Valentines Day Desserts

Many of our desserts are made with fresh fruit, which is an important component of good nutrition, especially elderly nutrition. Strawberries and raspberries are especially popular (and healthy) for this day. Of course there are ways to dress these up or make them decadent too! And remember, if you have sugar restrictions, most recipes can be made with a sugar substitute (such as stevia, a natural plant derivative – it’s the healthiest we’ve found). We also have several healthy dessert ideas using honey or delicious pure maple syrup.

We recommend using low-fat, low or no sugar products, whenever possible. Including chocolate. Many of these alternative sweets are found in health food stores. If you haven’t shopped them and want to eat healthy, do make a visit and see what healthy substitutes you can find.

Adding drizzles of chocolate (have you ever tried carob instead?) or caramel will dress up any of these Valentines Day desserts, as will adding a chocolate heart to the top – perhaps a-top whipped cream or ice cream? Or encircle the bottom of the serving plate or bowl with valentine candies. You can get many kinds sugar-free.

So take a look at some of our Valentines Day Desserts. We keep the pictures simple so you can then think of ways to decorate them yourself, but we do offer suggestions.

You will need:
Package of frozen puff pastry (or make your own!)
Pint of raspberries
4 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tblspn corn starch
1 Tblspn water
1+ teaspoon gelatin
½ cup sugar, Splenda, or other sweetener
Yoghurt, low-fat whipping cream, or custard, or vanilla ice cream
Natural chocolate sauce (optional)
Red food coloring (optional)

Bake the puff pastry according to the instructions on the package. Cool, and cut in half.

Berry Mix:
Mix ¼ of the raspberries in a sauce pan, and stir in the sweetener.
Dissolve the corn starch into the lemon juice. Then and add into the above sauce.
Cook the mixture on medium heat until thickened.
Mix the gelatin in the water. Add into the thickened sauce.
Add in the most of the rest of the raspberries – but save some out for later.

Assemble the dessert:
If you are using whipped cream, place some in a bowl and add a drop or two of red food coloring to make pink whipped cream. Stir very gently. This may also work with yoghurt.
Scoop some whipped cream onto the bottom half of the puff pastry.
You can also add a couple spoonfuls of chocolate sauce too.
Add 3 or 4 raspberries.
Cover with the puff pastry top.
Place a generous scoop of the raspberry sauce on top.
Top it with whipped cream, plus a red Valentine candy, or chocolate! (You can also add in other colors of berries as well, if you’d like). These are very good chilled before serving.

This Valentines Day dessert is made with real fruit strawberry or raspberry sorbet. Of course, strawberry ice cream (as in top photo) is great too. Or try strawberry Rice Dream. It’s a delicious ice cream substitute, made with naturally sweet rice syrup. If you’ve never tried it, do!

You will need:
1 quart or 2 pints of sorbet
1 pie crust (Graham cracker or chocolate cookie crumb crust is great with this) -- or
A dozen mini pie shells or fillo shells (as in photo)
2/3 cup (or more if you’d like!) of chocolate chips
Fresh raspberries; frozen if fresh are not available
Optional: ½ cup mandarin oranges, chopped (canned is OK, not in sweet syrup)

Soften the sorbet so it is mixable. Put it in a bowl.
Fold in the raspberries, oranges, and chocolate chips, mixing gently.
Put the sorbet mixture into the pie crust (we used mini fillo shells) and smoothen it out. Cover it well with plastic wrap and re-freeze. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, or top it with a spoonful of chocolate sauce. Or both. Plus a chocolate candy. Go for it -- after all, it’s Valentine’s Day.

These roll-ups can be made with either canned cranberry sauce, or homemade using either fresh or frozen cranberries. This is a deliciously tart dessert, not too sweet. But if you want sweeter, just add a little more whipped cream or ice cream! Or add a little granular sweetener to the sauce (more syrup would make it too soupy).

You will need:
6 apples
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
¼ cup of pure maple syrup (you can add more, to taste)
1 can of cranberry sauce (the gelatin kind does not work as well) – or you can make fresh!
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup of pecan or walnut pieces
I package of refrigerated crescent rolls, low fat

Peel, core, and cut the apples into small pieces. Put them into a medium sized sauce pan, and add in the lemon juice and maple syrup. Cook, covered, on medium heat until the apples are almost tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir frequently. Add in the cranberry sauce, cinnamon, and nuts. Mix together.

Separate the crescent roll dough, and spread each out (into the triangle shape) on a greased cookie sheet. Put some of the fruit mixture into the center, then roll them up according to the instructions, and seal the ends. Brush the tops with a little maple syrup. Bake according to instructions, usually 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Before serving, put a spoonful of leftover filling on top. Finish it off with the topping of your choice: ice cream, whipping cream, yoghurt, or chocolate sauce. And, of course, a Valentine candy on the top or the side. You can serve these Valentines Day desserts warm or at room temperature.

Our fresh strawberry desserts are festive enough for special holidays and parties, and can be made any time of the year. From my mom's 50+ year-old, fabulous strawberry pie recipe - to a hollowed apple "bowl" chuck full of various berries and goodies, they’re delicious! We emphasize the word "healthy" on our web site, so we like to offer those types of recipes, some suggestions, and let you decide how you want to get imaginative with them! Go to: Fresh Strawberry Desserts.

This all-natural easy brownie recipe is also nutritious for you! As you may know, dark chocolate is high in anti-oxidants, so why not take advantage? Make this for Valentine's Day, and add some chopped cherries (or other red fruit) into the batter. You can also add chocolate chips into it to make them extra chocolaty. And top the servings with whipped cream tinted pink with a little red food coloring. Or pink ice cream. And a chocolate candy to top it all off, of course. Take a look at: All-Natural Easy Brownie Recipe.

Strawberry Fruit Kabob

This towering strawberry, apple and fruit kabob is both a craft and a food project! Strawberries are a versatile fruit to use for any occasion, so you can decorate this kabob for lots of holidays and parties, including for Valentine's Day. This is full of fresh fruit and a very healthy alternative to sweet desserts. The way you decorate your presentation will make it festive. Click here for the full information: Strawberry Fruit Kabob.

Chocolate Cheese Cake

One of our readers graciously submitted this fabulous chocolate cheese cake recipe in our Share Your Healthy Desserts Forum, so we are featuring it here. All you need to do is add your own red candy or fruit enhancements (or pink whipped cream), and you have one of the truly rich Valentines Day desserts. Click here to go to Rob's page and see his recipe: Chocolate Cheese Cake Recipe.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Decorations

Learn how to make chocolate covered strawberries - the easy way! And fun decorating projects too! For all ages; also makes great senior activity ideas. We have instructions for both white and dark chocolates, the easy way, or the home-made way. And you can make them pink if you add a little red food coloring to the white chocolate. Think Valentines Day desserts when you decorate them. My sons make these for me every year, and I try not to eat them all in one day. Click here for more: Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries.

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