Whether you like to wait until the last minute to buy gifts or just want to add another special touch to your gift giving, this guide will help you in your hunt to find last minute Valentine’s Day treats. Waiting until the day of is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you are going for freshly made edible treats for your special someone. Even if you already have gotten them a nice gift, give that extra little something to top things off.
Note to fellow guys out there – the way to a lady’s heart is really through her stomach, giving her thoughtfully selected sweets on Valentines Day will get you bonus points!
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Instead of buying chocolates at the normal chain market or grocery store, think about buying local and supporting businesses in your area. Here are some favorite places of mine to buy desserts and sweet treats in Central Florida and around the U.S. Don’t know what’s in your area? Try using a smart phone app like Foodspotting to do a search to see what desserts and treats are in your area, or you can always do a Google search…
Droolius’ Guide to Last Minute Valentine’s Day Treats:
French Macarons
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Heart Shape Macarons – Le Macaron in Sarasota, FL & Winter Park, FL
French Macarons are popping up every where around the U.S. and some Macaron shops have even shaped them into hearts.
Le Macaron
382 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota, FL 34236 www.lemacaron-us.com
216 Park Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789 www.lemacaron-us.com
Spot Dessert Bar 13 St. Marks Pl New York, NY 10003 www.spotdessertbar.com
The Sweet Lobby 404 8th Street SE Washington, DC 20003 202-544-2404 www.thesweetlobby.com
Donuts
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Red Velvet Donut and Strawberry Donut – Donut King (near Clermont, FL)
Yes donuts can be a great Valentine’s Day gift, especially if they are red velvet donuts. Last year I featured red velvet donuts from Donut King and the photos were a big hit. See the feature [HERE]
Donut King 208 S. Hwy 27 Minneola, FL 34715 352-243-4040
Cookies
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Assorted Italian cookies – Delish NY Bakery
Cookies can be very nostalgic and give feelings of childhood happiness. Find out what special cookies they like and this could be the best gift yet. If you are buying for someone who grew up in New York City and loves Italian cookies, then try Delish NY Bakery in Orlando, FL who gets these shipped straight from NYC.
Delish NY Bakery
8015 Turkey Lake Road, Suite # 200 Orlando, FL 32819 www.delishnybakery.com
Cream Puffs
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Assorted Cream Puffs – Beard Papas in Sanford. FL
Cream Puffs, Eclairs, and similar treats are available in various pastry shops around the country. Delicate pastries filled with sweet cream and various flavors. Beard Papa’s is a chain from Japan and has locations around the U.S.
Beard Papa’s of Central Florida 4922 W. State Road 46, Sanford, FL 32771 407-322-3456
Various Beard Papa’s locations around the U.S. can be found at www.beardpapas.com
Cupcakes
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Auntie Em’s red velvet cupcake – Droolius’ favorite red velvet cupcake
Cupcakes and cupcake shops can be found in almost every city these days. I’ve tried many cupcakes in many cities, usually the red velvet cupcakes, and thus far my favorite is Auntie Em’s red velvet cupcake in Eagle Rock – Los Angeles, CA. There are many other cupcakes I really enjoy and everyone has their favorites. Pick up a cupcake or two of your favorite flavors in your local cupcake shop or bakery.
Another option is to order several mini-cupcakes to create a tasting of cupcakes. These are offered sometimes at cupcake shops and some even specialize in them like The Bee’s Knees Sweet Treats in Orlando, FL or Mission Mini’s in San Francisco.
Auntie Em’s Kitchen 4616 Eagle Rock Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90041 323-255-0800
The Bee’s Knees Sweet Treats Orlando, FL 407-694-4430 www.beeskneessweettreats.com
Blue Bird Bake Shop 3122 Corrine Dr., Orlando, FL 32803 407-228-3822 bluebirdbakeshop.com
Delish NY Bakery 8015 Turkey Lake Rd. Suite 200 Orlando, FL 32819 www.delishnybakery.com
Mission Minis 3168 22nd Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415-817-1540 www.missionminis.com
Spot Dessert Bar 13 St. Marks Pl New York, NY 10003 www.spotdessertbar.com
Sweet – Waterford Lakes Orlando, FL 407-277-7746 www.sweetbyholly.com
The Yum Yum Cupcake truck Food Truck Orlando, FL 407-494-9336 www.theyumyumcupcaketruck.com
Chocolates
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If you’re going to buy a box chocolates, then go with something that is locally produced or available at a specialty shop. I am not an expert in chocolate, but I’m sure you can find something special if you do a Google search for your area.
Norman Love Confections
Fort Myers Chocolate Salon 11380 Lindbergh Blvd
Fort Myers FL 33913 www.normanloveconfections.com
Available at Le Macaron www.lemacaron-us.com
382 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota, FL 34236
216 Park Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789
Ice Cream
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Coconut Ice Cream – Sundaes & Cones NYC
Ice cream can be found anywhere and the best way to share it as a gift may be to buy a pint of their favorite ice cream and bring it home as a surprise. Too many ice cream shops to name so find one in your area and see if they can sell you the flavor of choice by the pint or bucket. Another idea is to try new unique flavors like Wasabi Ice cream at Sundaes & Cones in NYC. I only tried a small sample of the wasabi ice cream, but thoroughly enjoyed the Coconut ice cream pictured above.
Sundaes & Cones (East Village) 95 E 10th St # A New York, NY 10003 212-979-9398 www.sundaescones.com
Cake or Pie
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Raspberry Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, Peanut Butter Pie (as seen on Man vs. Food t.v. show on the Travel Channel) – Yoder’s Restaurant in Sarasota, FL
Cake, pies, cheese cake… the list can go on. Many bakeries and restaurants can sell by the slice or the entire cake or pie. Make sure to call ahead to reserve your favorite cake. Recently I tried Yoder’s in Sarasota which is an Amish restaurant, popular for their pies and home style cooking. Find a specialty slice at a local bakery, restaurant, hotel, or specialty market…
Yoder’s Restaurant 3434 Bahia Vista Street Sarasota, FL 34239 (941) 955-7771 www.yodersrestaurant.com
Favorite Dessert
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Magnolia Bakery banana pudding – one of my favorite & must have desserts in NYC
A thoughtful and meaningful gift can be anything your Valentine loves to eat. Whether it be banana pudding, brownies, cake pops, or candy, any dessert can be special if it’s their favorite. Just figure out which sweet treat is easily attainable during Valentine’s Day and make sure to call ahead before pick up, pre-pay if you have to.
Magnolia Bakery 1240 6 Avenue New York, NY (212) 767-1123 www.magnoliabakery.com
Of course there are many ideas of what sweets, treats, and desserts you can buy for your loved one, use this guide and make it your own. Just be thoughtful and take this Valentines day to enjoy it together.
p.s. If you are rolling solo this Valentine’s Day, treat yourself to your favorite dessert!
Words and photos by Julius Mayo Jr.
Content and photos © Droolius.com 2012