Favorite Valentine's Day Treats

One great thing my mother did for me as a kid/teenager was to make Valentine's Day a holiday that could be enjoyed whether there was someone romantic in your life or not. It wasn't until I got to college that I realized that Valentine's Day is a holiday hated by many (and by 'many,' I mean a bunch of single girls). Friends, this needn't be. Surely there are more people in our lives to love than those with whom we are romantically involved. So whether "Buy lingerie" is on your list of to-do's or not, you can still enjoy this day with those you love. Especially if you make them one of these desserts.

(Note: As a wee disclaimer, some of my pictures when you go to the links, well, they're not my best. Evenso, these desserts are a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Do not fear the ugly photos. Do not fear, I say.)

1. Red Velvet Zebra Cake. It's pretty. It's delicious. It's easier to make than it looks (pictured above).

2. No Bake Mousse Pie (or just mousse if you skip the crust). This takes 20 minutes (at the most) to whip up. It's elegant, decadent, you know all that V-Day kind of stuff without several hours of fuss.

3.  Chocolate Orange Mascarpone Cheesecake Pie. That title makes this sound hard, but it's really really easy. You don't even cook it. You can make it with the graham cracker crust, or not.

4. Cookies and Cream. And while we're speaking of easy desserts... This is my favorite dessert of all time. Also, it only 20 minutes to put together. Also, a few drops of red food coloring and your cream will turn pink. Wheeee! However, it must be done the night before. And it requires an ingredient you can't find in every city.

5. Chocolate Cookies with Orange Sugar Edges. I don't know what it is about chocolate and fruit, but the combo seems romantic, doesn't it. Even if you're not into the whole fruit and chocolate thing, you can roll your cookies in anything--sea salt, Valentine's sprinkles, nuts.

6. Creme Chocolate (or Baked Chocolate Custard). I love this. It's creamy. It's indulgent. It could handle me messing up several steps.  (pictured below)