Heavenly Vegan Desserts to Make for Valentine’s Day 2017

When you have a hankering for something sweet and chocolatey without any added gluten, dairy or refined sugar, these make the perfect treat. They're easy to whip up, they use everyday ingredients and the best thing is that once made they will happily store in the freezer for up to a month.

Paula Wolfert adapted this lightly spiced, unusual fruit dessert from one created by chef Fatima Mountassamin of Le Tobsil, Marrakech's most ambitious Moroccan restaurant.

These wheat-free, butterless brownies are decadent and dense. "It's really, really hard to make a good vegan brownie," says chef Erin McKenna. Her first efforts using apple sauce and vegetable oil were cakey or fluffy. It took her six months of making small adjustments to perfect them.

This pudding, known as meghli in Lebanese, is made with finely milled rice flour, seasoned with cinnamon and caraway, and garnished with walnuts, pine nuts and slivered almonds.

"I'm more addicted to chocolate than I am to sugar," says chocolatier Jacques Torres. A small piece of this super-chunky dark-chocolate bark staves off his intense cravings.

These healthy peanut butter–chocolate treats are naturally gluten-free. For a vegan version, swap in maple syrup in place of honey.

When baked, pineapple loses its aggressive acidity, becoming sweet and caramelized. Fresh lime emphasizes pineapple's tropical flavor and contrasts nicely with the mild and flaky crust in this gluten-free and vegan tart.

A vegan twist on the classic snickerdoodle, these cookies are super fun to eat, thanks to their ultra chewy texture and crinkly sugary tops.

One of Sera Pelle's tricks for making these deep-chocolate vegan cupcakes so moist and rich: She mixes avocado and coconut oil into the batter in place of butter.

The crunchy, almondy topping for these clever bars is loaded with vitamin E. The filling is chewy like caramel and is full of vitamin C from the orange.

These perfectly pink pops are on-brand for a a vegan Valentine's Day celebration. When you shop for coconut milk, make sure to choose a brand that lists only coconut and water in its ingredients. There's really no need for added preservatives, fillers and thickeners. The toasted coconut adds a lovely chew and looks pretty when sprinkled on the ends.