Dessert Recipes for Valentine's Day

All of these easy-to-make recipes are quick and simple—and two of them call for less than 15 minutes of prep time—saving you time for your sweetheart. They’ll go well with the menu we suggested in our
A Romantic Valentine’s Day Meal article.

EASY FRUIT BAVARIAN

Bavarian cream desserts are usually shaped in a mold, but this recipe just calls for scooping into a decorative dessert bowl for a simple yet elegant look. Make this sumptuous dessert at least a few hours before you plan on serving it to give it time to set in the fridge.

Prep Time: 15 minutes, then 2 hours in the fridge
Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

1 can (8 1/4 oz.) Del Monte ^® Carb Clever ^TM Fruit Cocktail
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup sugar or no calorie sweetener
1 carton (8 oz.) plain yogurt
1/8 teaspoon lemon peel

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Drain fruit cocktail from the can, reserving syrup. Pour the syrup and water into a small saucepan.
2. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid; heat until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in sugar or sugar substitute until it’s dissolved. Blend in yogurt and lemon peel.
3. Chill until partially set. Fold in well-drained fruit. Spoon into decorative dessert bowls; then put back into the fridge and allow to chill until it sets.

NUTTY CHOCOLATE PEAR BEARS

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 3 to 5

Two of the most popular gifts on Valentine’s Day are chocolates and teddy bears. This dessert combines them. And it’s another fun and tasty treat that is amazingly easy to make.

INGREDIENTS

1 can (15 1/4 oz.) Del Monte Bartlett Pear Halves, drained
1/3 cup peanuts, finely chopped
Chocolate syrup
Maraschino cherries (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Roll each pear half in peanuts to give it a crunchy coating.
2. Arrange 1 or 2 pears on each serving dish.
3. Drizzle chocolate syrup generously over each serving.
4. Top with maraschino cherries, if desired.

ST. HELENE PEAR TART

Your sweetheart will really be impressed with this tasty tart. It involves a little more cooking than the other two recipes, but once you taste this pear treat, you’ll know it was time well spent.

Prep Time: 22 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Chill time: 4 hours
Serves: 8-10

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 pkg. (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. instant coffee crystals
1 can (15-1/4 oz.) DEL MONTE ^® Bartlett Pear Halves, undrained
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 cup whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine cookie crumbs, almonds and sugar. Stir in butter; mix evenly. Pat into 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, pushing up sides.
2. Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes, then remove and let cool.
3. Combine chocolate and coffee in food processor or blender; process until well blended.
4. Drain pears reserving 1/2 cup syrup in small saucepan. Cover and refrigerate pears. Sprinkle gelatin over reserved syrup. Let stand 5 minutes. Bring to a boil. Add syrup mixture to chocolate in food processor; process until chocolate melts. Scrape chocolate mixture into medium bowl; fold in whipped cream.
5. Spoon filling into crust. Chill at least 4 hours or until set.
6. Just before serving, slice pear halves lengthwise, leaving 1/2-inch inch from top intact. Repeat every 1/4-inch. Arrange over tart fanning out each pear half. Garnish with additional cookie crumbs and chopped almonds, if desired.

Granny Smiths in a Blanket —By Kendra Bailey

The Red Hot candies in this recipe add a bit of sugar and spice, so this treat is perfect for your sweetheart.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for topping
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for topping
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
20 Red Hot candies
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for topping
2 9" unbaked refrigerated piecrusts
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
Vanilla ice cream, optional

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. In a medium-sized saucepan, mix sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg and Red Hots.
3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat to create a hot syrup. Then, immediately take off the heat and add butter. Mix well until all candies are dissolved.
4. Cut each piecrust into three wedges and wrap them around the apples, leaving the hollowed part of the apple exposed. Place apples in a greased 9”x13” baking dish.
5. Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon on top and place a dab of butter into the hole of each apple. Pour the hot syrup over the apples.
6. Bake for about 50 minutes, basting with the hot syrup every 15 minutes or so. If liquid begins to get too thick, add a little water to thin. Serve warm apples topped with vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle a few Red Hot candies on the plate for garnish.

Tip: Refrigerated piecrusts save time and taste great. No rolling pin required.