Voracious Valentine’s Day Recipes 2026
From 108 Asian Cookies by Kat Lieu and I Love You by Pamela Anderson
Third Culture Whoopie Pies from 108 Asian Cookies
Makes about 12 whoopie pies | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: About 12 minutes
Ingredients
For the bay leaf brown butter
1/2 cup | 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, cubed
3 bay leaves
For the cookies
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (260 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (75 g) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon ground Vietnamese cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup | 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, cubed and softened
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 1/4 cups (300 g) buttermilk
For the marshmallow filling
4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese (half of an 8-ounce block), softened
1/4 cup (30 g) Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/4 cups (150 g) confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon ube extract (for flavor and color)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Adjust two racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions
of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets
with parchment paper.
Make the bay leaf brown butter. Cook the butter in a
saucepan over medium heat while whisking continuously, until
the butter foams, the foam subsides, the butter is golden, and
brown (not black) bits form on the bottom, at least 5 minutes.
You’re looking for a nutty aroma and not a burnt smell. Stir in the
bay leaves, remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. You will
use this for the filling later. Once cooled, fish out the bay leaves
and compost them.
Make the cookies. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon,
baking soda, and baking powder together in a medium
bowl. Set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, whisk, or
spatula), cream the butter and sugar together until light and
fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and soy sauce and mix until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture to the batter in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk and finishing with flour. Mix at low speed until just combined.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium to
large round tip. Pipe batter onto one of the prepared baking
sheets, creating a 3-inch diagonal line downward. Pipe another
diagonal line to meet the first, forming a V-shaped heart
approximately 3 inches wide at the top. Repeat to make about
24 hearts, spacing them at least 2 inches apart on the two
baking sheets. Using a clean, wet finger, smooth out the tops of
the cookies.
Bake all the cookies, switching the sheets between top and
bottom racks and rotating front to back once halfway through,
until puffy and set, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven
and let the cookies set on the baking sheets for a few minutes
before transfering them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the filling. Transfer the bay leaf brown butter to the
bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add
the cream cheese, Marshmallow Fluff, confectioners’ sugar,
ube extract, and soy sauce and cream until light, fluffy, and
combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the
bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
Assemble the whoopie pies. Working one at a time, pipe or
spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling onto the flat side of one
cookie. Top the filling with another cookie. Repeat until you’ve
assembled about 12 whoopie pies. Dust the tops of the whoopie
pies with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
A Hot Summer’s Night Floral Frozé from I Love You
Serves 4 | Another fun way to enjoy rosé—and eat more flowers… borage, nasturtium, rose petals. A touch of grace.
Ingredients
1 (750 ml) bottle of your favorite rosé, chilled St. Germain liqueur
Edible flowers, for garnishing
Pour the rosé into ice cube trays. Freeze for at least 8 hours, until it has a semifrozen consistency (the rosé will not freeze all the way due to the alcohol content).
Transfer the frozen rosé cubes to a high-powered blender and purée on high speed until perfectly pink and slushy, about 30 seconds.
Pour into pretty glasses and top each with a splash of St. Germain and an edible flower or two.
Growing up as a Canadian-born Vietnamese Chinese American, Kat Lieu sought comfort in the flavors of her youth like taro and black sesame. But she struggled to find a home for herself as a third-culture baker in American bakeries, online, or in cookbooks. In the auspiciously titled 108 Asian Cookies Lieu honors the varied and rich tapestry of Asian cultures and ingredients that inspired these recipes. And along with members from Subtle Asian Baking, the online baking group she founded, are a diverse array of original and member-submitted drool-worthy recipes for cookies and bakes incorporating ingredients from the diaspora including gochujang, ube, miso, fish sauce, sambal, tahini, matcha, and MSG stirred into each batter and dough.
Bakers will learn how to whip up both classics and entirely new desserts such as:
- Spicy chai cookies
- Amaretti cookies with pandan and pistachios
- Taiwanese snowflake crisps
- Milk and cashew burfi
- Salted egg yolk corn flake haystacks
- Mochi brownies
- Matcha and wasabi drop cookies
- And even instant ramen and pho cookies!
At many Asian tables, “not too sweet” is the highest compliment one can give—so whether these recipes are comfortingly familiar or new discoveries, 108 Asian Cookies will be sure to delight even the most discerning “not too sweet” kitchens for years to come.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • JAMES BEARD AWARD FINALIST • "Literally… the most beautiful cookbook I have ever seen. It is stunning." —Drew Barrymore
Join actress, activist, and New York Times bestselling author Pamela Anderson on a deeply personal culinary journey that harmonizes style, compassion, and the pleasures of plant-based cooking—"a gift to all families" (Booklist)
In a career spanning fame and activism, Pamela Anderson has ventured from a humble upbringing to the forefront of Hollywood—and has always been a passionate cook and gardener. Now, she invites you into her kitchen to share 80 delicious recipes that nourish the soul.
This cookbook began as a box of recipe cards: a housewarming gift for her sons inspired by homegrown traditions and world travel. It grew to become her gift to you, showing how romantic, comforting, and indulgent it can be to cook only with vegetables.
At Pamela’s down-to-earth fairy kingdom on Vancouver Island, you’ll join her on the dock for chicory dandelion coffee and whipped cranberry porridge, for picnics in the forest with a green goddess mason jar salad and tomato galette, and at the dinner table for her anti-inflammatory lentil soup, minty pea-potato pierogis, and more.
She also shares her love affair with bread, from maple-glazed cinnamon rolls to rustic sourdough loaves and fougasse dipped in herby pistou, alongside insights into life, love, entertaining guests, and preserving nature’s bounty.