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.
73 Chocolate Dessert Recipes You Should Try, Ranging from Everyday Sweets to Outrageously Decadent Treats
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!)
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).
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.
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.
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.
30. Chocolate-chip Cookie Tart With Chocolate Ganache
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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).
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.)
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.)
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.)
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.
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.)
62. Sarah Copeland’s Chocolate Chip Cookie For Modern Times
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.
66. Chocolate Chip Cookie In A Mug
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.