27 chocolate heart recipes

Chocolate lovers will adore this rich and decadent cake that has a taste that will melt your heart!

A two-layer chocolate almond torte with whipped egg whites for lightness and a glossy chocolate chip glaze. Bake it in heart-shaped pans for a Valentine's Day stunner.

Flourless-style chocolate mini-cakes baked in a heart pan with semisweet morsels, butter, walnuts, and just two tablespoons of flour. Finished with ganache.

Giant sunflower-shaped cookie with heart-shaped petals around the edge, frosted center sprinkled with chocolate chips and sunflower seeds. A showstopping party dessert you slice into wedges.

Chocolate angel food layer cake baked in heart-shape pans. Fat-free, cloud-light, cocoa-scented sponge made with egg whites and cake flour. No butter, no yolks.

Ischler hearts: Austrian sandwich cookies with almond shortbread, apricot jam filling, and a glossy chocolate-rum glaze. Named after the spa town Bad Ischl, favorite of Emperor Franz Joseph.

Tiny heart-shaped chocolate cakes for two, made without eggs or butter. Cut from a simple cocoa sheet cake using a cookie cutter, then stacked and frosted for Valentine's Day.

Easy elephant ears cookies (palmiers) bake from rolled puff pastry, sugar, and egg wash into crisp golden hearts, dipped in melted chocolate. Four-ingredient bakery-style treats ready in 40 minutes.

Rich flourless bittersweet chocolate cakes molded in heart shapes, served on a silky pistachio custard sauce. An elegant make-ahead French-inspired dessert that chills for 24 hours before its grand reveal.

Cocoa sponge cake hearts cut from a sheet pan, dusted with powdered sugar, and plated with pools of raspberry sauce and chocolate syrup. A stunning Valentine's Day or special occasion dessert for 8.

Chocolate contains compounds believed to boost serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain. Among them are theobromine and caffeine, which can increase alertness and trigger a pleasurable feeling similar to the natural high after exercise. Another group of compounds, called flavonoids, has been found to benefit heart health. Studies suggest they improve blood flow by relaxing the blood vessels.