Our Best Chocolate Desserts

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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Dark Chocolate Cakes

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Styling: Rishon Hanners

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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

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

Photo: 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

James Carrier

Chocolate-Caramel Trifle with Raspberries Recipe
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

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

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

Photo: 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

Photo: 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

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

Photo: 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

One-Bowl Chocolate Mocha Cream Cake Recipe
This easy chocolate sheet cake was a dessert category winner in the Cooking Light recipe contest and continues to be one of the most popular cake recipes on the site.

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Chocolate-Cinnamon Bread Pudding

Photo: Jan Smith

Chocolate-Cinnamon Bread Pudding Recipe
One online reviewer said it best: “Great flavor combo of chocolate and cinnamon. All of the bread soaked up the wonderful custard, so there was chocolatey goodness in every bite.”

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Mocha-Chocolate Shortbread

Mocha-Chocolate Shortbread Recipe
If you’re a fan of rich, buttery shortbread cookies, this chocolate version of shortbread is guaranteed to satisfy. You’ll only need 6 ingredients.

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Milk Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Photo: Ryan Liebe; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

Milk Chocolate Crème Brûlée Recipe
A splash of nutty amaretto adds an extra layer of elegance to the milk chocolate in this decadently creamy dessert.

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Triple-Chocolate Cheesecake

Photo: Ryan Liebe; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

Triple-Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
This dessert gets well-rounded chocolate richness from three sources: chocolate graham crackers in the crust, plus intense cocoa powder and luscious milk chocolate in the filling.

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Triple Chocolate Brownie-Mousse Stacks

Photo: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller

Triple Chocolate Brownie-Mousse Stacks Recipe
Allow plenty of time to make fillings, and immediately assemble stacks. You can chill the assembled stacks up to 24 hours ahead of time.

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Mexican Chocolate Pudding Cake

Mexican Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe
This pudding cake gets its Mexican flair from the addition of cinnamon, red pepper, and chipotle chile pepper. The spice is just enough to give it a little kick!

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Hazelnut-and-Chocolate Meringue Cake

Stephanie Foley

Hazelnut-and-Chocolate Meringue Cake Recipe
This extraordinary dessert, made with crisp chocolate-hazelnut meringue and whipped cream, is actually quite simple to make.

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Ganache-Stuffed Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Photo: © Con Poulos

Ganache-Stuffed Chocolate-Chip Cookies Recipe
A stuffed cookie is like a sandwich cookie, only with more cream on the inside-it's fatter, fuller and (if you're the kind of person who twists apart the cookies to get to the cream) better.

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Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse Tart

Photo: Yunhee Kim; Styling: Kevin Crafts

Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse Tart Recipe
The interplay of crunchy, fudgy, and silky-smooth textures in this ultra-rich dessert makes it our go-to choice when we're looking for something easy and splashy.

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Dark Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

Photo: Thomas J. Story; Styling: Karen Shinto

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Brownies Recipe
These brownies prove that the classic combination of chocolate and peppermint is great year-round, not just during the holidays.

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Mocha Chocolate Mousse

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Mocha Chocolate Mousse Recipe
This seriously easy and decadent mousse hides a smart a secret: reduced-sodium soy sauce. Add crunch with cookies to contrast the mousse's silky texture.

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Chocolate Orange Cookie Cups

Photo: Alex Farnum

Chocolate Orange Cookie Cups Recipe
These flourless cookie bites are a delicious cross between a brownie and a soft cookie—the orange zest adds a bit of contrast.

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Chocolate Walnut Tart

Photo: Jonny Valiant; Styling: Deborah Williams

Chocolate Walnut Tart Recipe
A riff on the classic pecan pie, this dessert is rich, chocolaty, and a little fancier with its freestanding fluted sides.

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Dutch Oven Double Chocolate Cake

Photo: Thomas J. Story

Dutch Oven Double Chocolate Cake Recipe
Use charcoal briquets instead of wood to more precisely control the fire's heat.

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Chocolate Tacos

Photo: Marcus Nilsson; Styling: Theo Vamvounakis

Chocolate Tacos Recipe
Crisp chocolate shells envelop vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and crushed peanuts for a truly unique dessert experience.

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Brownie Tiramisù

Photo: William Dickey; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Brownie Tiramisù Recipe
Tiramisu gets a chocolate upgrade with crumbled brownie pieces. Mascarpone gives the topping a special flavor, but an equal amount of softened cream cheese may be substituted.

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Chocolate-Coconut-Macadamia Pie

Chocolate-Coconut-Macadamia Pie Recipe
Chocolate goes tropical in this dessert featuring flakes of sweetened coconut, macadamia nuts, whipped cream topping, and chocolate shavings.

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Mama's German Chocolate Cake

Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck

Mama's German Chocolate Cake Recipe
Bake a cake that would make mama proud. German chocolate cakes are known for being rich, indulgent cakes, so enjoy a slice with a glass of milk.

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Silky Chocolate Mousse with Peanut Butter Crunch

Silky Chocolate Mousse with Peanut Butter Crunch Recipe
Any chocolate and peanut butter lover will adore this elegant dessert. Rich milk-chocolate mousse is topped with a roasted-peanut cream and addictively crunchy cornflakes mixed with peanut butter, milk chocolate and peanuts.

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Double Chocolate Bread Pudding with Dulce de Leche

Photo: Ryan Benyi; Styling: Stephana Bottom

Double Chocolate Bread Pudding with Dulce de Leche Recipe
Chocolate bread pudding just got even better with the addition of decadent dulce de leche.

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Perfect Chocolate Bundt Cake

Time Inc. Video Studio

Perfect Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

Intensely chocolatey and incredibly moist, this is truly the perfect chocolate bundt cake—and undoubtedly, a chocolate lover’s dream. The cake’s rich chocolate flavor is enhanced with the addition of coffee in the batter and coffee liqueur in the glaze. Be sure to coat the inside of your bundt pan with either shortening plus a thin layer of flour or baking spray (which is nonstick cooking spray that contains flour) in order to ensure that your cake comes out clean and easy.

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Guinness Brownies with Irish Whiskey Frosting

Photo: Gina DeSimone; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Karen Rankin

Guinness Brownies with Irish Whiskey Frosting Recipe

Although few treats are more fitting for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration than rich Guinness brownies, we’d suggest that you go ahead and whip up this Guinness brownie recipe any time you need a decadent hit of chocolate. In fact, given the dangerously scrumptious whiskey buttercream used to frost them, these fudgey brownies are truly the perfect treat to enjoy at the end of an exceptionally long day.

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Instant Pot Peppermint Brownie Cake

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Stylist: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin

Instant Pot Peppermint Brownie Cake Recipe

This festive cake will make you smile. The tiny pieces of peppermint candy offer a delightful crunch that plays well with the gooey chocolate, while their red and white colors look beautiful against the deep, dark chocolate.

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Ice Cube Tray Chocolate Treats

Time Inc. Studio Video

Ice Cube Tray Chocolate Treats Recipe

This genius technique allows you to make rich and delicious homemade chocolates with minimal mess and ingredients. In fact, making these ice cube tray candies is so easy, it’s a great rainy day kitchen project for the kids to take charge on. Use this recipe as your guide, but feel free to customize the candy as you see fit. There’s plenty of room for creativity with your chocolates’ fillings, and you can swap the milk chocolate chips for white chocolate if you prefer. Any type of ice cube tray will do here, so you may want to grab a few inexpensive ones from a dollar store specifically for chocolate making.

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Chocolate Clementine Cake with Hot Chocolate Sauce

Charles E. Walton IV

Chocolate Clementine Cake with Hot Chocolate Sauce Recipe
This cake can be made a day in advance. The Hot Chocolate Sauce can be stored, covered, in refrigerator up to 1 week; reheat over low heat until warmed through. Make both the cake and sauce with the best quality bittersweet chocolate you can find. Substitute semisweet chocolate if you wish.

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Chocolate Crinkles

Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Kay Clarke

Chocolate Crinkles Recipe

These chocolate crinkle cookies got rave reviews from our tasters. They're rich, super chocolatey, pretty much perfect in every way. Brown sugar and espresso give them a noticeable depth, while granulated and powdered sugar work together to ensure ideal crackliness.

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Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Photo: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Pam Lolley

Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe

Love chocolate? Well, this cake is good news for you. In every bite, there's a soft, buttery crunch from the cookie alongside a layer of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. What we love most about this indulgent dessert is that it's super easy, yet looks and tastes like it was quite the project. This is a chocolate masterpiece that is sure to impress your next crowd.

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Vegan Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart with Fresh Berries

Photo: Kelsey Hansen; Styling: Rishon Marie

Vegan Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart with Fresh Berries Recipe

Take one bite of this chocolatey, 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 a next-level dessert. Easy to prep, and filled with rich chocolate-hazelnut flavor, this vegan dessert is perfect for anyone following a special diet or simply trying to clean their eating habits up a bit. Serve it for a special occasion, or just as a “treat yo-self” indulgence—since there’s no need to crank up the oven, it’s especially ideal to satisfy a summertime sweet tooth.

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Derby Cake

Photo: Daniel Agee; Styling: Karen Rankin

Derby Cake Recipe

This decadent chocolate sheet cake is a prime choice for a Kentucky Derby viewing party—or any party, for that matter.

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Our Best Chocolate Desserts

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Dark Chocolate Cakes

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Fudge Cakes with Jasmine Tea Whipped Cream

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Chocolate Chip Cream Puffs

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Salted Chocolate Tart

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Chocolate Chunk Bread Puddings

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Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut Tart

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Triple-Chocolate Cake

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Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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Chocolate Thumbprints with Caramel and Sea Salt

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Black Forest Pound Cake

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Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

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Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake

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Triple-threat Chocolate Cookies

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Five-Ingredient Chocolate Cakes

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Fudge Brownie Pops

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Double Chocolate Soufflés with Warm Fudge Sauce

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Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Chocolate Cookie Pudding

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Buttermilk-Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake

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Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake

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Chocolate Ganache Sandwiches

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Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflés

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Chocolate Cake IV

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Rich Chocolate Soufflé Cakes with Crème Anglaise

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Chocolate-Caramel Trifle with Raspberries

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Chocolate-Glazed Brownies

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Salted Chocolate-Pecan Toffee

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Chocolate-Zucchini Cake

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Chocolate Baklava

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Triple-Chocolate Cheesecake

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Warm Chocolate Soufflé Cakes with Raspberry Sauce

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Chunky Chocolate Brownies

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Raspberry-Almond Torte with Chocolate Ganache

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Chocolate Italian Cake

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Individual Chocolate Melting Cakes

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One-Bowl Chocolate Mocha Cream Cake

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Chocolate-Cinnamon Bread Pudding

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Mocha-Chocolate Shortbread

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Milk Chocolate Crème Brûlée