Hi Reader,

Years ago, The One and I agreed to skip Valentine’s Day—no gifts, no dinner reservations, no grand gestures. Naturally, by 8 p.m., I had chocolate melting on the stove and he was pretending not to notice the champagne chilling in the fridge. Somewhere between the whisking and the teasing (“You said we weren’t doing this!”), the night turned into one of those quietly cinematic moments—two people leaning over the counter, sharing spoonfuls straight from the pan, laughing like we’d just gotten away with something.
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That’s the thing about dessert for two. It’s never really about the recipe. It’s about the pause—the sweet, melty punctuation mark at the end of an ordinary day that suddenly feels extraordinary. You don’t need lace or roses or anything involving a blowtorch (unless you’re making crème brûlée, in which case—carry on). Just something luscious enough to whisper, “See? I was thinking of you.”

My Rules for Valentine’s Desserts

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• Skip the showstopper. A molten cake or silky mousse beats a ten-layer tower every time.
• Keep it small. Dessert for two should feel indulgent, not like leftovers for a week.
• Temperature is foreplay. Warm and gooey wins hearts faster than anything chilled.
• Add a flourish. A sprinkle of sea salt, a drizzle of liqueur, or a few fresh berries turns simple into special.
• Serve it together. Two spoons, one bowl—that’s the whole point.

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WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies​
• ​Portuguese Chocolate Salami ~ Salame De Chocolate​
• ​Chocolate Muffins​
• ​Easy Tiramisu​
• ​Classic Molten Chocolate Cakes​
• ​Panna Cotta​
• ​Chocolate Macarons​

​Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.67 from 54 votes

It’s simple: chocolate cookie dough surrounds a peanut butter center, and the top is dipped in sugar before baking. In the oven, the cookie spreads out, and like magic, you end up with a peanut butter center between two wonderful chocolate layers.

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​Portuguese Chocolate Salami ~ Salame De Chocolate​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.91 from 20 votes

This chocolate salami is an easy, traditional Portuguese no-bake dessert made with butter, confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, tea cookies, and Port wine. It can be customized with your favorite nuts or dried fruits, and is made ahead of time, so it's ideal for entertaining.

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​Chocolate Muffins​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.79 from 100 votes

These easy chocolate muffins, made with flour, sugar, cocoa, eggs, oil, and vanilla, have a not-too-sweet but intense cocoa flavor. For those of us with more adult chocolate cravings.

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​Easy Tiramisu​

This easy tiramisu is darn close to the classic and, dare we say, better. It's simple, it swaps the usual marsala for that lovely coffee-imbued rum known as Tia Maria, and quite frankly, it's the best.

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​Classic Molten Chocolate Cakes​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.92 from 12 votes

These classic molten chocolate cakes (also called chocolate lava cakes) from Jean-Georges Vongerichten are made with flour, sugar, chocolate, egg, and butter. When baked, the cake doesn't cook through, creating a lava flow of chocolate when cut into. If that weren't enough, the batter can be made ahead of time.

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​Panna Cotta​

Panna cotta is an Italian classic made with cream, sugar, gelatin, and your favorite flavoring. What results is a luxuriantly creamy and not-too-sweet dessert that's suitable for any occasion.

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​Chocolate Macarons​

Chocolate macarons can be yours in hours. They're light and airy and made with dark chocolate, both in the cookie and the rich ganache filling. No fancy French patisserie required. Here's how to make them.

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