Recipes

73 Chocolate Desserts for Pure Romance

These rich, melty, chocolate desserts are way better than anything from a box—and more romantic too.
Image may contain Food Dessert Cake Icing Creme and Cream
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou

There are several camps of chocolate dessert devotees. First you’ve got the people who love chocolate and peanut butter. Then you’ve got the people who only crave chocolate when it’s juxtaposed with caramel, followed by those who only want it paired with mint (please take them all your Thin Mints). And last but not least, you have the real chocolate diehards, the folks who demand chocolate-on-chocolate on nothing less. Luckily, all of these disparate parties can come together under the broad, inclusive umbrella of romantic sweets below.

We have cookie recipes for your classmates and coworkers; layer cakes, tarts, and pies for a family affair; mousses and lava cakes for your one true love (did anyone say, “you mean myself?”); and so many more chocolate dessert recipes you’re going to have to find some new people to love. After all, sharing is caring. And sharing chocolate? If you know a better way to bring people together, we’d love to hear about it.

  • Image may contain Creme Cream Food Dessert Cupcake Cake Confectionery Sweets Icing Muffin and Chocolate
    Alex Lau
    5/73

    Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflés

    Instead of making your own crème anglaise for this soufflé recipe, use melted vanilla ice cream (it’s basically the same thing!).

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  • Image may contain Food Dessert Confectionery Sweets Creme Cream Chocolate Fudge and Cocoa
    Photo by Peden + Munk
    6/73

    Bittersweet-Chocolate Truffles

    Take your love of chocolate desserts to an interactive level with a bowl of ganache, a couple of spoons, and a few garnishes. Take turns building each other the perfect bite.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable Bean Lentil Confectionery and Sweets
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen
    9/73

    Salted Chocolate–Tahini Bliss Balls

    These two-biters are just fudgy and chocolaty enough to satisfy a sweet tooth craving. Consider them an indulgent energy bite: Keep 'em in the fridge, then grab one when the craving hits.

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  • Image may contain Food Bread and Bun
    Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones
    10/73

    Conchas de Chocolate

    If you like the sound of a choco-coconut concha, give the classic Mexican sweet bread tropical twist by using virgin coconut oil.

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  • This image may contain Food Dessert Cookie Biscuit Chocolate and Brownie
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    11/73

    Easiest Chocolate Cake

    Pure homemade love. If you've got a bowl, a cheap hand mixer, and a couple of measuring cups, you can make this rich cake plus chocolaty cream cheese frosting.

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  • Image may contain Confectionery Food Sweets Plant Dessert and Fruit
    Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    12/73

    Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Cookies

    This ambitious Mallomars-inspired recipe is a project: Bake cookies and top them with marshmallow on day one; enrobe in chocolate on day two.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal and Dessert
    Alex Lau
    15/73

    Warm Cocoa Pudding with Candied Pecans

    The only thing better than cold chocolate pudding straight out of the fridge? Warm chocolate pudding right off the stove, with a crunchy, sweet topping. No time to make candied nuts? Top with crushed chocolate-covered pretzels instead.

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  • Image may contain Soil Food and Pork
    Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Simon Andrews, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    16/73

    Fresh Mint and Chocolate Ice Cream

    Close out a romantic Valentine's Day dinner with a cool scoop of this refreshingly minty frozen dessert that doesn't even require an ice cream maker.

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  • Image may contain Cutlery Spoon Plant and Food
    Photograph by Chona Kasinger, prop styling by Callie Meyer
    17/73

    Tibok-Tibok

    This eggless Filipino pudding gets extra-bold chocolate flavor by using the twin powers of cocoa powder and melted bittersweet chocolate.

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  • A chocolate pie with whipped cream topping sits in a clear glass pie plate with one slice removed.
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Drew Aichele, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka
    18/73

    Frozen Greek Yogurt Blackout Pie

    Want to up the ante of this easy no-bake pie? Swap in chocolate graham crackers for the crust—but don't skip the cocoa.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    19/73

    Salted Chocolate Halva

    Skip the store-bought sampler and wrap up a few bars of this sophisticated bittersweet-chocolate coated sesame candy instead. Dried edible flowers add a punch of color to the top.

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  • Image may contain Food Dessert Confectionery Sweets Bread and Muffin
    Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    20/73

    Caramel Crunch–Chocolate Chunklet Cookies

    These chocolate chunklet cookies are ingeniously baked in a muffin tin, resulting in perfectly crispy, caramelized edges and soft centers.

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  • Overhead shot of chocolate cream pie with flaky crust chocolate pudding and mounds of whipped cream dusted with cocoa.
    Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    21/73

    Chocolate Pudding Pie

    Call it chocolate pudding pie or chocolate cream pie, either way this old-school diner-style dessert is just as good as you remember (maybe even better).

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  • Image may contain Food Dessert Cake Dish Meal Icing Creme and Cream
    Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh
    22/73

    Chocolate-Matcha Butter Mochi Cake

    In the spirit of Hawaiian butter mochi, this head-turning cake requires minimal cleanup and no fancy equipment.

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  • This image may contain Food Dessert Creme Cream Fudge and Chocolate
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Emily Eisen
    23/73

    Coconut-Chocolate Mousse

    Choose a chocolate that does not exceed 64% cacao for a mousse with the smoothest texture. If you want the mousse to be fully non-dairy, look for a vegan chocolate bar, though the flavor may differ slightly.

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  • Image may contain Plant Nut Food Vegetable Confectionery Sweets and Dessert
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova
    24/73

    Chocolate-Almond Fridge Fudge

    There's a secret ingredient that helps replace the dairy in this vegan, fudgelike treat. Just kidding; it's not a secret...it's avocado!

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  • This image may contain Food Dessert Chocolate Confectionery and Sweets
    Photo by Heidi's Bridge, styling by Molly Baz
    25/73

    Chocolate Dutch Baby

    Faster than a soufflé, easier than a molten chocolate cake, and more delicious than both.

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  • Chocolate Buttermilk Pie
    Photo by Noah Fecks. ©The Twisted Soul Cookbook: Modern Soul Food with Global Flavors by Deborah VanTrece, Rizzoli New York, 2021. 
    26/73

    Chocolate Buttermilk Pie

    Buttermilk adds a great tang to this mildly sweet, smooth, and custardy pie with a deep chocolate flavor from chef Deborah VanTrece.

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  • Chocolate ganache tart slices
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime
    31/73

    Chocolate Ganache Tart

    This deceptively simple chocolate tart has a press-in nut crust that just so happens to be gluten-free.

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  • Image may contain Confectionery Food Sweets Wristwatch Dessert and Chocolate
    Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    32/73

    Chocolate Blackout Cookies

    We love the look of the homemade extra-long sprinkles on these whoopie-pie-type cookies, but they take a steady hand and a wealth of patience to shape. Use any store-bought sprinkle in their place.

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  • This image may contain Plant Food Vegetable and Produce
    Photo by Alex Lau
    33/73

    Chocolate Budino With Candied Walnuts

    This deliciously wobbly pudding is made with chocolate, milk, cream, and eggs and spiked with olive oil and salt. To die for!

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  • salty buckwheat chocolate chunk cookies
    Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susan Spungen 
    34/73

    Salty Buckwheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies

    When’s the last time a chocolate chip cookie surprised you? This one, which gets its speckled look, earthy, nutty flavor, and chewy middle from buckwheat flour, might just become your new favorite.

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  • Glutenfree thanksgiving dessert
    Photographs by Jenny Huang, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    35/73

    Chocolate Buckwheat Cake

    This gluten-free cake is decadent and moist, with a surprising soufflé-like texture.

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  • Image may contain Dish Platter Food Meal Pork Dessert and Chocolate
    Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li
    36/73

    Gluten-Free Chocolate-Tahini Brownies

    David Lebovitz’s timeless gluten-free brownie recipe inspired our own GF take on classic fudgy brownies with a modern, sweet tahini swirl.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal and Platter
    Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li
    43/73

    Chocolate Sablés With Date Sugar

    Date sugar gives these meltingly tender cookies an earthy sweetness that hinges on the border of just sweet enough. They're for dark chocolate lovers only.

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  • Image may contain Coffee Cup Cup Drink Latte Beverage Saucer and Pottery
    Eva Kolenko
    44/73

    Dark-Chocolate Mousse

    You know what never, ever goes out of style? Airy, silky, light-as-a-feather but rich-as-sin chocolate mousse. Don't forget the whipped cream.

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  • A slice of Brooklyn Blackout Cake with three layers of sponge two layer of chocolate pudding and a ganache frosting.
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Judy Mancini.
    45/73

    Brooklyn Blackout Cake

    Three layers of super moist cake + two layers of creamy pudding = a chocolate lover’s dream.

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  • Image may contain Food Dessert Chocolate Fudge Plant and Cocoa
    Photo by Heidi's Bridge, styling by Molly Baz
    46/73

    Chocolate Nutella Pudding

    You can make the pudding and hazelnuts ahead of time for this decadent dessert, but keep them separate until ready to serve so that the nuts stay crunchy.

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  • Image may contain Food Bread Plant Confectionery Sweets Dish and Meal
    Tuukka Koski
    51/73

    Caramel-Dipped Popovers with Chocolate Mousse

    Dunk the base of salty cheddar cheese popovers in crackly caramel, then fill them with a light and airy chocolate mouse for a dessert with all the texture you could ever want.

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  • Black and white zebra striped shortbread cookies with colored sprinkles on their borders
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susan Spungen, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    52/73

    Zebra-Striped Shortbread Cookies

    If the swirly pattern on these cookies looks too difficult for you to achieve, fear not. We promise, even a novice can pull it off.

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  • Image may contain Cutlery Spoon Food Dessert Creme Cream and Jar
    Eva Kolenko
    55/73

    Dark Chocolate Semifreddo

    The texture of this airy semifreddo is somewhere between frozen chocolate mousse and gelato. In other words: You’re going to love it.

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  • Image may contain Food Confectionery Sweets Dessert Chocolate Animal Seafood Sea Life and Lobster
    Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Sue Li
    56/73

    Pizzettes

    The short bake time in this recipe isn’t a typo—these cookies should be moist and fudgy in the center, almost like a brownie.

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  • A slice of black forest layer cake with four layers of chocolate sponge sandwiches with cherry preserves ganache and...
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou and Natasha Pickowicz, prop styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky
    59/73

    Black Forest Layer Cake With Cherry Preserves

    Some chocolate cakes can be overwhelmingly intense, but this one manages to feel light and balanced, with no single component dominating the others.

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  • A slice of chocolate fudge cake placed upright on a plate with remaining cake in the background.
    Photo by Shay Harrington
    60/73

    Chocolate Fudge Cake

    This chocolate fudge cake is ultra-rich and crazy chocolatey. Beating the butter and sugar thoroughly ensures the crumb will have some lightness to it.

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  • Image may contain Plant and Food
    Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    61/73

    Free-Form Chocolate Candies

    Known as mendiants in France, these adorned chocolate bites are a Christmas tradition, but if you garnish them with bae's favorite things, they make a great Valentine's Day treat.

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  • Image may contain Creme Cream Food Dessert Animal Bird and Whipped Cream
    62/73

    Fallen Chocolate Cake

    If this cake collapses in on itself after you've taken it out of the oven: Congratulations! That's exactly what it's suppose to do.

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  • Image may contain Food Dessert Creme Cream and Cake
    69/73

    Mile-High Chocolate Pie

    This chocolate pie recipe has everything you need in order to live: chocolate wafer cookies for crunch, fluffy chocolate mousse filling, and crème fraîche meringue.

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  • Image may contain Food Creme Dessert Cream and Whipped Cream
    Alex Lau
    70/73

    Chocolate Pots de Crème

    If you like darker chocolate, feel free to use something with a high percentage of cacao here. Milk chocolate works too, if that’s your thing.

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  • Image may contain Cutlery Fork Human Person Food Dessert Confectionery Sweets Bread Chocolate and Cake
    Peter Frank Edwards
    71/73

    Malted Chocolate Cake

    Yes, those are crushed chocolate malt balls adorning this cake. And, yes, we did eat them first immediately after taking this picture.

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  • Image may contain Plant Confectionery Food Sweets Vegetable Nut Dessert and Chocolate
    Alex Lau
    72/73

    Chocolate Éclairs

    The éclairs will begin to get soggy as soon as they are filled, so be sure to wait until just before you're ready to make the chocolate fondant to add the pastry cream.

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