Dye-Free Recipes: Valentine’s Day Cookies, Cakes, Cupcakes, and more
 Chocolate Desserts for Two by Paula Deen |
 Pecan Linzer Cookies with Lingonberry Filling by gapersblock |
 Chocolate Chip-Almond-Cherry Cups Recipe by Pillsbury |
 Flourless Chocolate Truffle Torte Recipe by Jamie Schler |
 Beet Red Velvet Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting by thedesertabode |
 Chocolate Heart Peanut Butter Cookies by Recipe Boy |
 Alton Brown‘s SUGAR COOKIE Recipe at Yum Sugar |
 Heart-Covered Waxed Paper How-To by the Crafty Martha Stewart |
 Molten Chocolate Cakes with Raspberries Recipe by FineCooking.com |
 Chocolate-Raspberry Hearts Recipe by Pillsbury |
 White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake Cookie Recipe by Grace Filled Hands |
 XOXO Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe by the Cake Blog |
 Mini Whoopie Pies Recipe by Real Moms Guide |
 Be My Valentine Heart Shaped Black and White Cookies by Land O Lakes |
I cringe every year when I see the red colored cakes and cupcakes shared on Pinterest. Artificial colors add no nutrition and studies show they’re harmful. That doesn’t mean a dye-free holiday has to mean a blah Valentine’s Day. You can use natural food coloring available online and in stores like Whole Foods. Or use colorful paper, packaging, and toppers instead of nasty food coloring.
Here are my picks of the best dye-free Valentine’s Day goodies I could find on the web. Click on any of the photos to be taken directly to the creator’s website and the recipe and/or instructions. I’ve included Martha Stewart‘s brilliant DIY crafting wax paper tutorial because it turns any baked good into a Valentine’s Day Treat.
See! Your holiday can be cute, fun, and colorful without the harmful synthetic dyes found in most kitchen cupboards. So next time you think about adding red dye to something, remember there are better ways and try beets or natural food coloring instead!
Related articles
- 15 Best White Chocolate and Peppermint Recipes: Cookies, Cake, Fudge (miscfinds4u.com)
- Valentine’s Day Recipes: Two-Tone Cupcakes Decorating Ideas and Recipe (miscfinds4u.com)
- Cinnamon Salt Dough Hearts (aboutamom.com)
- Sweetheart Brownies Recipe (aboutamom.com)
Connie,
good post here. from what I understand, a lot of the dyes are VERY bad for us all. I personally have had trouble with maraschino cherries because of the chemicals. beet juice is a great idea!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Chad
Chad,
There are Maraschino cherries WITHOUT dye – I wrote a post about them and they’re FABULOUS! I buy them online. http://www.miscfinds4u.com/blog/2010/04/08/skip-the-maraschino-cherries-that-are-full-of-unnatural-ingredients-and-choose-all-natural/
Thanks!
Connie
You certainly shouldn’t be eating the color, it’s nice to look at but I prefer my health over anything else.
Thanks for info on the dyes, I didn’t know they were that harmful. These recipes look great. I enjoy baking and thanks for sharing the recipes.
Dangerous especially in children.
Thanks so much for all the information on these recipes. We try to live healthier and watch what is in the things we eat that is harmful to us. I appeciate anything I can read up on .
goodies sound yummy!!
The Be My Valentine Heart Shaped Black and White Cookies by Land O Lakes would be perfect for my grandson! He would love them!
I know, I cringe too! I know they’re still using the red dyes that I thought the FDA banned. I’ve experimented with beet juice and I’m semi-pleased with the results. Also, the cover picture for the Chocolate Desserts for Two by Paula Deen is making my mouth water!
I’m all about beautiful color in the plates and paper products, but I leave it off my food whenever possible.
All of these recipes sounds delicious!
Thanks for letting me know about these food colorings I had no idea….Love the ideas
Those Molten Chocolate cakes look just delish!