The 46 Best Valentine’s Day Cookies to Make with Your Family (or for Your S.O.)

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 24

The key to the simple cookies' pink hue is former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen's tasty secret. OK, spoiler alert: It's freeze-dried fruit. "I used a mix of strawberry and raspberry, but you can use any kind [of berry] you like," she notes.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 24

You can apply this icing technique to any shape, but c’mon, the holiday calls for hearts. Start with store-bought sugar cookies—no one will be the wiser. As for the icing, Gillen suggests sticking to two colors (three, max) to avoid muddy results. "More mixing will have a softer, more marbled effect; less mixing will yield bright streaks of color," she writes.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 36

They taste like a tropical vacation and look like a neon Valentine's Day dream. (Plus, they're so tiny that you can help yourself to a bunch without getting full.) "Hibiscus has a tart, cranberry-like flavor and is popular in African and Latin American beverages," Gillen tells the uninitiated. "You can buy the petals online, or just brew some really strong hibiscus tea."

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make-ahead, kid-friendly
• Serves: 12

"They’re a fruity take on the classic chocolate and vanilla treat, also known as a black and white or half-and-half cookie," Gillen explains. "They get their dreamy blush color from powdered freeze-dried berries instead of dye." No one will miss the chocolate come V-Day, promise.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 24

Behold: edible sunshine. This is one of the sweetest ways to take advantage of citrus season. "You can totally wing it with just your hands and a spatula, but I’ve found that a small cookie scoop (about one tablespoon) makes portioning fast and flawless," Gillen claims. "To prevent the cookies from spreading too much, try chilling them in the fridge for about 15 minutes before popping the pan in the oven."

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 24

If you're a fan of Italian rainbow cookies, you need to try this Valentine's Day cookie recipe. "They're flavored with matcha, freeze-dried raspberries and almond extract as an ode to the original," Gillen writes, "but you could customize your batch with any combination of ingredients, like cocoa powder, sesame paste or another freeze-dried fruit."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes (includes chilling time)
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 36

"The 'meltaway' texture is thanks to cornstarch in the dough," Gillen states. "It keeps the cookies tender and lends that signature melt-in-your-mouth quality. Feel free to swap the clementine for another type of citrus—like Meyer lemon or blood orange—if you prefer."

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 24

Whether it's a Galentine's Day soirée or your kid's classroom party, these tiny chocolate chippers are a guaranteed hit. "As an added bonus, this is a one-bowl situation, because I'm far more interested in eating cookies than doing dishes," Gillen admits. Preach.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 32

Sweet-tart, bite-size and red—what else do you need in a Valentine's Day cookie? The stiff dough helps the cookies keep their shape, while Gillen uses a measuring spoon to indent the cookies instead of her thumb for a uniform appearance.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 36

Who needs icing when your dough looks like that?! Chalk it up to magically vibrant, sweet-tart, freeze-dried raspberries. A drizzle of semi-sweet or white chocolate on the outside doesn't hurt, though.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 12

Looks can be deceiving, and these humble cookies pack a surprising punch in the flavor department. "Paired with the rye flour, these cookies bake up crisp, golden and vibrating with tart-sweet raspberry intensity," recipe creator Heidi Swanson writes.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, gluten free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 18

Your family will be psyched when you pull the Nutella out of the pantry for these chocolate-hazelnut sandwich cookies. The meringue base is made with egg whites instead of flour, so the cookies are naturally gluten free to boot.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 35

Nothing says "I love you" quite like heart sprinkles and red food dye. (Oh, and cream cheese frosting, of course.) "Ensure your butter is fully softened (but not so soft they are nearly melted) and beaten well," recipe developer Amanda Powell advises. "Any lumps of cold butter can leak out and create a mess of your cookies."

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 18

I'm betting you have all the ingredients you need for the these Valentine's Day cookies already in your kitchen. Prepare the icing the moment the cookies come out of the oven, then frost them once they've completely cooled.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 22

I just know you have a bag of heart-shape chocolates lying around, waiting to become the crowning glory atop these vibrant confections. Besides those, you'll only need seven additional ingredients to pull off the treat. How easy is that?

• Time Commitment: 6 hours
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 20

They definitely taste a lot better than the chalky candy version. Thanks, pastel-colored royal icing. Use VP of editorial Candace Davison's guide to making royal icing if you're new to the game—it's easier than you think, promise.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 50 minutes (includes chilling time)
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 28

If you ask us, the more layers the better. These bars have three: buttery brown sugar cookie, cream cheese filling and festive chocolate candies. Substitute any tiny candy you have on hand, if M&M'S aren't your thing.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 12

These buttery handhelds are proof that sometimes, simplicity wins out. Can you believe they only call for three ingredients, all of which are likely in your pantry right now? (Who knew confectioners' sugar had that sort of power?)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 24

Chocolate and sprinkles are two of my favorite things about Valentine's Day. A third is letting the kids deal with decorating dessert, potential mess be damned. Sub milk or white chocolate for semisweet or dark if you have picky eaters at the table.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 12

These cookies are each stuffed with a fresh raspberry or two for a fruity surprise. Personally, I'll take the sweet-tart mashup over cloying lava cake any day. If you don't want to fuss with a double boiler, follow recipe creator Jessica Merchant's lead and prepare the chocolate topping in the microwave instead.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 36

Double the chocolate, double the love. Lay the nonpareils on thick for extra crunch, and be sure to spring for Dutch processed cocoa powder, which is less bitter than natural cocoa and just right for desserts.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 14

Ooh, brown butter—fancy. (Don't worry: It's so easy to make, even if it's your first time.) The surprisingly complex flavor of these Valentine's Day cookies offers unexpected contrast to the scribbly, 2000s-inspired icing hearts.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly
• Serves: 12

Freeze-dried strawberries in the dough ensure a burst of fruity brightness in every bite. The rough-crushed ones on top, along with crunchy sanding sugar, are just a bonus (and a chic alternative to sprinkles).

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 20 to 24

If you're looking for a dessert that embodies the mushy, gooey sentiments behind V-Day, look no further. No one will suspect the boxed cake mix shortcut on this red velvet stunner, thanks to the tangy, from-scratch frosting.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 10

They’re fudgy on the inside and crackly on the outside, just like your favorite boxed brownie mix (or fine, your go-to recipe). Add a flourish of flaky salt—or a drizzle of melted chocolate or dulce de leche—et voilà.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
• Serves: 32

The pink and red sanding sugars are a much easier way to decorate than frosting. Plus, they give these cream cheese cookies a crunchy texture and cute exterior. Feel free to use Hershey's Kisses or a few chocolate chips in place of chocolate hearts, if that's what you have on hand.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 32

Punny, cheesy and ready for their Instagram debut, these cookies are equal parts wholesome and photogenic. Ask the kids to dictate phrases of their choice while you write them out in vanilla icing. Then, let hilarity ensue.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 24

Peanut butter and chocolate are the ultimate soulmates, no? Roll these Valentine's Day cookies in granulated sugar for bonus crunch, and freeze the leftover baked cookies for up to three months for future impromptu snacking.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 15

These classic sandwich cookies are equal parts elegant and delicious. Plus, they're a great excuse to finally buy that cute set of cookie cutters that's been in your Amazon cart for weeks. Your S.O. will go gaga for the stained glass-like, peek-a-boo center.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 22

No flour equals less mess and more chocolatey flavor. How can you lose, friend? Confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder are the main dry ingredients here, and a modest dose of ground cinnamon imparts a spicy edge to every bite.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 18

Flowers are synonymous with Valentine's Day, so why not add some edible buds to dessert? "There's no need to dry and press the blossoms before baking," recipe creator Erin McDowell says. "Just use egg wash to glue the flowers to slice-and-bake shortbread cookies and they'll flatten in the oven."

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 24

You won’t need a rolling pin for these heart-shaped gems. Use a cookie cutter on the warm baked cookies right out of the oven for perfect shapes (and snack on the excess before serving—the chef always deserves a little treat).

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes
• Serves: varies

You can totally use store-bought palmier cookies to make this baking project stress-free. (You won't even need to turn on the stove if you microwave the chocolate.) But if you feel like going the extra mile and have time for a baking project, try these spiced palmiers on for size.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 12 to 13

Did you know that boxed cake mix is a shortcut to impeccably fluffy cookies? Grab the pink, strawberry-flavored kind for some festive Valentine’s Day bites that any kid would be thrilled to find in their lunchbox.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes (includes chilling)
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead
• Serves: 22

Consider these crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside thumbprints an approachable riff on French macarons. Thanks to almond flour, they're gluten free to boot. "I love the crinkled look the cookies develop while baking, and I especially love that they remind me, both in flavor and in texture, of much more elaborate French macarons while requiring a fraction of the time, effort and technical skill to make," recipe creator Claire Saffitz adds.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 42

Can't find Hershey's Raspberry Hugs to stuff inside? Original Hugs are every bit as tasty, as are Cherry Cordial Kisses. Basically, the Valentine's Day cookie and candy aisle are your oysters.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: vegan, crowd-pleaser, make ahead, gluten free
• Serves: 35

No time to bake? No problem. Enlist your relatives (or roomies) to assemble these Oreo-inspired cookies, which are sandwiched with coconut butter filling. They're also vegan, gluten free and made with only nine ingredients.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes (plus chilling time)
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6 to 8

The only thing better than a Valentine’s Day cookie? Two cookies with ice cream in the middle, obvi. If you ask me, it's never too cold out for one of these ice cream sandwiches—if anything, it's one more reason to cuddle up to your boo after dessert.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 20

This five-ingredient cookie is pretty basic (even considering the zingy lemon glaze), but you can jazz it up with dried rose petals and blood orange zest if your heart desires. A scalloped cookie cutter would help, too.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 36

This oldie-but-goodie recipe gets a festive makeover with the simple addition of pretty pink and red candies. Recipe creator Jo-Anna Rooney calls for an extra egg yolk and grinding the oats in the dough to make the cookies extra soft and chewy.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 18 to 20

Chocolates, schmocolates. Skip the heart-shaped box and devour these little guys instead. Recipe creator Lindsay Ostrom's secret to their fudgy texture is melting and completely cooling the butter before adding it to the dough.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 24

This is just a variation on a traditional thumbprint cookie, but the two indentations go in opposite directions to create a heart—cue the awws. "It's best to use a seedless jam or jelly so the cookies are easy to fill and the hearts don’t look gloppy," McDowell asserts. "I also find that stirring the jelly before filling the cookies helps loosen the texture."

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 16 large or 32 mini

"This starts with a very simple, press-in brown sugar shortbread, followed by thin layers of seedless jam and frosting," McDowell explains. "On their own, all of those items are delicious, but together, they're extra special." Keep the layers on the thin side and the bars will remain stackable for gift boxes (if you don’t eat them all first, that is).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 36

"[Since] they’re so small, they bake quickly and have the ideal amount of creamy filling," McDowell claims. They're meant to be eaten by the handful, so you might want to make a second batch in advance.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
• Serves: 9

After the cake-like cookies cool, have the kids help you assemble the whoopie pies. The cream cheese-marshmallow frosting will be all over their clothes, the floor and the dog—just go with it. It's Valentine's Day, after all.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 18

These > diamond jewelry. (Yes, even on February 14th.) The secret to these gorgeous bejeweled cookies is rock candy, both white and colored. The base is arguably the easiest homemade sugar cookie recipe of all time.