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27 Heart-Shaped Foods Perfect for Valentine's Day

Updated on January 13, 2026

A big box of chocolates is all well and good, but nothing says "I love you" quite like a sweet treat or a slice of pizza with love baked into each bite.

Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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Eat Your Heart Out

If the way to someone's heart is through his or her stomach, these made-with-love foods cut right to the chase. Sweet Valentine’s Day breakfast ideas like pancakes and bacon, romantic dinner recipes including appetizers and mains and swoon-worthy desserts—we’ve got everything you need to set your valentine’s heart aflutter.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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Don't Go Bacon My Heart

Start your Valentine's Day off the right way with your sweetie's other true love: bacon. Fold strips into hearts on a baking sheet (inset with a rack if you have one) and bake at 400 degrees F until crisp.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz
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Heart-Shaped Lasagna Bundt

No matter how you choose to celebrate, this adorable lasagna is a must! It takes a bit of time to pull off but it’s not difficult to assemble as long as you have a heart-shaped Bundt pan. Pair it with a bottle of red and a good movie for a cozy date night—or serve it as a pasta course as part of a larger Valentine’s Day menu. Either way, you’re sure to fall in love.

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Shortbread Hearts

Buttery crisp shortbread cookies are shaped into sweet hearts and baked until tender with a hint of vanilla and sugar sparkle.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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The Heart of the Batter

These heart-shaped hotcakes take breakfast in bed to a new level. Think of a squeeze bottle filled with batter as your kitchen paintbrush: Squirt a heart outline on a hot griddle, let it start to set, and then flood it with more batter for charming less-than-perfect hotcakes.

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Photo: Tara Donne
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Broken Heart Chocolate Cake

A playful chocolate layer cake that’s cut and decorated so it looks like a broken heart with whipped cream, rich frosting and shards of sugar “glass,” making it a fun anti‑Valentine’s dessert that’s as tasty as it is clever.

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Linzer Heart Sandwich Cookies

Linzer heart sandwich cookies add a bit of pizazz to any dessert table and they’re a breeze to make! The shortbread-like dough rolls so easily and doesn’t require any chilling before baking. You can substitute a variety of jams for filling these cookies for a beautiful mix of colors and flavors.

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Chocolate-Covered Ice Cream Hearts

Give your valentine a new kind of chocolate-covered strawberry this year — made of ice cream!

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Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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Take a Pizza My Heart

A pair of scissors is the only tool you need to cut presliced pepperoni into hearts. Use them to dress up a frozen pie, or go all out and make homemade pizza, shaping the dough into a big heart, too.

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Photo: Renee Comet
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Flamin' Hot Cheeto Mozzarella Hearts

Nothing says "my heart is yours" like these spicy, cheesy, crunchy treats. There's nothing subtle about them—from the blazing red color to the bold flavor, they clearly show your Valentine how much you care.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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Sealed with a Shrimp

For those with a savory bent, two shrimp arranged kissing with curved-sides out make a you-know-what. (Use jumbo if you're feeling fancy.)

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Photo: Rob Pryce
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Raspberry Cream Cheese Heart Tarts

These adorable tarts are a spin on a childhood favorites. They're filled with raspberry cream cheese, which peeks through a little heart window in each tart.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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Home Is Where the Pork Is

Nothing says "I love you" like a home-cooked meal. Butterfly a boneless pork chop or chicken breast and you have a lean, good-for-you main that's fit for the dinner plate of that special someone.

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Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

Whether you are looking for a homemade gift for someone special or a fun holiday activity with kids, these sugar cookies couldn’t be simpler, tastier or more beautiful. We take the buttery and perfectly crisp rounds and dip them into colored icing, resulting in a marbled and jewel-like effect that’ll surely impress your valentine. Swap out the cookie cutter shapes and colors to create cookies for any holiday or special occasion.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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Hot Date Cheese Plate

Use a mini heart cutter to shape cheddar, Havarti or other semi-firm cheeses into cute little tokens of affection that will appeal to both adults and the toddler set. 

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Photo: Sam Kaplan
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Heart of the Batter

Strawberries make the perfect heart-shaped fruit. Stuff them inside cupakes for a sweet surprise. Top the cupcakes with creamy chocolate frosting and a sliced strawberry.

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Photo: Sam Kaplan
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Almost-Famous Conversation Hearts

Forget the store-bought treats. With this recipe you can customize your own candy hearts—and the flavors too.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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Egg-in-a-Heart

To upgrade the brunch classic, use a cookie cutter to punch out hearts instead of circles from buttered slices of bread. Fry up the crust pieces, adding eggs to the holes after flipping. Serve the cut-out hearts alongside as "soldiers" for dipping into the yolks. 

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Photo: Renee Comet
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Heart-Shaped Pizza for Two

With a few little tricks, you can transform a regular pepperoni pizza into a special heart-shaped treat. We take a few shortcuts, like store-bought pizza dough and sauce, so that it comes together quickly, but don't worry, we won't tell anyone it wasn't a labor of love.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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Heartbeats and Cereal Treats

Toss in a handful of cranberries, freeze-dried strawberries or pink sprinkles to dress up your standard treat mix. Coating a heart-shaped cookie cutter with nonstick spray makes cutting bars from the pan easy.

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Photo: Ryan Dausch
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Chocolate Mousse with Puff Pastry Hearts

Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your sweetheart this Valentine's Day. This light and fluffy chocolate mousse can be made the night before your romantic feast.

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Meringue Lollipop Hearts

Swiss meringue pipes like a dream and makes an ideal base for heart-shaped meringue pops. Valentine's Day is all about chocolate, so you'll find a few chocolate chips nestled inside each pop for a tasty surprise.

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Photo: Matt
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Valentine's Day Gooey Broken Heart Cookies

Have a broken heart this Valentine's Day and need a delicious pick-me-up treat? Invite your single friends over to help you indulge in an ooey, gooey candy-filled heart that will lift your spirits, soothe your soul and satisfy your sweet tooth.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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Cross-My-Heart Cinnamon Twists

Shape ropes of puff pastry or pizza dough into hearts; brush with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking. Go over the top with a dipping sauce of warmed chocolate syrup or lavender honey.

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Photo: Brian Kennedy ©
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Red Velvet Heart Pancakes

These pancakes are easier to make than you think—simply pour the batter into a squeeze bottle to easily create the shapes you want to make. Top with a drizzle of maple syrup and chopped nuts for texture.

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Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
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For the Love of Fruit

A strawberry with shapely "shoulders" becomes a pink and red heart when you slice it in half lengthwise (cut out a notch at the stem on less-rotund fruit). Use as a cheerful topper for cupcakes, oatmeal and waffles. 

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Heart-Shaped Biscuit Doughnuts

Deep-fried biscuit dough makes an incredibly delicious doughnut: crisp and golden outside and fluffy and soft inside. These doughnuts are extra decadent thanks to a chocolate filling and a creamy glaze.

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Conversation Heart Cake

To create the supersize sweet, we turned two cakes into a heart shape, then we covered the whole thing in a homemade marshmallow fondant. For the message, you just need food coloring...and something sweet to say!

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