Nothing says “I love you” like homemade sweets… but you’re not exactly Martha Stewart. Don’t panic. Thankfully, we’ve rounded up five recipes that are easy to make in your campus apartment. Whether you’re making a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner for you and your S.O. or you’re just a single gal with a sweet tooth, you can dig into these delectable Valentine’s Day desserts on February 14.
Rice Krispies Treat Hearts
You know those heart-shaped candies with the sickly sweet endearments stamped on them? The ones your mom always sends you every year in your care package that you never eat? Well, now you finally have a use for them with this super easy V-Day-themed Rice Krispies treat recipe!
Ingredients
4 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon red food coloring
1 10 ounce bag large marshmallows
6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup of conversation heart candies
8 ounces vanilla flavored candy coating
Directions
- In a large bowl, melt butter and marshmallows in a microwave for two minutes on high heat. Remove and stir and heat for another two minutes or until the mixture is smooth.
- Once the butter and marshmallows are combined, stir in the food coloring.
- Then add your Rice Crispies cereal.
- Mold your mixture into a large square on wax paper or a cookie sheet. Then, using your cookie cutter, cut out heart-shaped pieces.
- Melt your candy coating in a small saucepan and spread a thin coating of it on the hearts. Then cover with sprinkles.
- Insert lollipop sticks at the bottom of each heart and serve.
Cocoa Espresso Truffles
These luxe little truffle treats are a bite of heaven! While they take a little more waiting (the chocolate needs to be refrigerated to form), whip up a batch of these truffle bites with your sorority sisters for a single girls’ V-Day bash! These espresso-coated candies are perfectly paired with coffee, so share a cup with your bestie and the two of you can gripe about that cutie from last weekend’s party who never texted you back.
Ingredients
1 cup of heavy cream
1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder
1/2 pound of semisweet chocolate drops
1/2 pound of bittersweet chocolate drops
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of coffee liqueur (optional)
Directions
- In a large saucepan, heat the cream and instant espresso powder over medium heat, stirring until the mixture bubbles around the edges. Remove from heat, add the chocolate and stir until fully melted. Add the liqueur and vanilla and stir. Pour the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate it until firm (at least four hours).
- Using a small scoop or a teaspoon, drop one-inch balls of the chocolate mixture onto a wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate these until they are firm, about 15 minutes.
- Place the cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. Roll the chocolate balls in the cocoa, then transfer to a wax paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate. Let them set in room temperature before serving!
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Rich and velvety… what could be a more perfect dessert to share with your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day? Red velvet cakes, pies and cupcakes are classic, so we borrowed this easy recipe for red velvet whoopie pies.
Ingredients
Cookies
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil’s food cake mix
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 tablespoons of red food color
1 box (4-serving size) of chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix
Filling
1 cup of softened butter
2 cups of marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of fresh berries
Directions
- Beat the cookie ingredients in a large bowl, with electric mixer on low speed until moistened; beat 1 minute longer on high speed. Drop batter onto a cookie sheet (which should either be lined with parchment paper or sprayed) with each cookie being two inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 13 to 16 minutes at 350°F. Cool two minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
- Beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. For each sandwich cookie pie, spread about 1/4 cup filling on bottom of 1 cooled cookie. Top with blueberries and raspberries before sandwiching the filling with a second cookie.
White Chocolate Cranberry Cupcakes
The white chocolate flakes remind us of snowy winter days on campus (perfectly fitting for this time of year) and the cranberries give the otherwise fluffy, light cakes a tart bite of flavor. Delish! Don’t believe us? Check out this recipe from for white chocolate cranberry cupcakes and make them yourself.
Ingredients
Cake
1 box of white cake mix
2 egg whites
1 egg
1/3 cup of oil
1 cup of buttermilk
1 cup of sour cream
1 orange for zest
2 cups of chopped cranberries
White Chocolate Ganache
¾ cup of white chocolate chips
2 ½ tablespoons of heavy cream
White Chocolate Buttercream
8 ounce of softened cream cheese
½ cup of softened butter
2 tablespoons of white chocolate instant pudding powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3-4 cups of powdered sugar
Directions
- Gently stir the egg whites, egg, oil buttermilk, sour cream, zest and cake mix, then add chopped cranberries.
- Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 14-18 minutes at 350°F.
- When the cupcakes are almost cool, make the white chocolate ganache by melting white chocolate and cream together in the microwave.
- Once your cupcakes have cooled, dip them in the ganache and let them set before piping buttercream.
- To make the buttercream, beat the cream cheese and butter for four minutes. Add pudding mix, vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
- Pipe onto your cupcakes and top them off with sprinkles!
Sweetheart Chocolate Martini
For those of us over 21, this liquid dessert is just the thing for Valentine’s Day, whether it’s a girls’ night or date night. Here’s a toast to getting your happily ever after this semester!
Ingredients
3/4 cup of half-and-half
8 ounces dark chocolate liqueur
2 ounces of vodka
ice cubes
Directions
- In a pitcher, stir together the half-and-half, chocolate liqueur, and vodka.
- Place ice cubes in a martini shaker.
- Add liqueur mixture and shake.
- The mixture makes four to six drinks.
- Garnish with drizzled chocolate or candy hearts!