It’s Friday night and you’ve invited one of your coworkers over for a date night. You’re still processing that they actually said yes, so much so that you’ve forgotten to figure out what you’re going to make for dinner. While you can go the Chinese takeout route you really want to impress them.
The road to anyone’s heart lies in their stomach and you know this so you start scrambling around your kitchen looking for something that you can feed them. It doesn’t take you long to figure dinner out, but what about the most important part of the meal? We’re talking about the dessert.
To help you decide, here are a few great romantic desserts that you can make for your date night. The best part? Most of these don’t take long to prepare.
1. Chocolate Fondue for Two
The amazing thing about fondue is that just about anything in your pantry or fridge is a potential side for dipping. So if you have a bag of cookies you randomly picked up at the grocery store last week, a carton of strawberries, marshmallows, or even potato chips for that salty-sweet mix, fondue will be your friend. The best part, you can make it the night before your date and just heat it up real quick after you finish dinner.
All you need to do is pick up chocolate chips of your choice. Measure out 1/3 a cup of chips and put them in a microwave-safe container.
Heat the chips until they boil (without boiling over) and then let them sit for about one minute. After the minute is up, stir the mixture until it looks like well, fondue.
2. Chocolate Melting Cakes
Everyone loves cake so you can’t go wrong with making a bunch of mini ones so you can each have a few.
Set your oven preheating to 350 degrees while you prepare the cake. Take out a bowl and place it on top of a saucepan filled with boiling water on the stove to heat up ten ounces of chopped chocolate and four tablespoons of butter.
In a second bowl, you’ll beat five eggs and a half of cup of sugar with your hand mixer until it looks like a fluffy cloud. Add 3/4 cup of flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and the chocolate mixture into the mix and stir it till it’s smooth.
Divide the batter into muffin tins that have been coated with butter or non-stick spray and let it bake for about 15 minutes so it’s done but the tops are still moist. Top it with coffee ice cream and caramel sauce.
3. Strawberry-Chocolate Meringue Torte
Nothing says romance like chocolate and strawberries. There is a reason why it’s one of the most popular Valentine’s Day combinations. This one takes a little bit longer to make than the two above, but it’s completely worth it.
Get out a large mixing bowl and add four egg whites to it. Let it sit for about thirty minutes until it’s room temperature. While you wait for this to happen, take out a second bowl and use it to mix three cups of sliced strawberries and one teaspoon of sugar until it’s thick.
Toss in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla into the mix and beat it until peaks start to form. Put this mixture in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the dessert. At this point, you can preheat your oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Draw 2 8-inch circles on the paper and set the pan to the side. Grab your bowl of egg whites and add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to it and beat it until it’s a foamy meringue. As you beat the mixture, add tablespoons of sugar and mix it until it’s dissolved and then spread it on the circles you made on the parchment paper.
Bake the meringue until it’s stiff and then take it out and let it cool. Melt chocolate and drizzle it on the meringue. Take the strawberry mixture out of the fridge and then it’s all about layering it all together.
4. Chocolate Mousse
If you don’t have enough time to prepare something as intensive as the strawberry-chocolate meringue torte, you can make this chocolate mousse in about five minutes.
All you need to do is melt 3/4 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave. Crack open an egg and dump the yolk in a bowl. You won’t need the egg whites.
Whip up 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream and your tablespoon of powdered sugar in a bowl and mix it with a hand mixer until it’s fluffy. Stir an egg in with the chocolate mixture and then combine everything.
Pour it into a container of your choice and serve it. If it’s going to be a bit before your guest of honor arrives you can put it in the fridge but you will have to take it out and let it sit for 45 minutes if you do. It will harden in the fridge.
5. Raspberry Fool
Raspberry fool is just as easy as the chocolate mousse. You can do it in ten minutes and in only a few steps. The end result will look like raspberry ice cream but have the consistency of whipped cream.
Grab a bowl and combine 1 1/4 cups of heavy whipping cream with a tablespoon of regular sugar. Beat the mixture until peaks begin to form. In a second bowl whisk a half a cup of raspberry jam until it’s nice and smooth.
Once it’s smooth, add it to the whipped cream mixture and pour the finished product into bowls. You can top it with fresh raspberries and cookies of your choice.
6. Nutella-Stuffed Strawberries
Sure, chocolate covered strawberries make for a delightful end to any romantic dinner, but why not add an extra spin to them. In this case, stuff them with Nutella. Very little preparation is involved and it only takes about 15 minutes.
Grab as many strawberries as you want and cut off the tops. Grab a knife to hollow them out and fill them to the brim with Nutella. Stab each strawberry with a toothpick so you can lower them into melted chocolate to sort of seal the Nutella in.
Sprinkle them with crushed hazelnuts and place them in the fridge to set. Make sure that whatever you place them on is covered with wax paper so they won’t stick. Pull them out of the fridge after they’ve set and dust them with a light coating of confectioner’s sugar before you present them to your date.
7. S’mores Dip
Bring the campfire feel to your date with this easy s’mores dip. Traditional to actual smores, you just need marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers, and a roaring fire (optional). Grab a skillet and set your oven to 450 degrees.
Pour chocolate chips into the skillet and top them with marshmallows. You can cut large ones in half or just scoop a bunch of the mini mellows on top. Both options will give you pretty much the same result.
Once your oven is preheated place the skillet in and let it bake until the tops of the marshmallows are golden brown. Serve with the graham crackers for dipping. Very simple, and super delicious.
8. Orange Soufflé
Soufflé spells romance or at least screams fancy restaurant. You can bring this luxury to your date with a citrusy twist. Grab your apron and set your oven to 375 degrees.
Grab two 8 ounce ramekins and grease them with butter so the final product won’t stick. Coat the insides with 1 tablespoon of sugar and set them off to the side until you need them again. Grab a large saucepan and melt 2 tablespoons of butter in it.
Without taking the saucepan off the heat, whisk in 2 teaspoons of flour. Once it’s mixed well, pour in 1/4 cup of milk. After a minute or so the mixture should boil which will be your cue to take it off the stove.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of orange liqueur and one tablespoon of orange zest. Whisk the yolks in one at a time and then set it to the side with your ramekins.
In a separate bowl, beat your egg whites with a little bit of salt and cream of tartar and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Once the peaks start to form pour the sauce you made earlier into it and then spoon it into your ramekins. Bake it for around 40 minutes and serve.
9. Burnt Custard
This sounds nasty in theory because nobody likes the idea of burnt anything however in practice it makes quite a tasty dessert. You’re going to need four egg yolks which you’ll whisk in a small bowl alongside a half a cup of sugar. Meanwhile, pour two cups of heavy whipping cream into a saucepan and place it on the stove.
Keep it on the stove until bubbles begin to form around the edges. This means it’s time to take it off the stove and stir it in with the egg yolks.
Then put it back in the saucepan and return it to the heat while stirring every second. Be careful with this part because you can accidentally curdle it.
Now stir in the vanilla. Once it’s mixed, pour the mixture into custard cups or ramekins that are broiler safe. Place the cups in a pan that contains 1 inch of boiling water.
Bake the cups at 300 degrees for about a half hour. The mixture will jiggle when it’s done. Remove the cups from the water and set them aside to cool for ten minutes.
Cover them and put them in the fridge for an additional four hours before you top them with raspberries and sugar and serve.
10. Sugar Cookie Bars Ft. Cream Cheese Frosting
These sort of look like something a child would make for their class for Valentine’s Day but that just means that it’s as adorable as it is sweet. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and then line a pan with parchment paper.
Get out your trusty stand mixer with a paddle attachment so you can begin the cookie part. To do this you’ll put 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter into the mixer bowl and beat it until it’s fluffy while adding in 3/4 cup of sugar gradually.
Next, add in a large egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract while continuing to beat. Once it’s mixed well stop the mixer and put in 1 3/4 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and turn the mixer back on low.
Pour the mixture in your pan and flatten it with your fingers before you bake it for 20 minutes. You can make your own cream cheese frosting or you can buy some from the store to top cookie bars once they cool. Add candy hearts after you have it frosted.
11. No-Bake Cheesecake
Everyone loves a great cheesecake and this one is super simple and only takes about five minutes worth of prep time.
Put 4 ounces of cream cheese in a bowl and beat it until it’s nice and creamy. Grab a second bowl and beat 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream until you see peaks. Once these form, you’ll mix in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Pour half of the whipping cream mixture into the cream cheese and beat it until it’s well combined, then add the second half and do the same. Get two ramekins and pour the mixture inside.
Cover the two cakes and set them in your refrigerator for four hours. You can top this recipe with any fresh fruit or berries that you like for an added touch.
Romantic Desserts that your Date Won’t Forget
No dinner date is complete without desserts. While dinner is pretty easy to decide on depending on what ingredients you have laying around the house, baking is on a different level. Use these recipes for romantic desserts to impress your date.
Is your date on a health kick? Believe it or not, there are plenty of healthy desserts that you can make for them. Here are a few great recipes to get you started.