Valerie Bertinelli's Favorite Sweet Treats

Satisfy your sweet-tooth cravings with decadent desserts from Valerie's Home Cooking.

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Photo By: yia thao

Photo By: Rob Pryce

Photo By: yia thao

Photo By: Rob Pryce

Photo By: yia thao

Photo By: Rob Pryce

Photo By: Brandon Dickson

Photo By: yia thao

Photo By: Rob Pryce

Pumpkin Love Cake

Valerie’s tops creamy mascarpone-ricotta filling with spice cake and a pumpkin-mascarpone frosting to create a layered masterpiece.

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Love Cake

Chewy Schmaltz Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Valerie replaces some of the fat in this recipe with rendered chicken fat for a unique cookie that will get everyone talking.

Get the Recipe: Chewy Schmaltz Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

The flavors of strawberry shortcake and trifle marry in this simple dessert, which features pound cake, strawberry preserves, fresh strawberries and a cream cheese filling.

Get the Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Chocolate-Mint Love Cake with Mint Ganache

Valerie uses her magic technique to layer the classic flavors of mint and chocolate together in this showstopping cake.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate-Mint Love Cake with Mint Ganache

Peanut Butter S'mores Ice Cream Pie

Valerie combines the nostaligic s'mores components -- graham cracker and toasted marshmallows -- with peanut butter and chocolate ice cream and turns them into a pie.

Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter S'mores Ice Cream Pie

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Jars

Valerie makes this perennial favorite portable and perfect for an outdoor concert or picnic.

Get the Recipe: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Jars

Valerie's Spumoni

Make the classic Neapolitan tricolor dessert of spumoni with store-bought ice creams and a few mix-ins.

Get the Recipe: Valerie's Spumoni

Mexican Hot Chocolate Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Infuse the taste of Mexican hot chocolate with its spicy chipotle and cinnamon into cake form with this recipe. A cream cheese frosting adds a decadent finishing touch.

Get the Recipe: Mexican Hot Chocolate Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Strawberry Lemon Love Cake

The colorful layers of this fruity cake magically switch in the oven.

Get the Recipe: Strawberry Lemon Love Cake

Challah Bread Pudding with Limoncello

The light, eggy quality of challah bread pairs perfectly with the lemony custard in this indulgent bread pudding.

Get the Recipe: Challah Bread Pudding with Limoncello

Neapolitan Holiday Cookies

These layered almond cookies topped with chocolate make a beautiful dessert that will impress any guest.

Get the Recipe: Neapolitan Holiday Cookies

Tropical Sundae with Guava Coulis and Banana Chips

Even if you’re trapped in your normal day-to-day grind, this fruity sundae will take you on a tropical vacation, if only for a moment.

Get the Recipe: Tropical Sundae with Guava Coulis and Banana Chips

Butterscotch Love Cake

Part butterscotch yellow cake, part mascarpone-ricotta filling and part creamy butterscotch-mascarpone frosting, it’s no wonder this rich layered dessert is called a “love” cake.

Get the Recipe: Butterscotch Love Cake

Mixed Fruit Tart

Celebrate summer with this mixed fruit tart made with a delicate pastry crust, a cream cheese filling and your choice of berries.

Get the Recipe: Mixed Fruit Tart

Chocolate Scuffins

These breakfast-worthy chocolatey bites are what Valerie calls her "love child between a muffin and a scone."

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Scuffins

Lemon Love Cake

Valerie doctors up boxed lemon cake mix and instant lemon pudding to create her famous Lemon Love Cake.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Love Cake

Helen's Black Pepper Walnut Biscotti

A flavorful twist on a classic Italian treat, Valerie’s recipe combines chopped walnuts and orange zest with fresh black pepper for a savory kick.

Get the Recipe: Helen's Black Pepper Walnut Biscotti

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Layer lemon-cheesecake filling with blueberry mash, crushed amaretti cookies and lemon curd in a clear martini glass for a visually stunning dessert.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Lynn’s “Sick” Brownies Bites

Valerie mixes graham cracker crumbs, coconut, walnuts and melted chocolate for a bite-sized treat that’s easy to make and is the perfect solution to any chocolate craving.

Get the Recipe: Lynn's "Sick" Brownies Bites

Lemon-Basil Granita

These super-elegant desserts are inexpensive and incredibly easy to make. Valerie makes hers with the fresh flavors of lemon and basil, and she adds a splash of vodka for kick.

Get the Recipe: Lemon-Basil Granita

Cherry Coconut Scuffins

Scones and muffins come together with coconut and dried cherries for a semisweet treat that's great for lunchboxes or breakfast on the go.

Get the Recipe: Cherry Coconut Scuffins

Valerie's Pumpkin Pie

Valerie’s recipe for this classic American dessert combines fresh flaky pie dough, pumpkin-bourbon filling and cinnamon-buttermilk whipped cream for a tasty fall treat with plenty of spice.

Get the Recipe: Valerie's Pumpkin Pie

Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon-Rosemary Shortbread Crust

Valerie uses her lemon-rosemary shortbread cookies as the crust in this cheesecake recipe, which includes cream cheese, sour cream, lemon curd and fresh lemon for extra tang.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon-Rosemary Shortbread Crust

Zucchini and Ginger Naked Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

Use up your stash of summer zucchini in this fragrant layer cake. The cream cheese frosting studded with crystallized ginger will be your new favorite.

Get the Recipe: Zucchini and Ginger Naked Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce

This creamy vanilla panna cotta topped with fresh berry sauce makes for a delicate yet decadent dessert for any occasion.

Get the Recipe: Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce

Sicilian Love Cake

Using the same technique as her Butterscotch Love Cake, Valerie’s Sicilian Love Cake tops creamy mascarpone-ricotta filling with chocolate cake and a cocoa-mascarpone frosting to create a layered masterpiece.

Get the Recipe: Sicilian Love Cake

Blueberry Tart

This easy-to-make tart made from fresh blueberries and spices is a simple yet tempting treat.

Get the Recipe: Blueberry Tart

Creme de Menthe Sundae with Homemade Chocolate Sauce

Instantly dress up store-bought vanilla ice cream with homemade chocolate sauce, a drizzle of creme de menthe syrup and fresh raspberries.

Get the Recipe: Creme de Menthe Sundae with Homemade Chocolate Sauce

Grape and Ricotta Galette with Fennel Crust and Red Wine Syrup

This rustic tart starts with a fennel seed crust that's then filled with an almond paste and ricotta mixture studded with red and green grapes. Serve drizzled with a red wine syrup.

Get the Recipe: Grape and Ricotta Galette with Fennel Crust and Red Wine Syrup

Bacon Caramel Scuffins with Caramel Clotted Cream

Make these salty-sweet delights as a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for dessert tonight, and enjoy the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow.

Get the Recipe: Bacon Caramel Scuffins with Caramel Clotted Cream

Berries with Limoncello and Basil

Try this creative take on fruit salad by combining berries with sweet and sour limoncello and a bit of basil.

Get the Recipe: Berries with Limoncello and Basil

Affogato

Made from just three ingredients — freshly brewed espresso, vanilla ice cream and chocolate-covered almonds — this simple Italian dessert takes 5 minutes to make and is a must-know for all coffee lovers.

Get the Recipe: Affogato

Cherry Cheesecake Pie

Valerie uses almond flour in her pie crust, making it a perfectly nutty base for her creamy cheesecake and cherry filling.

Get the Recipe: Cherry Cheesecake Pizza Pie

Apricot Clafouti

Valerie’s take on this elegant French dessert calls for apricots and lemon zest, topped with a lemon-vanilla whipped cream.

Get the Recipe: Apricot Clafouti

Chocolate Hazelnut Pull-Apart Bread

Laced with hazelnuts and chocolate stripes, this dish is made even more decadent with the addition of a rich whipped cream with hazelnut liqueur.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Pull-Apart Bread

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Upgrade your next batch of cookies with sweet caramel bits and a touch of sea salt.

Get the Recipe: Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Classic Gooey Brownies

These decadent brownies have a surprise ingredient: Espresso powder makes this dessert even richer.

Get the Recipe: Classic Gooey Brownies

Cinnamon-Buttermilk Whipped Cream

This whipped cream made from fresh buttermilk and cinnamon takes 5 minutes to make and is the perfect topping for any fall dessert.

Get the Recipe: Cinnamon-Buttermilk Whipped Cream

White Pepper Cherry Cookies

Offering a less complex bite than black pepper, white pepper pairs nicely with dried cherries in these shortbread-type cookies.

Get the Recipe: White Pepper Cherry Cookies

Blueberry Cake with Lemon-Mascarpone Cream

Lemon juice and zest add zing to this simple blueberry cake in the batter and the cream.

Get the Recipe: Blueberry Cake with Lemon-Mascarpone Cream

Salted Hazelnut Toffee

If you’re head over heels for salted caramel, give this homemade toffee a try. The sweet chocolate and toffee is an ideal base for toasted hazelnuts and a touch of salt.

Get the Recipe: Salted Hazelnut Toffee

Strawberry Love Cake

Ricotta cheese adds a silky texture to store-bought strawberry cake mix. Strawberry pudding and mascarpone combine to create the luscious frosting.

Get the Recipe: Strawberry Love Cake

Mini Caramel Apples

Using small apples (Valerie suggests about 2 1/2 inches in diameter) allows your Halloween treats to have an ideal caramel-to-apple ratio.

Get the Recipe: Mini Caramel Apples

Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls are the best thing to wake up to on Christmas morning, or any morning for that matter.

Get the Recipe: Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

Chewy Schmaltz Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Create a unique, yet super delicious, oatmeal-raisin cookie with the addition of schmaltz (rendered chicken fat). Sounds a little crazy, but trust us on this one.

Get the Recipe: Chewy Schmaltz Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Chocolate-Mint Love Cake with Mint Ganache

This one is for all the chocolate lovers. You’ll get a little help from the grocery store with a box of chocolate cake mix and amp it up with the flavor of peppermint.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate-Mint Love Cake with Mint Ganache

Carrot-Coconut Birthday Cake

Celebrate birthdays (and just about any occasion) with this three-layer, carrot-coconut cake that is so moist and oh so good.

Get the Recipe: Carrot-Coconut Birthday Cake

Ombré Petits Fours

Boxed vanilla cake mix makes for an easy preparation of this bite-size dessert. Strawberry jam gets layered into the cake and a whipped white chocolate frosting is swirled on top. Pretty and petite.

Get the Recipe: Ombré Petits Fours