40 Valentine's Day Cookies to Share With Loved Ones

Headed to a party? Set up a pile of Linzer cookies (cut into hearts, of course), bursting with raspberry jam. A batch or two of millennial pink strawberry shortbread are also sure to please a crowd.

But maybe you’re spending the night in with a face mask and a good bowl of pasta. You definitely need this single-serving chocolate and peanut butter number to finish off the evening. If you do have a date, bring out one big cookie after dinner—you can dive right into it with your hands. Who knows where the night will go from there?

We do, however, know that any of these cookies will make your Valentine’s Day extra sweet.

1. Linzer Cookies

A classic Linzer needs little introduction—cut them heart-shaped and fill with raspberry jam for extreme Valentine’s Day vibes, but apricot, peach, or plum jam would be equally tasty.

2. Homemade Milano Cookies

Homemade. Milanos. Need we say more? You’ll never look at the packaged cookies the same way.

3. Mint Chocolate Harbor Bars

Fill your favorite homemade (or store-bought) chocolate chip cookies with mint chip ice cream, then coat each sandwich in dark melted chocolate.

4. Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Essentially a fancy Oreo, this cookie's buttercream filling can be flavored with tahini, peppermint, matcha, and more.

5. Coconut PB&J Sandwich Cookies

The only way a PB&J could get any better is if it were a cookie—in this case, a crumbly coconut flour cookie, just waiting to be filled with peanut butter and jam (extra points if you DIY).

6. Espresso Pecan Shortbread Ice Cream Sandwich

Who could resist homemade coffee ice cream? Pair that with nutty shortbread and there’s nothing stopping you from falling head over heels for this cookie.

7. Vanilice Cookies

These bite-sized walnut cookie sandwiches are filled with jam and rolled in vanilla-scented powdered sugar. It will be challenging to eat fewer than five.

8. Chocolate Alfajores With Dulce de Leche

Squish dulce de leche between two crispy butter cookies, then dunk the whole dang thing in chocolate.

9. Chocolate Meringue Cookies

Shatteringly crispy chocolate meringues can be dipped in melted chocolate for true chocoholics. And just five ingredients? You’re welcome.

10. Single-Serving Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cookie

Whether you’re cooking for one or your partner just isn’t that into sweets, this single-serving cookie scratches dessert itches without the excess batter.

11. Vegan Dark Chocolate-Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies

Date with a vegan-induced panic? Look no further than these chewy ginger and chocolate cookies, which are sweet and spicy, just like you.

12. Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are only improved with the addition of nutty tahini and a big pinch of flaky salt.

13. Wrinkly Chocolate Chip Cookies

If it’s a cartoonishly large chocolate chip cookie your heart desires, look no further than this “pan-banging” cookie, which features both chunks and shards of chocolate.

14. Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries

Contrary to popular belief, oatmeal cookies are in fact very sexy—once you swap out the raisins for dried cranberries, that is.

15. Divine Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies

Fun fact: You don’t need flour to make a decent cookie. Just add a LOT of chocolate (and egg whites).

16. “Sourdough” Chocolate Chip Cookies

Make these cookies, which have a fermented faux-sourdough starter base, for the bread lover in your life.

17. Chocolate-Dipped Seed Cookies

Birds and humans alike will flock to these cookies, which are packed with sesame seeds, flaxseeds, pepitas, and almonds.

18. Vanilla Bean & Pink Peppercorn Icebox Cookies

These cookies are mostly sweet, but that little bit of floral pepper will keep you coming back for more. PSA: Don’t skip rolling the log of cookie dough in turbinado sugar; that crunch is everything.

19. Dark Chocolate Ginger Shortbread

Make these salty-sweet cookies with Dutch-process cocoa powder for an intensely chocolatey bite.

20. Strawberry Shortbread

The freeze-dried strawberries in both the glaze and dough are the real stars of this tender shortbread, dying the whole cookie a perfect shade of pink. (P.S. If you’re willing to change the color, any freeze-dried fruit will do.)

21. White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread

With a blend of rice flour and all-purpose, these cookies are delicate and buttery, with crunchy pistachios and chewy dried cranberries.

22. Strawberry-Kissed Walnut Sables

Though they look quite simple, these cookies have crushed walnuts in the batter, adding a satisfying crunch to accompany a sweet blip of strawberry jam.

23. Snickerdoodle Shortbread

Snickerdoodle-y in flavor and shortbread-y in texture, these cookies are all you need. Extra special tidbit: The pan is coated in cinnamon-sugar before the batter goes in.

24. Tahini Shortbread with Halvah

Words don’t describe how tasty these shortbread are—you simply must make a batch. Try them with flavored halvah (like rose or pistachio) for an even more delightful experience.

25. One Big Cookie

What could be cuter than sharing one big ol’ cookie with your date (broken up with your hands, duh!) on Valentine’s Day?

26. Red Velvet Cookies

Maybe you’re more used to red velvet cupcakes, but these ruby cookies are way more modern.

27. Raspberry & Almond Skillet Cookie

This giant cookie is made on the stove, which is perfect if your oven is already filled with dinner.

28. Soft Yogurt Cookies with Raspberry Glaze

Yogurt? In cookie dough? You bet. Similar to a classic black-and-white cookie in texture, these pillowy treats are also topped with a raspberry-yogurt glaze.

29. Slow-Cooker Chocolate Chip Cookie

No oven required: “Bake” this cookie in your slow cooker, then serve it warm and slightly gooey.

30. Black Garlic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Before you freak out, black garlic is totally different than the raw cloves you put in tomato sauce (it’s more like a raisin or date in flavor). Talk about a unique cookie.

31. Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies x banana bread: the ultimate comfort-food mashup.

32. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies With Maple & Olive Oil

Packed with olive oil and maple syrup, these cookies are just as satisfying for dessert as they will be for breakfast tomorrow morning.

33. Secret Cookies

Bake a batch or two of these sly cookies for your secret valentine. They’re a classic butter cookie decorated with red sanding sugar for a festive February 14th treat.

34. Strawberry & Pistachio Knafeh Cookies

We love the combination of sweet strawberries and crunchy, nutty pistachios in these white chocolate cookies. An infusion of rose water and an additional garnish of dried rose petals on top makes them about the most romantic cookie you can snack on.

35. The Sampler Cookie

Hosting a Galentine’s Day soirée means an added challenge of trying to please everyone. As long as there is plenty of bubbly to go around, these cookies will get you to the finish line. They’re a hybrid of ​​Milk and Cookies Chocolate Cookies and Strawberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, so there truly is something for all of the sweet friends in your life.

36. Sufganiyot Cookies

Inspired by Sufganiyot (the jelly-filled doughnuts traditionally consumed during Hanukkah), these soft and pillowy sugar cookies are filled with a dollop of strawberry or raspberry jam (the bright red color is essential for this Valentine's Day special).

37. Roll-Out Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are a must-have dessert for Valentine’s Day, particularly when they’re cut out into the shape of a heart, glazed with pink royal icing or dark chocolate, and decorated with rose petals or pearls. Our go-to sugar cookie recipe will walk you through all the steps so that you can master this sweet.

38. Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies From François Payard

Sometimes, simpler is better and that’s definitely the case with these five-ingredient chocolate cookies that are gluten-free to boot.

39. Salted Double-Chocolate Cookies

You will fall head over heels for these rich chocolate cookies. “The cookies are deeply chocolatey, of course, but also satisfy sweet-salty cravings, and are so wonderfully simple to make, with just enough flair to take them to a holiday level, too. The dough comes together simply—just whisk together the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine into a dough and roll into balls. There’s no dough-chilling, no forming into logs and cutting into slices,” writes recipe developer Shauna Sever.

40. Alice Medrich's New Classic Coconut Macaroons

You can never go wrong with baking a batch of coconut macaroons, especially if they’re dipped in chocolate (the sweetest touch for Valentine’s Day).

How are you spending Valentine's Day this year? Perhaps with cookies? Let us know in the comments below.

This post was updated in January 2022 to include additional recipes from our editors.