presenting your loved ones with homemade "sweets for the sweet''? Taking the time to create tasty treats and packaging them attractively is a special way of saying "I love you.'' You may opt to follow the ever-popular heart motif by cutting out short-bread or sugar cookies, baking a cake in a heart-shaped mould, or piping icing hearts onto the finished creations. Or you may prefer to surprise your sweet-heart by presenting a dessert that you know is a particular favourite.

Whatever type of cookies, cakes or confections you make, presenting them in a festive package will make your gift all that much more special. Lining a cake plate with a red or white doily, wrapping a loaf of quick bread in cellophane and tying it with a red fabric ribbon are all easy ways to assemble the goodies attractively and securely.

For the chocolate lover, Hot Mochaccino Mix and Chocolate Sugar Hearts are the perfect pairing.

HOT MOCHACCINO MIX 1 cup superfine sugar 2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. grated nutmeg 2 tbsp. instant espresso powder 1 cup non-fat dry milk COMBINE all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend well. Pack into small, air-tight tins or glass jars, decorate with self-adhesive red hearts and cover lids with lacy white paper doilies and red ribbon. Yield: about 2 1 cups, enough for 10 to 12 servings.

For each serving: Combine 3 to 4 tbsp. mix with 3 cup milk in a small saucepan and bring to just below the simmering point, whisking until smooth and frothy.

Serve hot in mugs. Add a dab of whipped cream and a grating of nutmeg.

CHOCOLATE SUGAR HEARTS 5 oz. unsweetened chocolate 5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 1 cup (1 stick) butter 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. milk Sugar for sprinkling COMBINE chocolates and butter in a large, heavy saucepan and place over very low heat until melted. Remove from heat, gradually stir in sugars. Beat 1 egg lightly; stir into chocolate mixture, then stir in vanilla.

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Gradually stir this into melted chocolate mixture, stirring until well blended. Form dough into a ball, wrap in wax paper, and chill for half an hour.

Pre-heat oven to 375 0 F. Lightly grease baking sheets. Roll dough out between two sheets of wax paper to a thickness of about 1 inch. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, and place them on the baking sheets.

Beat remaining egg with the 1 tbsp. milk and brush surface of each cookie.

Then sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake until edges are browned, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Pack into a tightly covered container. Yield: 2 to 3 dozen cookies, depending on the size of the cutters.

For a really special treat, make Ethiopian Truffles, in which a light, tender pastry encases a dense chocolate truffle. The recipe requires attention to detail but, by following instructions carefully, even beginners can attempt this project with confidence.

ETHIOPIAN TRUFFLES Pastry 1 cup butter 1 tsp. vanilla extra 1 cup confectioners sugar 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour CREAM butter in large bowl of electric mixer. Add vanilla and sugar, mix until smooth. On low speed gradually add flour, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until mixture holds together.

Transfer to a piece of wax paper. Flatten slightly and shape into an oblong.

Wrap in cling film and refrigerate briefly while preparing the following: Black Truffles 8 oz. (12 cups) almonds, blanched or not 8 oz. sweet chocolate 2 egg whites, jumbo or extra-large Almonds and chocolate must both be finely ground -- they may be ground in a blender or a nut grinder. But for this recipe they need not be strained. (The chocolate should be coarsely cut before being ground in a blender). Mix these together in a bowl, then mix in unbeaten egg whites. Knead briefly in the bowl until the mixture holds together.

Divide into 40 pieces, using 1 tbsp. for each, and placing them on wax paper or aluminium foil. Now roll each piece between your hands to form a round ball and replace on the wax paper or aluminium foil.

Adjust rack one-third down from top of oven. Preheat oven to 375 0F.

Remove pastry from refrigerator -- it should not be chilled until hard. Cut into 40 pieces. Flatten a piece in the palm of your hand and wrap it around a truffle to cover completely. Roll into a ball between your palms. (Dust hands with confectioners' sugar if dough sticks.) Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Continue to shape remainder, placing them 1 inch apart.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes until very lightly coloured, reversing position of cookie sheet if necessary during baking to ensure even browning. Let cool on sheet for a minute or two and then, with a wide metal spatula, transfer to a rack to cool. Yield: 40 cookies.

Optional: Cooled cookies may be topped with a bit of confectioners' sugar, sprinkled on through a fine strainer.

MERINGUE KISSES 3 egg whites 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. cider vinegar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 cup of any of the following (choose one): moist, flaked coconut (unsweetened); whole pecans; cornflakes; chopped pitted dates; chocolate chips, OR raisins PRE-heat oven to 300 0F. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy.

Continue beating and add sugar gradually. Beat egg whites until they are stiff but not dry, then beat in vinegar and vanilla. Beat well.

Fold in whichever filling you choose, then drop by the teaspoonful, about 2 inches apart, onto brown or parchment paper cut to fit baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes or until kisses are golden brown. Slide the paper off the baking sheet onto a flat surface and let the kisses cool on the paper. Yield: about 21 dozen 2-inch kisses.

Fixing a romantic meal is another way to say I Love You to your sweetie. The following recipes involve ingredients which have been linked to love DREAMS COME TRUE 1 cup butter A little cooking oil 2 shallots, finely chopped Pinch each: dried basil and tarragon 8 veal kidneys 2 tbsp. whiskey 2 chicken livers 1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard 11 cups dry white wine 1 tbsp. port wine 2 tbsp. cream 1 tsp. curry powder Salt and pepper White bread Croutons for garnish IN a skillet, melt half the butter with a few drops of oil, add the shallots, basil and tarragon and heat until the butter is golden colour and quite hot.

Add the kidneys and seal by saute ming over high heat for a few minutes then flambe m with half the whiskey and place in a covered dish to one side. Saute m the chicken livers and flambe m them the same way.

Now add mustard to the skillet and dilute with the wine and port. Stir to blend. Add cream, curry powder, salt and pepper.

Cut the kidneys and chicken livers into thin slices. Add a little butter to the sauce to keep it smooth. Place kidneys and livers in a saucepan, add sauce and place over a high heat to blend sauce with the kidneys. Serve on a hot dish with little croutons of bread cooked in butter. Serves 6-8.

This dish can be made with fresh lamb kidneys. You can also flambe m the kidneys with brandy.

LOVE IN A SHELL 16 scallops 1 glass dry white wine 6 shallots, chopped 6 young carrots, sliced A little fish broth 3 cup heavy cream Pinch of saffron PLACE scallops in saucepan with the wine, shallots, carrots, and fish broth.

Allow to cook slowly. When three-quarters cooked remove the scallops and place to one side. Add the cream to the broth and reduce over high heat. Season with just enough saffron to colour the sauce without allowing it to become the dominant flavour. When the sauce is delicately flavoured so that no one flavour predominates, replace the scallops, heat through and, after removing the carrots, serve very hot. Serves 4.

BAKED OYSTERS WITH CHEESE 2 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 cup light cream 1 pinch salt 1 pinch white pepper 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill, or 1 tsp. dried 1 dash of ground nutmeg 16 oysters, shucked, bottom shells reserved 4 strips of bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled 1 cup grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese MELT butter in a small saucepan and add the flour, cooking for several minutes over low heat and stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the cream, salt and pepper, stirring until smooth. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in the dill and nutmeg and set aside.

Chop the oysters coarsely. Put 2 tbsp. of the reserved sauce into each of the 16 reserved shells and fill with chopped oysters. Top with the crumbled bacon and grated cheese. Place in a preheated broiler and broil for a few minutes until the cheese melts. Serves 4.

POMMES DE NUIT 1 stick unsalted butter 6 fine sweet cooking apples peeled, cored and quartered A generous 3 fluid ounces dark rum 3 tbsp. sugar 1 cup heavy cream, cold, unsweetened and whipped MELT butter in a large heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-low heat. Gently lay in the apples, cut sides down. Cover and cook the apples, turning them as necessary with a wooden spatula or spoon, until they are very tender and richly browned all over, 30 to 40 minutes. When they test nearly tender with a fine skewer, carefully warm the rum in a small pot over low heat (or in the microwave).

When the apples are tender, sprinkle them with sugar, shaking the skillet gently to distribute the sugar and being careful not to break up the quarters.

Turn off the heat, pour over the rum and set it aflame -- watch out for what's overhead! Serve at once (in glass bowls, if you have them), passing the whipped cream on the side. Serve with delicate crisp cookies. 6 servings.