I like many different kinds of desserts but when one doesn't list chocolate among its ingredients I can't help but feel a bit let down. This holds doubly–okay even more than that–true on Valentine's Day, which is why I made a batch of these brownie/blondie hybrids for tomorrow. I of course reach for the more chocolatey of the two, but I'm overall memorized by the sweet neatness of their cut-out black and white hearts. In an (appropriate) effort to be healthy for our actual tickers, both recipes use olive oil instead of butter–but don't worry, they're still decadently rich (you can trust me, I'm an expert).

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For brownies:

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease an 8×8 pan. In a large bowl, combine melted chocolate and olive oil. Whisk in eggs, sugars and vanilla until combined.
2. Add flour and salt and stir until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spread in prepared pan. Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 1″ away from the edge comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

For blondies:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butterscotch chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, whisk oil and sugars until smooth. Whisk in egg and vanilla.
2. Add flour and salt; mix just until moistened (do not overmix). Fold in chips if using. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top.
3. Bake until top is golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack, and let cool completely before cutting into squares.

To finish:

Using a heart shape cookie cutter to remove center of squares. Reassemble, reversing colors.