desserts Archives - girl. Inspired.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and baking up a special treat is just my kind of love language! Chocolate, berries, hearts, and sprinkles will all do the trick, for whomever you’re baking!! I’ve rounded up some of the sweetest recipes from Girl. Inspired. and around the web – make something delicious to celebrate the season with these 14 Valentine’s dessert recipes!

Do you have a go-to dessert you typically bake for holidays? We really rotate quite regularly between cake, pie, brownies, ice cream, lemon, chocolate, crepes, cupcakes, ummmmm….. all the sweet things!

Chocolate Desserts:

This Chocolate Kahlua Cake is rich and decadent – so easy to make with just a handful of ingredients to dump and mix – this is one of our favorite boozy chocolate desserts!

If you’ve never made crepes at home, let this be the first recipe you try – Chocolate Raspberry Crepes are really not complicated, but you’ll end up with an chocolate lover’s treat that looks at fantastic as it tastes!
If you want Chocolate Cream Pie done right, this is the recipe for you. You can make this rich, chocolatey treat as a whole pie or in individual servings. This recipe from scratch is the real deal and SO GOOD!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries are the quintessential Valentine’s dessert – nothing says luxurious like these juicy chocolate drenched berries!What??! Did you know that you can make Ice Cream Cake at home and it’s about a thousand times less expensive than purchasing one PLUS you can customize it with your favorite cake and ice cream flavors – that’s a WIN-WIN-WIN!

Fruit Desserts

You can use this Berry Topped Cake as inspiration for a store bought cake if you didn’t have the time or desire to bake and frost a cake too. Pile strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries on top of a cake and add a quick glaze for a fancy patisserie-worthy cake!

More crepes for your social Valentine’s dessert? Yes please! This Lemon Crepe Cake is a blast to stack and feels like such an indulgance – I love fun sweets!

Maybe it’s not chocolate that you want, but something sweet and fruity? You MUST try this Strawberry Dream Frosting made with marshmallow cream – it’s good on cupcakes, cake, or even straight off the spoon! lol

Clever Desserts

Don’t Poptarts take you straight back to the most yummiest of unhealthiest breakfasts? These Strawberry Nutella Poptarts look amazing – my Nutella gobbling kiddos would love to find these for breakfast on Valentine’s Day!

I don’t care how labor intensive these Conversation Hearts Cheesecakes look – they are SO cute and taste delicious too!

I haven’t personally made a Kit Kat Cake yet, but it is definitely on my to-do list – it is so much fun and my kiddos would just love the clever decorations!

Valentine’s Pretzel Chips are super simple to make and so incredible addictive to eat! The perfect blend of salty and sweet!

Banana Caramel Cream Pie Mini Desserts? Don’t mind if I do. Caramel and bananas are a combo I just can’t resist!

Now – talk about clever! Have you ever seen such a fun drink for Valentine’s Day? Impress someone with these Fizzy Jello Drinks!

Happy Baking!!

Most people have a nostalgic reaction to this recipe – whether you call it Watergate salad, Pistachio Fluff, or “that green Cool Whip pistachio pudding thing that granny makes for every potluck”…lol…personally, it’s one of my FAVORITES.

There are some flavors that will take you straight back to your childhood with sweet nostalgia upon the first bite. This Pistachio Pineapple Watergate Salad does that for me. In an instant, I’m at my grandpa’s ranch, with a paper plate, eating Grandma Clara’s go-to favorites. I’m certain that this fluffy green potluck favorite will take you back as well. It is so very simple to make – just 5 ingredients and a quick stir – and this delicious side dish is ready to go! (Ha! I say side dish like I don’t just sit down with a fork and eat this as my main meal!)

My mom has this recipe written out with either Pistachio pudding mix or Lime Jell-o, but the pistachio is what’s familiar to me. Once you’ve mixed all the ingredients together, transfer the salad immediately to a serving dish and refrain from further stirring – this will keep it looking fluffy and smooth. Refrigerate it until you’re ready to head to your family picnic!

Pistachio Pineapple Watergate Salad Recipe Print this Recipe!

Watergate Salad Ingredients:

8 oz. tub Cool Whip (Lite or regular)
8 oz. (small can) crushed or chopped pineapple, undrained
16 oz. container cottage cheese (small curd preferred)
2 cups mini marshmallows
4 oz. pkg. Pistachio flavored pudding mix (can substitute lime gelatin), unprepared
chopped pecans and maraschino cherries for garnish

How to Make Pistachio Fluff Salad:

Sift pistachios from pudding mix (optional).
Place cottage cheese and crushed pineapple (undrained) in a large mixing bowl.
Sprinkle pudding/jello mix over cottage cheese and pineapple and stir together.
Stir in marshmallows.
Fold in Cool Whip.
Transfer immediately to serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate 1 hour and serve. Garnish with chopped nuts (I like pecans) and maraschino cherries if you wish.

This fluffy pistachio salad will keep in the refrigerator for several days. Most recipes omit the cottage cheese, so if you do not like the texture of the added cottage cheese, simply leave it out and follow the instructions without it. I suspect some granny along the way decided to pack a little protein punch into this otherwise pure candy delicious salad. You know – kinda like when we hide chopped spinach in the spaghetti sauce. LOL. Anyway, I grew up eating this treat with the cottage cheese and I enjoy the depth and added protein that it provides.

More Perfect Potluck Food

Broccoli Grape Salad

The Best Creamy Dill Dip Recipe

Mini Chocolate Cream Pie in Mason Jars

Bruschetta

Watergate Salad

This Pistachio Fluff Watergate Salad will take you straight back to childhood potlucks and holidays with grandma! Fluffy Cool Whip and pistachio pudding mix come together with just a few other ingredients for a light, delicious treat.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Keyword: jello pudding salad, pistachio fluff, watergate salad

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 58kcal

Ingredients

1 16 oz. tub cottage cheese
1 8 oz. tub Cool Whip
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 3.4 oz. package Pistachio pudding mix (or lime jello)
1 cup crushed pineapple
maraschino cherries for garnish
chopped pecans or nuts for garnish

Instructions

Mix together cottage cheese and undrained pineapple.
Sprinkle pudding mix over the cottage cheese/pineapple mixture and stir together.
Stir in marshmallows.
Fold in Cool Whip.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with maraschino cherries and chopped nuts if you wish.

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Nutrition

This recipe can be served in a number of serving dishes. You can take the classic Tupperware bowl to your outdoor picnic. You can serve it on the dining room table in a pretty glass or ceramic serving bowl. It is especially fun and pretty to serve in cute little ice cream or single serve dishes. Aren’t they so cute?

ENJOY!!

14 Perfectly Sweet Valentine’s Dessert Recipes