Photo Courtesy of Nature Zen on Unsplash

Don’t worry, there are no figs or oysters on this list of Valentine’s Day foods, just three old-fashioned sweet treats you can make with your kiddos to help spread the love.

(Hint hint) They can also be a wonderful gift for your significant other to make their Valentine’s Day that much sweeter.

1- Lady Bug Oreos (25 minutes total)

We’ll start off with the easiest recipe on the list. What makes it so easy? Well, your cookies are already made – Oreos!

There are only 4 ingredients you will need:

• Oreo Cookies

• 1 ½ cups red candy melts

• Royal icing eyes

• Mini sprinkle heart

And there are only 3 directions to follow:

1. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and set it to the side.

2. Microwave your red candy melts on medium for 30 seconds in a microwave-safe bowl. Remove and stir slowly to smooth out the unmelted clumps. Return it to the microwave in 15-second intervals until your chocolate is thoroughly gooey.

3. Dip Oreos ¾ of the way into the bowl of melted red chocolate, lightly tapping it on the bowl’s edge to remove excess. Place on parchment paper and add your sprinkle hearts before it hardens.

4. Add a little drop of melted chocolate on the back of the royal icing eyes (I recommend using a toothpick) and stick it onto the non-dipped part of the Oreo.

Let the chocolate completely harden, and that’s it! You have adorable little lovebugs ready for your child’s class Valentine’s Day party or just a treat for the family to share.

2- Pink Sugar Cookies (20 minutes total)

Sugar cookies are one of the simplest cookies to make, but that just leaves more room for fun customizations! Take into account these cookies only require one bowl (talk about an easy clean-up) and you have a simple and sweet treat. So, enjoy this colorful twist on a baking staple.

This recipe also requires only 4 ingredients:

• Strawberry Cake Box Mix (If you don’t want to use strawberry, you can use classic vanilla and dye the batter pink with a few drops of red food coloring)

• 2 Eggs

• ½ Cup Vegetable/canola oil

• Sprinkles (Not a requirement but they do add a nice touch! Especially cute little hearts ( you should have plenty leftover from the ladybug Oreos)

The instructions are rather simple, too. All you need to do is:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. While waiting for it to heat up, combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Feel free to add sprinkles directly into the batter on top – I personally did both!

2. Roll cookies into small balls and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet. They should sit about 2 inches apart so they don’t touch. Add more sprinkles on top before popping them into the oven for 9-12 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown. Let cool and then enjoy!

3- Valentine's Tic Tac Toe Graham Crackers (15 minutes total)

Does this one count more as Valentine’s Day treat or craft? Trick question – it’s both! Play a game of tic tac toe and the winner gets to eat their victory (or the loser does, depending on if you like the taste of candy conversation hearts).

The Ingredients You Will Need Are:

• Graham Crackers

• ½ Cup Pink Candy Melts OR ½ Cup White Chocolate Melts

• Candy Conversation Hearts

What You Need To Do:

• Microwave pink/white candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Remove them and stir, continuing to microwave them in 15-second intervals until all the chocolate is melted.

• Place pink/white candy melts into a sandwich bag. Cut off one corner of the bag and voila! You have your very own DIY piping bag.

• Draw two vertical lines and two horizontal lines (aka a standard tic tac toe board) on each graham cracker. Let it dry for 5-10 minutes.

• Find two different colors of candy conversation hearts and begin to play!

Our own Jill Devine tried two out of three of my Valentine’s Day Delectables with her own family. You can check how they turned out on Instagram (@jilldevine)!

Morgan Galvez is a freelance writer and editor with a BA in English (with a concentration in writing, rhetoric, and publication) from the College of Charleston. She is currently building her freelancing career through positions at Brainfuse and Fiverr.