Skip the hype: Whip up a D.I.Y. Valentine’s Day

This billowy coconut cupcake -- from Auntie Em’s Kitchen in Eagle Rock -- is pretty irresistible. Tender, shredded coconut is baked into the cupcake, as well as sprinkled on top. Recipe: coconut cupcakes.

Chef Gordon Ramsay serves this pineapple souffle with Thai curry ice cream at his West Hollywood restaurant. Recipe: pineappe souffle with Thai curry ice cream.

How to improve upon hazelnut chocolate spread? Go to Recipe: hazelnut-chocolate linzer cookies.

Homemade brown sugar shortbread has caramel and molasses notes -- and is absolutely irresistible. Wrap it up with a pretty bow, and you’re good to go. Recipe: Brown sugar shortbread.

Recipe: hazelnut-chocolate swirl ice cream.

Warmed, stuffed crepes are served with caramelized bananas, vanilla ice cream and a bananas Foster-type sauce for a rich, amazing dessert. Recipe: Crepes with Nutella in warm banana-cognac sauce.

These ooey-gooey double-chocolate cookies from Milk continue to be a favorite with our readers. Recipe: double-chocolate chip cookies.

The flan served at La Golondrina Cafe has a silky, rich custard base sweetened with condensed and evaporated milks. The subtle hints of vanilla and amaretto pair perfectly with the orange-infused caramel topping. Recipe: flan.

Not enough cash to grab your honey and jet north for a dinner at French Laundry? Make French Laundry come to you: Chef Thomas Keller’s chocolate bouchons have a texture somewhere between dense cake and denser brownies. Recipe: chocolate bouchons.