If there’s one time of year to indulge your sweet tooth, it’s Valentine’s Day. While we love finding healthy solutions for those sugar cravings, there is also something to be said for a little bit of romantic indulgence. And if you’re going to indulge, why not involve real, whole food ingredients instead of the processed, corn-based sweets that all too often characterize the month?

This Valentine’s Day, Jenni Kayne hosted a small cooking class by Valerie Gordon of Valerie Confections. Sold in a few of our favorite shops, like Pressed Juicery Brentwood neighbor Farmshop, and West Hollywood’s Heath Ceramics, Valerie makes toffee and salted caramel croissants that are well worth the indulgence. With namesake locations in Silverlake, Echo Park and Grand Central Market, Valerie is capturing hearts across LA with old-fashioned baked goods we just can’t resist.

In Jenni’s thoughtful and locally-based style, tables for this baking and preserving afternoon were festooned with amethyst crystals (the birthstone for February and the perfect shade of purple for Valentine’s Day) and flowers such as ranunculus, anemone and clematis by the inimitable Moon Canyon Design. The moss-filled terrariums are by Moon Canyon also – we can’t get enough!

The purple-tinted Amethyst glasses are from Canvas Home and sourced from Jenni Kayne Montecito. Jenni mixed and matched the glassware with a few of her grandmother’s own etched glass dessert plates. Recreate this magical afternoon at home with a few of Valerie’s own dessert recipes below. These classic sugar cookies and scotch-laced truffles may not be vegan, but by using top-quality organic ingredients we guarantee these sweets will beat anything your kids bring home from Valentine’s Day parties! Here are Valerie’s recipes and a few notes on each. Don’t miss her rose-petal raspberry jam recipe which we’re sharing today as well!