Chocolate and candy hearts are essential for Valentine’s Day, but when it comes to sweet treats for the whole fam, we’re all about cookies. They’re easy to make and delicious to eat, plus everyone can lend a hand in baking or decorating them. So grab your partner, your kids, your roommate, your dog—you get the idea—for a night of love-infused baking on February 14. From heart thumbprints to chocolate brownie cookies, here are the 40 best Valentine’s Day cookies to make with your family.
The 40 Best Valentine’s Day Cookies to Make with Your Family
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Published Jan 18, 2023
How to Package Valentine’s Day Cookies as Gifts
Since homemade cookies are far superior to conversation hearts, here are a few tips for packaging and gifting your treats.
- Fill a pretty box with a variety of cookies and other treats, like wrapped candies and chocolates
- Package iced cookies in individual glassine bags or envelopes to show off your hard work
- Attach sturdy cookies (like sugar cookies) to lollipop sticks with melted chocolate and arrange them into bouquet
- Showcase bite-size cookies in mason jars tied with ribbon for a festive touch
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
The key to the simple cookies' pink hue is our tasty secret. (Spoiler alert, it's freeze-dried strawberries.)
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
Who needs icing when your dough looks like that?! A drizzle of semi-sweet or white chocolate doesn't hurt either.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, make ahead
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.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Looks can be deceiving, and these humble cookies pack a surprising punch in the flavor department. Chalk it up to freeze-dried raspberries in the dough.
5. Tiny Coconut Cookies with Hibiscus Glaze
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, make ahead
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.)
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, gluten free, beginner-friendly
The 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 gluten-free.
7. Red Velvet Thumbprint Cookies
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, make ahead
Nothing says “I love you” quite like heart sprinkles and red food dye. (Oh, and cream cheese frosting, of course.)
8. Pink and White Valentine’s Day Cookies
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
They're like the classic black-and-white version, but festive and strawberry-flavored. We're betting you have all the ingredients you need for the cookies already in your kitchen.
9. Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
We just know you have a bag of heart-shape chocolates lying around, waiting to become the crowning glory atop these vibrant cookies.
10. Valentine’s Day Heart Sugar Cookies
- Time Commitment: 6 hours
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
They definitely taste a lot better than the chalky candy version. Thanks, pastel-colored royal icing.
11. M&M Cheesecake Cookie Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
If you ask us, the more layers the better. These bars have three: buttery brown sugar cookie, cream cheese filling, and festive chocolate candies.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
These buttery handhelds are proof that sometimes, simplicity wins out. Can you believe they only call for three ingredients?
13. Heart Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Chocolate and sprinkles are two of our favorite things about this holiday. Our third is letting the kids deal with decorating dessert, potential mess be damned.
14. Double Chocolate Chunk Raspberry-Stuffed Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, make ahead
These cookies are each stuffed with a fresh raspberry or two for a fruity surprise. Personally, we'll take the sweet-tart mashup over cloying lava cake any day.
15. Chocolate Shortbread Heart Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid0friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Double the chocolate, double the love. Lay the nonpareils on thick for extra crunch.
16. Browned Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Frosting
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
Ooh, brown butter—fancy. (Don’t worry, it’s so easy to make.) How cute are those scribbly, 2000s-inspired icing hearts?
17. Soft and Fluffy Strawberry Cookies with Vanilla Frosting
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly
Freeze-dried strawberries in the dough ensure a burst of strawberry flavor in every bite. The rough-crushed ones on top are just a bonus.
18. Red Velvet Marshmallow Dream Cookies
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
If you're looking for a dessert that embodies the mushy, gooey sentiments behind V-Day, look no further. No one will suspect the box cake mix shortcut.
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
They’re fudgy on the inside and crackly on the outside, just like your favorite brownie recipe. Add a flourish of flaky salt et voilà.
20. Sparkle Sweetheart Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
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.
21. Conversation Heart Cookies
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, make ahead
Ask the kids to dictate the phrases 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
Peanut butter and chocolate are the ultimate match made in heaven, no? Roll them in granulated sugar for a bonus crunch.
23. Linzer Cookies
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
These classic sandwich cookies are equal parts elegant and delicious. Your S.O. will go gaga for the peek-a-boo center.
24. Gluten-Free Flourless Cocoa Cookies
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: gluten free, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
No flour equals less mess and more chocolatey flavor. How can you lose, friend?
25. Botanical Shortbread Cookies
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
Flowers are synonymous with Valentine’s Day, so why not add some edible buds to dessert? We didn’t think you’d object.
26. Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
You won’t need a rolling pin for these heart-shaped red velvet crinkle cookies. Use a cookie cutter on the warm baked cookies right out of the oven for perfect shapes. (Pro tip: Snack on the excess before serving the Insta-worthy cookies.)
27. Pink Chocolate-Dipped Palmiers
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes
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.)
28. Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Did you know that boxed cake mix makes extremely fluffy cookies? Grab the pink kind for some festive Valentine’s Day bites.
29. Claire Saffitz’s Raspberry Almond Thumbprints
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead
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.
30. Raspberry Hugs Chocolate Cookies
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, make ahead
Can't find Hershey's Raspberry Hugs to stuff inside? Original Hugs are every bit as tasty, as are Cherry Cordial Kisses.
31. Raw Oreos
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: vegan, crowd-pleaser, make ahead, gluten free
No time to bake? No problem. Have the family assemble these Oreo-inspired cookies, which are sandwiched with coconut butter filling.
32. Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes (plus chilling time)
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
The only thing better than a Valentine’s Day cookie? Two cookies with ice cream in the middle, obvi.
33. Lemon Rose Shortbread Cookies
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
This five-ingredient cookie is pretty basic, but you can jazz it up with dried rose petals and blood orange zest if your heart desires.
34. Valentine’s Day Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, make ahead
This oldie-but-goodie recipe gets a festive makeover with the simple addition of pretty pink and red candies.
35. Thick and Fudgy Double Chocolate Cookies
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
Chocolates, schmocolates. Skip the heart-shaped box and devour these little guys instead.
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
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.
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
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).
38. Itty-Bitty Sandwich Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
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
After the cake-like cookies cool, have the kids help you assemble all the whoopie pies. (Icing will be all over their clothes, the floor and the dog. Just go with it.)
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
These > diamond jewelry. (Yes, even on V-Day.) The secret to these gorgeous bejeweled cookies? Rock candy.
Katherine Gillen is PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City restaurants. She used to sling sugary desserts in a pastry kitchen, but now she’s an avid home cook and fanatic baker.
Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
