40 Valentine's Day Cookies to Share With Loved Ones
From heart-shaped Linzers to everything chocolate, these are the cookie recipes you'll want to bake this month.
ByRebecca Firkser
Published On
Photo by Posie Brien
Headed to a party? Set up a pile of Linzer cookies (cut into hearts, of course), bursting with raspberry jam. A batch or two of millennial pink strawberry shortbread are also sure to please a crowd.
But maybe you’re spending the night in with a face mask and a good bowl of pasta. You definitely need this single-serving chocolate and peanut butter number to finish off the evening. If you do have a date, bring out one big cookie after dinner—you can dive right into it with your hands. Who knows where the night will go from there?
We do, however, know that any of these cookies will make your Valentine’s Day extra sweet.
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Best Valentine's Day Cookies
A classic Linzer needs little introduction—cut them heart-shaped and fill with raspberry jam for extreme Valentine’s Day vibes, but apricot, peach, or plum jam would be equally tasty.
Homemade. Milanos. Need we say more? You’ll never look at the packaged cookies the same way.
Fill your favorite homemade (or store-bought) chocolate chip cookies with mint chip ice cream, then coat each sandwich in dark melted chocolate.
Essentially a fancy Oreo, this cookie's buttercream filling can be flavored with tahini, peppermint, matcha, and more.
The only way a PB&J could get any better is if it were a cookie—in this case, a crumbly coconut flour cookie, just waiting to be filled with peanut butter and jam (extra points if you DIY).
Who could resist homemade coffee ice cream? Pair that with nutty shortbread and there’s nothing stopping you from falling head over heels for this cookie.
These bite-sized walnut cookie sandwiches are filled with jam and rolled in vanilla-scented powdered sugar. It will be challenging to eat fewer than five.
Squish dulce de leche between two crispy butter cookies, then dunk the whole dang thing in chocolate.
Shatteringly crispy chocolate meringues can be dipped in melted chocolate for true chocoholics. And just five ingredients? You’re welcome.
Whether you’re cooking for one or your partner just isn’t that into sweets, this single-serving cookie scratches dessert itches without the excess batter.
Date with a vegan-induced panic? Look no further than these chewy ginger and chocolate cookies, which are sweet and spicy, just like you.
Chocolate chip cookies are only improved with the addition of nutty tahini and a big pinch of flaky salt.
If it’s a cartoonishly large chocolate chip cookie your heart desires, look no further than this “pan-banging” cookie, which features both chunks and shards of chocolate.
Contrary to popular belief, oatmeal cookies are in fact very sexy—once you swap out the raisins for dried cranberries, that is.
Fun fact: You don’t need flour to make a decent cookie. Just add a LOT of chocolate (and egg whites).
Make these cookies, which have a fermented faux-sourdough starter base, for the bread lover in your life.
Birds and humans alike will flock to these cookies, which are packed with sesame seeds, flaxseeds, pepitas, and almonds.
These cookies are mostly sweet, but that little bit of floral pepper will keep you coming back for more. PSA: Don’t skip rolling the log of cookie dough in turbinado sugar; that crunch is everything.
Make these salty-sweet cookies with Dutch-process cocoa powder for an intensely chocolatey bite.
The freeze-dried strawberries in both the glaze and dough are the real stars of this tender shortbread, dying the whole cookie a perfect shade of pink. (P.S. If you’re willing to change the color, any freeze-dried fruit will do.)
With a blend of rice flour and all-purpose, these cookies are delicate and buttery, with crunchy pistachios and chewy dried cranberries.
Though they look quite simple, these cookies have crushed walnuts in the batter, adding a satisfying crunch to accompany a sweet blip of strawberry jam.
Snickerdoodle-y in flavor and shortbread-y in texture, these cookies are all you need. Extra special tidbit: The pan is coated in cinnamon-sugar before the batter goes in.
Words don’t describe how tasty these shortbread are—you simply must make a batch. Try them with flavored halvah (like rose or pistachio) for an even more delightful experience.
25. One Big Cookie
What could be cuter than sharing one big ol’ cookie with your date (broken up with your hands, duh!) on Valentine’s Day?
Maybe you’re more used to red velvet cupcakes, but these ruby cookies are way more modern.
This giant cookie is made on the stove, which is perfect if your oven is already filled with dinner.
Yogurt? In cookie dough? You bet. Similar to a classic black-and-white cookie in texture, these pillowy treats are also topped with a raspberry-yogurt glaze.
No oven required: “Bake” this cookie in your slow cooker, then serve it warm and slightly gooey.
Before you freak out, black garlic is totally different than the raw cloves you put in tomato sauce (it’s more like a raisin or date in flavor). Talk about a unique cookie.
Chocolate chip cookies x banana bread: the ultimate comfort-food mashup.
Packed with olive oil and maple syrup, these cookies are just as satisfying for dessert as they will be for breakfast tomorrow morning.
33. Secret Cookies
Bake a batch or two of these sly cookies for your secret valentine. They’re a classic butter cookie decorated with red sanding sugar for a festive February 14th treat.
We love the combination of sweet strawberries and crunchy, nutty pistachios in these white chocolate cookies. An infusion of rose water and an additional garnish of dried rose petals on top makes them about the most romantic cookie you can snack on.
Hosting a Galentine’s Day soirée means an added challenge of trying to please everyone. As long as there is plenty of bubbly to go around, these cookies will get you to the finish line. They’re a hybrid of Milk and Cookies Chocolate Cookies and Strawberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, so there truly is something for all of the sweet friends in your life.
Inspired by Sufganiyot (the jelly-filled doughnuts traditionally consumed during Hanukkah), these soft and pillowy sugar cookies are filled with a dollop of strawberry or raspberry jam (the bright red color is essential for this Valentine's Day special).
Sugar cookies are a must-have dessert for Valentine’s Day, particularly when they’re cut out into the shape of a heart, glazed with pink royal icing or dark chocolate, and decorated with rose petals or pearls. Our go-to sugar cookie recipe will walk you through all the steps so that you can master this sweet.
Sometimes, simpler is better and that’s definitely the case with these five-ingredient chocolate cookies that are gluten-free to boot.
You will fall head over heels for these rich chocolate cookies. “The cookies are deeply chocolatey, of course, but also satisfy sweet-salty cravings, and are so wonderfully simple to make, with just enough flair to take them to a holiday level, too. The dough comes together simply—just whisk together the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine into a dough and roll into balls. There’s no dough-chilling, no forming into logs and cutting into slices,” writes recipe developer Shauna Sever.
You can never go wrong with baking a batch of coconut macaroons, especially if they’re dipped in chocolate (the sweetest touch for Valentine’s Day).
How are you spending Valentine's Day this year? Perhaps with cookies? Let us know in the comments below.
This post was updated in January 2022 to include additional recipes from our editors.