolate swirl. Simply microwave white chocolate chips at 15-second intervals until melted, then adding a drop of red food coloring. With a spoon, drizzle it onto wax paper. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Remove with a metal spatula – the detail is strong enough to stay intact.
Valentine Strawberry Cake
Using slices of strawberries in Valentines’ Day desserts is ideal because after you cut out the stem in a circular motion and slice the berry, they look like hearts. This dessert was made by first baking your favorite chocolate cake.
You will need
- Chocolate cake baked in advance
- White or pink frosting
- Sprinkles
- At least a dozen strawberries, sliced
- 5-6 strawberries, cut into pieces
- Strawberry sauce or jam
- Whipped cream (optional)
- Chocolate heart for the top (of each square)
Bake the cake and cut it into squares before applying a filling to the center. It is easier to cut the smaller squares in half in order to insert the filling, rather than trying to cut the whole cake in half — but do it whichever way works for you. For a group activity, cut the cake into squares first may be easier.
In a bowl, mix the cut strawberry pieces in with enough sauce or jam to spread filling on the center of the cake. You can also add a few dabs of whipped cream. Open up the cake halves, spread on some filling, then sandwich them back together.
For the frosting, simply use an easy kind that is applied from a can. Then add a few sprinkles. Next, drizzle some strawberry sauce over the frosting. Then place 5 sliced strawberries “hearts” in a flower shape on top of each cake square. Lastly, add the chocolate candy.
Chocolate Strawberry Tower
This colorful tower of strawberries and chocolate makes a statement with your Valentines’ Day desserts! If you’re ambitious, you could make one for everyone. Otherwise, it could serve as a centerpiece at dessert time at each table. Those at the table would share the strawberries. And a heart candy could be provided for everyone too, as well as pink chocolate-covered strawberry.
You’ll need very large strawberries and a kabob skewer, as well as chocolate syrup, which you drizzle onto each berry as you stack it on the skewer. And a plate, of course. The bottom berry should be the largest, and I cut off a slice from the side it’s sitting on, to make it stand.
After you’ve stacked and drizzled all the berries with chocolate, drizzle a bit more on the bottom. Add the candy hearts. And pink chocolate-covered strawberry, then green candy, at the top. Refrigerate until serving. Depending on the chocolate you use, it may also harden, which is nice because it’s less messy. You can provide forks for everyone to help them get the strawberries off the stack.
Raspberry Puff Pastry
There is a variety of ways you can dress up these flaky pastry puffs for Valentine’s Day desserts. Some of the ideas are below.
You will need
- Package of frozen puff pastry
- Pint of raspberries
- 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tblspn corn starch
- 1 Tblspn water
- 1+ teaspoon gelatin
- ½ cup sugar, or sweetener
- Yogurt, low-fat whipping cream, or custard, or vanilla ice cream
- Natural chocolate sauce (optional)
- Red food coloring (optional)
Berry Mix:
- Mix ¼ of the raspberries in a saucepan, and stir in the sweetener.
- Dissolve the corn starch into the lemon juice. Then add into the above sauce.
- Cook the mixture on Medium-Low heat until thickened.
- Mix the gelatin in the water. Add into the thickened sauce.
- Add in mostof the rest of the raspberries – but save some out for later.
Assemble the dessert:
If you are using whipped cream, place some in a bowl, and add a drop of red food coloring to make pink whipped cream.
- Stir very gently.
- Scoop some whipped cream onto the bottom half of the puff pastry. You can also add a couple of spoonfuls of chocolate sauce too.
- Add 3 or 4 raspberries.
- Cover with the puff pastry top.
- Place a generous scoop of the raspberry sauce on top.
- Top it with whipped cream (or other toppings), plus a red Valentine candy, or chocolate! (You can also add in other colors of berries as well if you’d like).
Frozen Pink Sorbet or Ice Cream Pie
These refreshing Valentines’ Day desserts are made with real fruit strawberry or raspberry sorbet. Or try strawberry Rice Dream. It’s a delicious ice cream substitute, made with naturally sweet rice syrup. If you’ve never tried it, do!
You will need
- 1 quart or 2 pints of sorbet
- 1 pie crust (Graham cracker or chocolate cookie crumb crust is great with this)
- A dozen mini pie shells or fillo shells (as in photo)
- 2/3 cup (or more if you’d like!) of chocolate chips
- Fresh raspberries; frozen if fresh are not available
- Optional: ½ cup mandarin oranges, chopped
Soften the sorbet so it is mixable. Put it in a bowl. Fold in the raspberries, oranges, and chocolate chips, mixing gently. Then, put the sorbet mixture into the pie crust and smoothen it out. Cover it well with plastic wrap and re-freeze. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, or top it with a spoonful of chocolate sauce. Or both.Plus a chocolate candy. Go for it — after all, it’s for Valentines’ Day desserts.
Apple Cranberry Roll-ups
These roll-ups can be made with either canned cranberry sauce, or homemade using either fresh or frozen cranberries. This is a deliciously tart dessert, not too sweet. But if you want sweeter, just add a little more whipped cream or ice cream! Or add a little granular sweetener to the sauce (more syrup would make it too soupy).
You will need
- 4 to 6 apples
- 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
- ¼ cup of pure maple syrup (you can add more, to taste)
- 1 can of cranberry sauce (the gelatin kind does not work as well) – or you can make fresh!
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup of pecan or walnut pieces
Peel, core, and cut the apples into small pieces. Put them into a medium-sized saucepan, and add in the lemon juice and maple syrup. Cook, covered, on medium heat until the apples are almost tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir frequently. Add in the cranberry sauce, cinnamon, and nuts. Mix together.
Separate the crescent roll dough, and spread each out (into the triangle shape) on a greased cookie sheet. Put some of the fruit mixtures into the center, then roll them up according to the instructions, and seal the ends. Brush the tops with a little maple syrup.
Bake according to instructions, usually 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Before serving, put a spoonful of leftover filling on top. Finish it off with the topping of your choice: ice cream, whipping cream, yogurt, or chocolate sauce. And, of course, a Valentine candy on the top or the side. You can serve these Valentines’ Day desserts warm or at room temperature.
Fresh Strawberry Desserts
Our fresh strawberry desserts are festive enough for special holidays and parties and can be made at any time of the year. They are perfect for lots of Valentines’ Day desserts. We like to go for Healthy on our web site as much as possible, so we try to offer those types of recipes, some suggestions, and let you decide how you want to get imaginative with them! Even the chocolate morsels can be low in sugar, and from the health food store, if desired. The ice cream is all-natural.
All-Natural Easy Brownies
This all-natural easy brownie recipe is also nutritious for you! As you may know, dark chocolate is high in antioxidants, so why not take advantage? Make this for your Valentines’ Day desserts, and even add some chopped cherries (or other red fruit) into the batter. You can also add chocolate chips to it to make them extra chocolaty. And top the servings with whipped cream tinted pink with a little red food coloring. Or pink ice cream. And a chocolate candy to top it all off, of course.
Conclusion
Healthy valentine’s day desserts are meant to be special and delicious. You will have to come up with something unique and creative. This is why we shared some important recipes for you to consider the next time you plan on making someone’s day special. Make sure that you add everything that your loved one would like to have but ofcourse do not overdo it.