Valentine’s Day has always been about showing those you love that you care. Baking them delicious treats is a great way to show that you really do care, and here are four food that they will love.

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Some ingredients and utensils used while making the whoopie pies.

First, here are some cinnamon roll pancakes to add sweetness and spice to your day, inspired by a recipe from a blog called The Recipe Critic. This recipe makes about ten medium-sized pancakes, each with a generous topping of cream cheese glaze.

For the pancake batter:

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten (i.e. crack egg into cup and whisk with a fork)

1 teaspoon of canola oil

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

For the cinnamon filling:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mix together. Pour into plastic bag (sandwich sized).

Next, heat the skillet to medium low. Once it is heated, ladle a small amount of pancake batter onto the skillet. As soon as bubbles begin to appear on the surface of the pancake batter (about two or three minutes in), cut a small bit of plastic off one of the corners of the plastic bag containing the cinnamon mix. Pipe the cinnamon in a swirl pattern in the center of the pancake. Let it sit for ten to twenty seconds before flipping. Let the other side finish cooking before removing it from the skillet.

Recommendation: only cook a maximum of two pancakes at a time. This way, you can focus completely on piping the cinnamon mix and flipping the pancakes at the right time.

For the cream cheese glaze:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

2 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons maple syrup

Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Next, add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lastly, vanilla. Mix the ingredients around until they melt down to a liquid and remove from the heat source. Serve this dish warm. If necessary, it can be reheated.

To make this dish even more thoughtful, cut hearts out of the cooked pancakes with a cookie cutter and remember to garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar and a few sliced strawberries.

Second, there is a delicious red smoothie, perfect for any occasion.

You will need:

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

2 pears, peeled and sliced

1 banana

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/4 cup frozen pineapple

1 and 1/2 cups orange juice

10-15 ice cubes

Then, add all the ingredients to a blender. Blend them together slowly on low speed for a crisp, chunk-free smoothie. Top with a dollop of whipped cream or for something fancier, a strawberry speared by a cocktail sword.

Next, some heart-shaped red velvet whoopee pies inspired from a recipe by a blog called Brown Eyed Baker will make the perfect first date dessert. The fluffy, slightly chocolatey taste of the cake compliments the cream cheese filling beautifully. Whip up these fun desserts for your special someone and enjoy with a glass of milk. This recipe makes about ten whoopee pies.

The cakes:

3 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup of granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 of cup buttermilk (if you don’t have this, substitute by mixing 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice; let sit for 5 minutes)

Red food coloring (enough to turn the batter light red – it gets darker in the oven)

For the cream cheese filling:

5 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter (room temperature)

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Nutella for alternative frosting (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350º and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then, set it aside.

Next, beat together butter, sugar, and brown sugar on low until they are combined. Turn the mixer up to medium high and beat until it is fluffy – about five minutes. Then, add the eggs one at a time, beating each until well incorporated. Next, beat in the vanilla, add red food coloring- about ten or so drops at a time, mixing in afterwards. Continue until the batter is light red and add in half of the dry ingredient mixture as well as half the buttermilk. Beat on low power until combined. Then, add the remaining dry ingredient mixture and buttermilk. Beat them until they are smooth.

Use a spoon to scoop 1-2 tablespoons of batter onto the parchment paper. Shape into a 2-by-2 inch circle. Eight pies should be able to fit on each pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, then let cool for a of couple minutes. Move the parchment paper to a wire cooling rack. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut hearts out of the circular pies. Chill the pies for 20 minutes for the best results while frosting.

Once chilled, frost the flat side of each pie with cream cheese frosting. You may also use Nutella to frost some of the pies.

To stay warm on this romantic day, try drinking some delicious hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is a winter favorite and a sweet drink to share with your sweetheart.

You will need:

1 and 1/2 cups of milk or water

handful of marshmallows

1 packet of hot chocolate mix (Swiss Miss was used in this recipe)

1 tablespoon vanilla coffee flavoring

whipped cream

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

sprinkles

Take a mug and fill it with roughly 2/3 full with cold milk or water (milk makes the drink much richer). Then, heat the filled mug in the microwave on the highest power setting for 2 minutes. Take the rest of the cold milk or water and pour it into the hot mug. This will cool it down and give the drink a more rounded taste.

Next, take the packet of hot chocolate mix and pour it into the mug. If you are using a can of mix, use the recommended amount on the can. Pour in the vanilla flavoring and cinnamon. Stir everything into the drink until only a few lumps of mix are visible.

Now, the hot chocolate is ready for toppings. One classic topping is marshmallows; both large and small can be used. Letting the marshmallows sit in the drink will allow them to be soaked into the delicious hot chocolate, and adds the pleasant marshmallow flavor to the drink as well. Swirl whipped cream on top of the drink, to add a cool counterpart to the hot beverage.

You can also scatter cinnamon and sprinkles on top of the whipped cream for a nice presentation. When all the toppings are chosen, take a sip and enjoy the relaxing taste of hot chocolate this Valentine’s day.

Valentine’s day is a celebration of love, and what better way to show you care than by preparing these tasty Valentine’s treats? Enjoy!