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73 Chocolate Dessert Recipes You Should Try, Ranging from Everyday Sweets to Outrageously Decadent Treats

Having a rough day? Have a chocolate chip cookie. Celebrating a big milestone? There’s a cocoa-laced cake for that. Date night? Sounds like homemade truffles are in order. What we’re trying to say is, it’s always a good time for a little chocolate (or a lot). From chocolate chip-studded cookies and cakes to decadent puddings and mousses, these 73 chocolate dessert recipes will delight everyone—from the occasional sweet tooth to the biggest chocolate lover you know.

The Best Chocolate Chips for Baking Just About Anything


chocolate dessert recipes three ingredient chocolate truffles recipe
Colin Price/Dinner Then Dessert

1. Three-ingredient Chocolate Truffles

These decadent bites come together with just chocolate, cocoa powder and heavy cream. Since there aren’t many ingredients, choose a higher-quality chocolate (like discs or a favorite bar) instead of chocolate chips, which often contain stabilizers.

hu kitchen x purewow limited edition chocolate collection
Hu Kitchen

2. Hazelnut Butter Cookies

ICYMI: We partnered with Hu Kitchen to create a limited edition chocolate collection. This chic black-and-white tin holds a variety of Hu’s signature chocolate bars (think: Vanilla Crunch and Hazelnut Butter). Each bar is made without any weird ingredients—no dairy, no soy, no sugar alcohols, you get the idea. One of our favorite ways to eat them? Simply break off a square and bake it on top of your favorite cookie.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate glazed espresso cheesecake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

3. Chocolate Glazed Espresso Cheesecake

If you ask us, chocolate and coffee go together like peanut butter and jelly. This cheesecake is extra tall and rich, and while it does require a water bath to bake, the results are so worth it.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate high hatio sheet cake recipe
The Fearless Baker

4. Chocolate ‘high-ratio’ Sheet Cake

What the heck is “high ratio”? That’s baker’s lingo for the higher ratio of sugar in the recipe, which yields a tender, moist crumb that’s light as air (and in this case, ultra-chocolatey). Bonus: The frosting is made from just two ingredients.

chocolate dessert recipes easy chocolate marshmallow cups recipe
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell

5. Easy Chocolate Marshmallow Cups

These cuties look like they came from a bakery but are so simple to DIY. The chocolate coating gets its snap from coconut oil instead of tempering—ingenious, if you ask us.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate peppermint linzer cookies recipe
Photo: Nico Schico/Styling: Erin McDowell

6. Chocolate-peppermint Linzer Cookies

These sandwiches have cookie texture, brownie flavor and plenty of sweet, minty filling. Even better, the pink color comes from peppermint candies instead of food dye.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate raspberry fool recipe
Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Erin McDowell

7. Chocolate Raspberry Fool

Whether you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day treat or a date night dessert, this is the answer. The decadent cups take 25 minutes to make, start to finish. (To save even more time, use store-bought preserves in place of the homemade raspberry swirl.)

chocolate dessert recipes gluten free super moist chocolate cake recipe
Baked to Perfection

8. Gluten-free Super-moist Chocolate Cake

Here’s official proof that gluten-free desserts can be just as delicious as their gluten-full counterparts. A kitchen scale will be your BFF here, since weight measurements are more accurate than volume, and accuracy is key.

chocolate dessert recipes brownie bites recipe
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell

9. Chocolate-stuffed Brownie Bites

Deeply chocolatey brownie batter meets chocolate candies meets mini dessert. Pinch us, we must be dreaming.

chocolate dessert recipes mexican hot chocolate cookies recipe
Ed Anderson/Trejo’s Tacos Cookbook

10. Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are intensely fudgy, of course, but they also have a spicy twist. They’re rolled in cayenne-spiked cinnamon sugar for a bit of heat that’s reminiscent of cinnamon candies.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate skillet cake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

11. Chocolate Skillet Cake

Layer cakes always bring the oohs and ahhs, but you can’t beat the simple pleasure of diving into a molten skillet of chocolate cake with a spoon. (Who needs plates anyway?)

chocolate dessert recipes fig dark chocolate brownies recipe
Jonathan Meter/The Sweet Side of Sourdough

12. Fig–dark Chocolate Brownies

These fudgy brownies have a secret: They’re made with a bit of sourdough starter for a complex, tangy flavor that will make you go back for seconds. The swirls of fig jam don’t hurt, either.

chocolate dessert recipes instant pot deep dark chocolate pudding recipe
Christopher Testani/Instant Family Meals

13. Instant Pot Deep Dark Chocolate Pudding

Allow recipe developer Sarah Copeland to show you that your precious Instant Pot is good for more than just chicken stock. Psst: If you cook this recipe on low pressure, you’ll get a loose pudding; high pressure yields a soufflé-meets-mousse texture.

chocolate dessert recipes snickerdoodle chocolate chip bundt cake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

14. Snickerdoodle Chocolate-chunk Bundt Cake

As it turns out, cinnamon and chocolate are a surprisingly delicious pairing. This nostalgic cake features a swirl of cinnamon-sugar and plenty of chocolate chunks (not to mention that gorgeous drippy frosting).

chocolate dessert recipes frozen chocolate souffle recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

15. Frozen Chocolate Soufflé

Soufflé sounds intimidating, but we’ve found the solution that will prevent your chocolate dessert from falling flat: freeze it. OK, so it’s not a traditional soufflé, but it’s every bit as delicious.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate chip cookie cake with cream cheese frosting recipe
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell

16. Chocolate Chip Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

As if chocolate chip cookies needed any improvement (um, spoiler, they don’t), we transformed them into a cake solely so we could add cream cheese frosting. Pro tip: Use mini chocolate chips to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the batter.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate caramel pretzel tart recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

17. Chocolate-caramel Pretzel Tart Recipe

We’ll go to great lengths to get our hands on a salty-sweet treat, and that includes making homemade caramel. (Don’t worry, it’s actually foolproof.)

chocolate dessert recipes espresso chocolate bundt cake with salted caramel glaze recipe
Jonathan Meter/The Sweet Side of Sourdough

18. Espresso-chocolate Bundt Cake With Salted Caramel Glaze

This chocolate stunner is super tender, thanks to buttermilk in the batter. Good luck waiting until the cake is fully cooled before glazing, slicing and eating.

chocolate dessert recipes chrissy teigen three ingredient chocolate mousse recipe
Aubrie Pick/Cravings: Hungry for More

19. Three-ingredient Chocolate Mousse

If you can make whipped cream, you can make this elegant dessert. The salty rice cereal crackle topping is optional, but it adds welcome texture if you have time to make it.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate chip microwave brownie for one
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

20. Chocolate-chip Mug Brownie For One

When the craving for a brownie strikes, you don’t always have time to make an entire batch. Instead of running out for a boxed mix, make a single-serve version in your microwave. (Seriously!)

chocolate dessert recipes espresso chocolate chip cookies recipe
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

21. Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

We finally found a way to combine our two favorite afternoon pick-me-ups. These cookies offer the best of both worlds—a sugar buzz and a caffeine buzz—and even come together in one bowl.

chocolate dessert recipes black and white pudding recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

22. Black-and-white Pudding

Chocolate plays nice with many flavors, but vanilla might be her BFF. These striking pudding cups are way fancier than anything you’d buy at the store (but they’re as easy to make as peeling open a snack pack).

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate avocado brownie recipe
Julia Gartland/Dada Eats

23. Chocolate Avocado Brownies

You bought a bunch of avocados and they all ripened at the same time. That’s pretty rude of them, but these brownies are the solution. They’re the ideal middle ground between cakey and fudgy, not to mention gluten free.

chocolate dessert recipes roasted almond and chocolate chunk cookies recipe
Aran Goyoaga

24. Roasted Almond And Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These babies are gluten free and dairy optional, but totally don’t taste like it. The trick to getting the best texture is to chill the dough overnight. We know: Who wants to wait for a cookie? Trust us, you do.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate semifreddo recipe
Matthew Septimus/Rose’s Ice Cream Bliss

25. Chocolate Semifreddo Seduction

This dessert is as rich and silky as chocolate pudding, and as refreshing as a scoop of ice cream. It also takes a measly 5 minutes to make, 30 minutes to chill and serves two (so you don’t have to share).

chocolate dessert recipes vegan gluten free dark chocolate ginger tart recipe
Nisha Vora

26. Vegan & Gluten-free Dark Chocolate Ginger Tart

To be honest, vegan and gluten-free is sometimes a little too healthy-tasting, if you get our drift. But with its fudge-like consistency and irresistible combination of rich dark chocolate and zingy ginger, this tart tastes anything but healthy.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate gingerbread cookies recipe
Katherine Gillen

27. Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

If a soft molasses cookie and a good old chocolate chip number had a very delicious baby, it would be one of these guys. To get the best chewy texture, take care to not overbake them.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate and salted peanut crepe cake recipe
Kristina Cho/Mooncakes and Milk Bread

28. Chocolate And Salted Peanut Crepe Cake

If piping frosting and arranging fruit slices send shivers down your spine, this crepe cake has your name on it. It tastes like a chocolate–peanut butter cup and basically decorates itself.

chocolate dessert recipes orange and chocolate brioche tarts recipe
Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Erin McDowell

29. Orange And Chocolate Brioche Tarts

If blood oranges are in season, take advantage of their color. If not, you can use any type of orange, like Cara Cara, navel or sumo.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate ganache tart recipe
Erin McDowell

Cookie cake? More like cookie crust. Top this nostalgic pie with a dollop of whipped cream and it’s like having sliceable milk and cookies for dessert.

chocolate dessert recipes avocado chocolate mousse recipe
Henry Hargreaves/Avocaderia

31. Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Rich, creamy and intensely chocolaty, this treat is also dairy-free and plant-based. And because we know you’re wondering: It doesn’t taste anything like avocado.

chocolate dessert recipes mini chocolate snowball cakes recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

32. Mini Chocolate Snowball Cakes

They’re like the lunchbox treat of your childhood, only better, because you made them yourself.

chocolate dessert recipes caramel macadamia tart recipe
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

33. Caramel-chocolate Macadamia Tart

Go ahead and file this one under “gorgeous and secretly easy.” The crust is a press-in number, and the filling is impossible to mess up. Even better, it tastes like a fancy candy bar.

chocolate dessert recipes rich and easy nutella mouse recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

34. Easy Nutella Mousse

We love a dessert recipe that calls for less than ten ingredients and requires no special skills. The hardest part will be waiting for it to chill in the fridge.

chocolate dessert recipes flourless chocolate cookies recipe
The Fearless Baker

35. Gluten-free Flourless Cocoa Cookies

These cookies are made with confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder to let that chocolate flavor shine. The whole gluten-free thing is really just an added bonus.

chocolate dessert recipes adaptogens chocolate bark recipe
Healthfully Ever After

36. Adaptogen Chocolate Bark

All dessert is supposed to make you feel better, right? With adaptogenic ingredients like bee pollen and rose, this one just might live up to that promise.

chocolate dessert recipes giant peanut butter cup recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

37. Giant Peanut Butter Cup

When it comes to peanut butter cups, more is more. They’re pretty much the best invention since, well, chocolate, which is why we made a jumbo version for slicing and sharing.

chocolate dessert recipes rocky road cookies recipe
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell

38. Rocky Road Cookies

The crunchy marshmallow bits around the edge of each molten cookie make it practically impossible to have just one. We apologize in advance.

chocolate dessert recipes vegan black forest cherry cake recipe
Chloe Flavor

39. Vegan Black Forest Cherry Cake

With a cherry filling and chocolate ganache on top, we guarantee this plant-based cake is just as decadent as the one you remember from childhood.

chocolate dessert recipes peppermint devil s food hi hat cupcakes recipe
The Fearless Baker

40. Peppermint Devil’s Food Hi-hat Cupcakes

A huge mound of minty marshmallow frosting hides beneath that thin layer of chocolate glaze. What more could you ask for?

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate bread pudding cake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

41. Chocolate Bread Pudding Cake

Bread pudding is delightfully sticky and rustic, but in order to elevate the dessert, we baked it in a springform pan and added a drizzle of icing. You’re welcome.

chocolate dessert recipes brownie pops recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

42. Brownie Pops

What makes a humble brownie better? Putting it on a stick and dipping it into chocolate, naturally. Set out a platter of these sweet bites at your next gathering and await all the compliments.

chocolate dessert recipes cookies and cream naked cake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

43. Cookies-and-cream Naked Cake

Raise your hand if you want to make naked cakes a thing again. (Yep, us too. No frosting = less work.)

chocolate dessert recipes homemade milano cookies recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

44. Homemade Milano Cookies

Why limit yourself to a bag of 16 cookies that have been sitting on a store shelf for 97 years when you could have an entire freshly baked batch at your disposal?

chocolate dessert recipes brownie layer cake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

45. Brownie Layer Cake

Go big or go home, you say? OK, we’ll go big and make an entire cake out of two batches of brownies and two layers of whipped cream.

chocolate dessert recipes nutella sandwich cookies recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

46. Nutella Sandwich Cookies

Would you believe us if we told you that these itty-bitty cookies call for just six ingredients? (Believe it.)

chocolate dessert recipes no bake gluten free rose petal brownies recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

47. No-bake, Gluten-free Rose Petal Brownies

If you’re into fudge, you’ll like these brownies. Don’t feel like ordering dried rose petals? It’s OK to scatter rose tea on top for a similar look and taste.

chocolate dessert recipes triple cookie pie recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

This rich and gooey creation is part chocolate chip cookie, part chocolate s’mores cookie and part snickerdoodle. Pick your favorite or taste all three.

chocolate dessert recipes texas sheet cake recipe
Matt Armendariz/Eat What You Want

49. Texas Sheet Cake

Give us rich, chocolatey chocolate cake and we’re happy campers. We don’t even need fancy layers or sprinkles. Case in point: This one goes from oven to table in less than an hour, and you don’t even need a stand mixer to make it.

chocolate dessert recipes checkerboard cake recipe
Erin McDowell

50. Checkerboard Cake

On the other hand, if you want a baking *project,* look no further than this artful dessert. (Shortcut it by using chocolate and yellow cake mix—no one will know).

chocolate dessert recipes oven baked smores bars recipe
Photo: Eric Moran/Styling: Erin McDowell

51. Oven-baked S’mores Bars

Campfire or not, you’re hungry for s’mores. Lucky for you, these indoor s’mores don’t require scout skills or firewood to make.

chocolate dessert recipes oreo stuffed brownies recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

52. Oreo-stuffed Brownies

Do you want cookies, brownies or both? Hint: The correct answer here is both.

chocolate dessert recipes mini sandwich cookies recipe
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

53. Itty-bitty Sandwich Cookies

This mini dessert has an advantage beyond being totally adorable: The cookies bake up quickly, which means they’re in your mouth sooner.

chocolate dessert recipes microwave double chocolate cake bowl recipe
Kelsey Preciado/Unbelievabowl Paleo

54. Microwave Double Chocolate Cake Bowl

This cake-in-a-bowl takes five minutes to prep, five minutes to cook and even less time to devour. (It’s even Paleo friendly if you use cassava flour.)

chocolate dessert recipes thin mint tarts recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

55. Thin Mint Tarts

Eat your heart out, Girl Scout. When you run out of your favorite mint-chocolate cookies, this tart recipe (inspired by said cookies) is the only thing you'll need to get you through.

chocolate dessert recipes brownie pie recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

56. Brownie Pie

For those who love dessert but hate making decisions. (Sorry, but you will have to choose between vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.)

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate waffle ice cream sandwiches recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

57. Chocolate Waffle Ice-cream Sandwiches

Skip the freezer aisle and kick things up a notch in your own kitchen. These sammies are customizable with your favorite ice cream and toppings. (We like vanilla, strawberry and mint chocolate chip.)

chocolate dessert recipes slow cooker oreo cheesecake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

58. Slow Cooker Oreo Cheesecake

Pro-level cheesecake is officially easy to recreate at home, thanks to your trusty slow cooker. It acts as a water bath, gently cooking the dessert while eliminating the fuss that comes with using the oven.

chocolate dessert recipes no bake dessert lasagna recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

59. No-bake Dessert Lasagna

Graham crackers instead of pasta, chocolate whipped cream instead of sauce. You get the idea.

chocolate dessert recipes cookies and cream ice pops recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

60. Cookies-and-cream Ice Pops

Think of these pops as the summertime equivalent of milk and cookies. Best of all, you need only three ingredients to make ’em.

chocolate dessert recipes ina garten black and white cookies recipe
Quentin Bacon/Modern Comfort Food

61. Ina Garten’s Black & White Cookies

We don’t like to play favorites, but we’re partial to the chocolate side. (We bet the Barefoot Contessa is too.)

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate chip cookie sarah copeland recipe
Sarah Copeland/Chronicle Books

What makes them modern? Well, they’re quick to make (thanks to melted butter and a one-bowl setup), not too sweet (almond flour and just the right amount of chocolate) and bursting with deep, toffee-like flavor.

chocolate dessert recipes no bake chocolate peanutbutter pretzel squares recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

63. No-bake Chocolate Peanut-butter Pretzel Bars

When you simply can’t choose a snack, combine them into one treat. For this recipe, you don’t even have to turn on the oven.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate chip cookie dough dip recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Say hello to your next party dip. Skip the chips in favor of graham crackers or those irresistible cookies shaped like teddy bears.

chocolate dessert recipes mint chocolate chip yogurt ice pops recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

65. Mint Chocolate Chip Yogurt Ice Pops

They’re made with Greek yogurt—we’re not saying you should eat them for breakfast, but...OK, eat them for breakfast.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate chip cookie in a mug recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

Whether baking a dozen cookies is too much work or too much temptation, this mug cookie has your back. It’s also ready to eat in seven minutes, a win-win.

chocolate dessert recipes dove chocolate covered rice krispie treats
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

67. Chocolate Lover’s Rice Cereal Treats

Dark chocolate is just the thing to complement the sweetness of the marshmallows. Sprinkles are optional, but not really.

chocolate dessert recipes edible eggless cookie dough recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

We've been known to make cookie dough just to eat it. So we thought, why not make a risk-free version?

chocolate dessert recipes flourless oatmeal chocolate chip cookies recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

69. Flourless Oatmeal Chocolate-chip Cookies

Who needs flour when you have chewy, naturally gluten-free oats? They’re just as tasty as the original.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate cupcake recipe
Erin McDowell

70. Chocolate Cupcakes

On the surface, they’re regular cupcakes. But look closer and you’ll find this recipe makes exactly four—just enough for you and the fam (or just you, no judgment).

chocolate dessert recipes ice cream cupcake recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

71. Ice Cream Cupcakes

The treats will last in the freezer for up to two weeks, so make them now and eat them whenever.

chocolate dessert recipes chocolate dump cake recipe
Erin McDowell

72. Chocolate Dump Cake

Sometimes you want to make a batch of homemade croissants, and sometimes you want to take it easy. This cake is for the latter times: Everything gets tossed in a bowl, poured in a pan and voilà, cake.

chocolate dessert recipes brownie cupcakes recipe
Erin McDowell

73. Brownie Cupcakes

When the cupcakes are almost fully baked, you’ll top each one with a marshmallow, return the pan to the oven and watch those white clouds of sweetness melt over the surface. See? They frost themselves.



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Senior Food Editor

  • Heads PureWow’s food vertical
  • Contributes original reporting, recipes and food styling
  • Studied English Literature at the University of Notre Dame and Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education