70 Mouthwatering Chocolate Dessert Recipes

Updated January 05, 2011
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Credit: Nicole Franzen/Ten Speed Press

For many people, there’s no point in bothering with dessert unless it’s chocolate, so let us tempt you with this collection of our favorite chocolate dessert recipes.

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Molten Dark Chocolate Cakes

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Styling: Rishon Hanners

Molten Dark Chocolate Cakes Recipe

Make a sweet dessert for your dinner party. Mini chocolate cakes filled with more ooey-gooey chocolate are sure to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth.

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Fudge Cakes with Jasmine Tea Whipped Cream

Credit: Erin Kunkel; Styling: Christine Wolheim

Fudge Cakes with Jasmine Tea Whipped Cream Recipe

This sensual dessert offers intriguing flavor combinations and textures that range from cloudlike to crunchy with a topping of delicious roasted hazelnuts.

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Chocolate Chip Cream Puffs

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Mindi Shapiro and Amanda Widis

Chocolate Chip Cream Puffs Recipe

Deb likes to stir the chocolate chips into the warm dough by hand because the power of the mixer would forcefully combine the melting chips into the dough, making it brown chocolate dough instead of dough studded with chocolate chips.

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Salted Chocolate Tart

Credit: Leigh Beisch; Styling: Dan Becker

Salted Chocolate Tart Recipe

The addition of coarse salt to the rich chocolate tart creates the perfect salty-sweet combination that is sure to delight your taste buds.

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Chocolate Chunk Bread Puddings

Credit: Rachel Johnson

Chocolate Chunk Bread Puddings Recipe

One online reviewer claims that this is now her “go-to” chocolate dessert recipe because it offers such a satisfying, decadent result for minimal effort. What else could you ask for in a dessert?

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Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut Tart 

Credit: Kelsey Hansen; Styling: Rishon Hanners

Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut Tart  Recipe

After you take one bite of this deeply decadent “clean eating” dessert, you might not believe that it’s raw, vegan, gluten-free and paleo… but low and behold, you don’t need excessive sugar or other processed ingredients to make something magical. This show-stopping dark chocolate tart offers an incredibly rich chocolate flavor and silky pudding-like texture—but it’s so easy to whip up, even the most inexperienced baker/dessert-maker will look like a pastry pro bringing it to the table. Perfect for anyone following a special diet or simply trying to clean their eating habits up a bit, this dark and decadent tasting treat perfectly satisfies both the sweet tooth and chocolate indulgence cravings. And since there’s no need to crank up the oven, it’s especially ideal for summer. 

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Triple-Chocolate Cake

Credit: Oxmoor House

Triple-Chocolate Cake Recipe

Chocolate lovers rejoice! This rich cake features three kinds of chocolate: cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, and milk chocolate. And you get chocolate in the cake batter, the filling and the glaze.

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Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies Recipe

Oats create a chewy texture in these cookies, while chocolate chunks provide melt-in-your-mouth flavor in each delicious bite. Use your favorite bittersweet chocolate baking bars.

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Chocolate Thumbprints with Caramel and Sea Salt

Credit: Erin Kunkel; Styling: Kelly Allen

Chocolate Thumbprints with Caramel and Sea Salt Recipe

For a twist on traditional thumbprint cookies, these rich chocolate morsels are filled with ooey-gooey caramel and sprinkled with sea salt.

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Black Forest Pound Cake

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Black Forest Pound Cake Recipe

This decadent, chocolate-cherry dessert is an easy, one-pan twist on the traditional layered cake.

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Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Claire Spollen

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes Recipe

Use a high-quality chocolate in these lighter molten lava cakes. It will make all the difference.

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Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake

Credit: Alison Miksch; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake Recipe

It takes a special cake to make the cover of Southern Living. This decadently rich buttermilk pound cake is just that.

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Triple-threat Chocolate Cookies

Credit: Peden & Munk; Styling: Amy Wilson

Triple-threat Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Prepare to abandon all restraint when you try one of these cookies, made with melted chocolate and chocolate chips in the batter and layered with a chocolate ganache filling.

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Five-Ingredient Chocolate Cakes

Credit: Ryan Liebe; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

Five-Ingredient Chocolate Cakes Recipe

Believe it: This gorgeous dessert uses only five ingredients--sugar, butter, eggs, cake flour, and cocoa. The chocolate sauce that tops the individual cakes is luscious, thick, and glossy, with full-on chocolate flavor.

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Fudge Brownie Pops

Credit: Ryan Liebe; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

Fudge Brownie Pops Recipe

These brownies are incredibly rich and moist, and impossibly easy to make: Just roll 'em, dip 'em, and stick 'em!

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Double Chocolate Soufflés with Warm Fudge Sauce

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Leigh Ann Ross

Double Chocolate Soufflés with Warm Fudge Sauce Recipe

This recipe received the highest rating in the Cooking Light Test Kitchens and has the bonus of being a make-ahead recipe. You can prepare the ingredients ahead, spoon the batter into soufflé dishes, cover, and freeze until you're ready to cook them. They can go straight from the freezer to the oven.

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Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Once you make this chocolate chip cookie recipe, you’ll probably never use another one. It just might be the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

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Chocolate Cookie Pudding

Chocolate Cookie Pudding Recipe

All you need are 6 ingredients to create this family-pleasing dessert that combines cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies and instant chocolate pudding.

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Buttermilk-Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Cari South

Buttermilk-Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake Recipe

Buttermilk is the surprising secret ingredient in this tender, rich chocolate pound cake. Instead of calling for Mexican chocolate, the same flavor is created with semisweet chocolate and cinnamon.

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Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake

Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake Recipe

Why settle for a plain cheesecake when you can indulge in one with a chocolate batter and a rich chocolate glaze?

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Chocolate Ganache Sandwiches

Credit: Melanie Acevedo

Chocolate Ganache Sandwiches Recipe

Only 3 ingredients are needed to reach chocolate heaven with these super-easy chocolate sandwich cookies.

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Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflés

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell

Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflés Recipe

If you think making soufflés is hard, think again. These instructions will have you discovering your inner dessert chef and impressing the guests at your next dinner party.

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Chocolate Cake IV

Chocolate Cake IV Recipe

The rich and tender cake layers would probably be fine on their own, but when you add the coffee icing, the creamy mocha filling, and the chocolate curls, this chocolate cake goes beyond fabulous.

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Rich Chocolate Soufflé Cakes with Crème Anglaise

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke

Rich Chocolate Soufflé Cakes with Crème Anglaise Recipe

Unlike traditional soufflés, these don't need to be served immediately (although they can be). In fact, we loved their fudgy, dense texture when chilled. The sweet custard sauce is also good either warm or chilled.

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Chocolate-Caramel Trifle with Raspberries

Credit: James Carrier

Chocolate-Caramel Trifle with Raspberries Tout

Layered desserts like this trifle are really much better after they’ve chilled overnight, so this is a great make-ahead dessert to serve at your next dinner party.

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Chocolate-Glazed Brownies

Chocolate-Glazed Brownies Recipe

Reviewers love these brownies because they’re just the right combination of fudgy and cake-like, and the chocolate glaze makes them extra-special.

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Salted Chocolate-Pecan Toffee

Credit: Annabelle Breakey

Salted Chocolate-Pecan Toffee Recipe

If you’ve never made candy before, we suggest that you start with this easy, no-fail recipe that’s guaranteed to get rave reviews. It’s perfect for gift-giving, but you’ll want to set aside some for yourself.

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Chocolate-Zucchini Cake

Chocolate-Zucchini Cake Recipe

We can’t think of anything better to do with your bumper crop of zucchini than use it to make a rich and tender chocolate Bundt cake. The zucchini almost makes it seem healthy.

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Chocolate Baklava

Credit: Oxmoor House

Chocolate Baklava Recipe

Baklava is a classic Mediterranean dessert that traditionally features layered phyllo dough, nuts, and syrup or honey. In this version, creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread adds rich, decadent flavor to this nutty, crowd-pleasing pastry.

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Triple-Chocolate Cheesecake

Credit: Oxmoor House

Triple-Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

Chocolate syrup, semisweet chocolate and chocolate graham cracker crumbs provide ultra-chocolate flavor to this creamy cheesecake. And, at only 260 calories per slice, you don’t have to feel a bit of guilt.

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Warm Chocolate Soufflé Cakes with Raspberry Sauce

Credit: Oxmoor House

Warm Chocolate Soufflé Cakes with Raspberry Sauce Recipe

One online reviewer raves about the melt-in-your-mouth cake and the wonderful, citrusy sauce. It’s “a perfect and elegant ending to a special meal.”

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Chunky Chocolate Brownies

Chunky Chocolate Brownies Recipe

Using chocolate chunks in these brownies makes them extra fudgy and chopped nuts provide a nice crunch.

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Raspberry-Almond Torte with Chocolate Ganache

Credit: Photography: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Lydia DeGaris-Pursell

Raspberry-Almond Torte with Chocolate Ganache Recipe

If you want to be a big hit at your next dinner party, serve this tender layered cake filled with preserves and covered in a rich chocolate icing.

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Chocolate Italian Cake

Chocolate Italian Cake Recipe

This is a chocolate version of the traditional Italian cream cake with coconuts and pecans folded into the batter and a rich, thick chocolate cream cheese filling and frosting.

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Individual Chocolate Melting Cakes

Credit: William Meppem

Individual Chocolate Melting Cakes Recipe

These decadent little chocolate cakes are baked in muffin cups and have gooey, rich chocolate centers. Top them off with caramel sauce and a scoop of coffee ice cream for the ultimate indulgence.

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One-Bowl Chocolate Mocha Cream Cake