Food Desserts & Baking Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 7, 2023 Trending Videos Photo: Kelsey Hansen Chocolate lovers, these are for you: rich-and-gooey chocolate dessert recipes, including pie, pudding, cake, cookies, fondue and brownies. 01 of 38 German Chocolate Cake Kelsey Hansen This celebration cake is a staple at Bake Chicago. It has a wonderfully fudgy, old-fashioned, homemade texture. The frosting has an unusual method that may feel initially like it's failing, but stick with it. Laced with sour cream, it's creamy and utterly delicious. Meet Five Midwest Cake Creators (and Try Their Recipes) View Recipe 02 of 38 Chocolate Cream Cups Brie Goldman This ultra-rich pudding—a relatively quick make-ahead dessert—has a consistency just shy of a luxe truffle. Each spoonful is a moment to savor. View Recipe 03 of 38 Bittersweet Chocolate Tart This rich, creamy (and surprisingly easy!) chocolate tart is the most-requested recipe at the Savory Spoon Cooking School in Door County, Wisconsin. View Recipe 04 of 38 Chocolate Chai Bundt Cake with Candied Oranges and Rum Buttah Kelsey Hansen Reine Keis of SweetArt Cafe in St. Louis says that the secret to vegan baking is not assuming that one plant-based alternative fits all recipes. In this truly cozy cake, coconut yogurt is her power play. View Recipe 05 of 38 Gâteau au Chocolate Blaine Moats This exceedingly moist and rich (but so simple!) cake is all about chocolate and butter; if you can swing it, choose top-quality brands. Valentine's Day Dessert Recipes View Recipe 06 of 38 Coconut Chocolate Squares Carson Downing Orange marmalade is a nice surprise in these rich (and ribbon-winning) bars created by Iowa State Fair entrant Marianne Carlson. Our Best Bar Cookies View Recipe 07 of 38 Salted Almond Truffle Tart One of our testers described this tart's filling as "chocolate butter." We couldn't agree more. It's fantastically rich, with roast-toasty salted almonds in the crust and flaky sea salt on top to balance the sweetness. View Recipe 08 of 38 Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Brie Passano Take the layers in: Cookie-crumb crust. Dark chocolate cheesecake. Vanilla cheesecake speckled with raspberries and orange zest. A heap of fresh fruit. What a stunner! Rich and Creamy Cheesecakes View Recipe 09 of 38 Mood-Booster Cookies Brie Passano Slip yourself one of these insanely rich morsels, which fall somewhere between a truffle and a cookie, on those gray afternoons when only chocolate will do. The Midwest's Best Cookies View Recipe 10 of 38 Fudgy Stout Brownies Fans of cakey brownies, step away now. These squares are dense and rich, thanks to brown sugar, extra egg yolks—and more than half a can of stout. Your friends and family may not be able to identify the beer, but its toasted malt flavor brings depth to every bite. Rich, Moist Brownie Recipes View Recipe 11 of 38 S'Mores Squares Jason Donnelly These bars are a grown-up spin on a campfire classic: buttery graham cracker crust, chocolate mousse, toasty meringue. View Recipe 12 of 38 Double Chocolate Pound Cake No doubt, this is a chocolate-lover's cake, richly flavored and crusted on the outside with a coating of mini chips and a dusting of cocoa powder. The recipe comes from Nathaniel Reid Bakery in St. Louis. Hazelnut and Milk Chocolate Pound Cake View Recipe 13 of 38 Hot Fudge Sauce Jacob Fox Chocolate cravings have met their match: In 15 minutes, you can melt six ingredients into the thickest, gooiest ice cream topping. View Recipe 14 of 38 Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes Top these gooey-center, intense chocolate desserts with powdered sugar. View Recipe 15 of 38 Chocolate Cream Pie The filling of this chocolate-crust pie is luscious, but not too rich. (Think old-fashioned chocolate pudding.) A bit of sour cream in the whipped topping balances the chocolate perfectly. Make Your Best Pie Ever View Recipe 16 of 38 Our Best-Ever Chocolate Cake This recipe has been perfected through the years. We think you'll agree that it is the moistest, richest, "chocolatiest" cake ever. Of the many ways to frost it, we vote for our classic Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting— though you can certainly use your family's favorite. Ultimate Cake Recipes View Recipe 17 of 38 Chocolate Truffles Using an easy method from Pete's Chocolate Co. in Detroit, you can make a dazzling array of rich, creamy chocolate truffles. (Note: The yield varies depending if you use bittersweet, milk or white chocolate, so read the recipe carefully before starting. And know that you can double it if desired.) Delectable Candies and Treats View Recipe 18 of 38 Chocolate Pumpkin Cake This utterly unforgettable autumn cake layers moist chocolate-pumpkin cake, luscious milk chocolate ganache and fluffy pumpkin-spice whipped cream. The recipe comes from Minnesota blogger Amanda Rettke (iambaker.net). See a short video about how to make this cake. View Recipe 19 of 38 Caramel Pecan Skillet Brownie Blaine Moats Caramel in the bottom of the pan melds with the brownie, creating a dessert so rich and gooey that you need a spoon to serve it. Because cast iron holds heat, the brownie will still be warm when you go back for seconds. View Recipe 20 of 38 Tiny Chocolate Torte with Salted Ganache Say hello to your new sinfully rich dinner-party standby. Bonus: It's gluten-free. (Try our Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, too!) View Recipe 21 of 38 Cookie Jar Double Chocolate Chip Cookies These soft, no-restraint chocolate chip cookies pack in cocoa powder, chocolate chips and a very chocolatey chocolate frosting. View Recipe 22 of 38 Chocolate Mocha Gooey Butter Cake We used a cake mix in the crust for this creamy chocolate dessert from the former Chocolate Cafe and Coffee House in Missouri. The recipe makes a generous 24 bars, so it's perfect for a potluck. View Recipe 23 of 38 Dark Mocha Mousse A dollop of whipped cream foam crowns this rich, chocolatey mousse. For maximum fun, serve the mousse in mugs. View Recipe 24 of 38 Cafe Latte's Turtle Cake Blaine Moats Sheer three-layered audacity put this creation from a Saint Paul bakery in our hall of fame: buttermilk-cocoa cake, candylike chocolate frosting and creamy caramel sauce. View Recipe 25 of 38 Oreo Truffles Robert Jacobs Photography These easy candies look elegant but are simple to make. This holiday dessert recipe comes from the Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls in Logan, Ohio. View Recipe 26 of 38 Raspberry-Hazelnut Swirl Brownies Seedless raspberry preserves and chopped toasted hazelnuts add a little crunch and sweet-sour pop to fudge brownies. View Recipe 27 of 38 Double-Chocolate Bread Pudding with Strawberry Sauce This rich bread pudding made in the slow cooker has deep chocolate flavor, thanks to a combo of chocolate chips and cocoa powder. The simple strawberry sauce has just two ingredients. Divine Slow-Cooker Desserts View Recipe 28 of 38 Chocolate-Caramel Fondue Just three ingredients go into this quick dessert: sweetened condensed milk, caramel ice cream topping and chocolate. Vary your dippers to match the mood of your party. View Recipe 29 of 38 Country Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting Begging for a crown of birthday candles, this layer cake has two kitchen tricks working in its favor. Mayonnaise yields a moist crumb; sour cream keeps sugary buttercream in tangy check. (Note: This recipe makes enough frosting to fill and frost the entire cake [top and sides]. To leave the sides unfrosted as we did in our photograph, just make a half batch. View Recipe 30 of 38 Triple Coffee Brownies These brownies pack a coffee punch from coffee liqueuer (or strong brewed coffee) added to the batter as well as stirred into powdered sugar for drizzling on top. The final touch: a garnish of chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans. View Recipe 31 of 38 Mini Chocolate Soufflés These warm, bittersweet puffs have coffee in them, but you'd never know it. Performing culinary sleight of hand, the hidden ingredient just helps chocolate taste more chocolatey, like a capful of vanilla would, but with a darker intent. View Recipe 32 of 38 Triple-Chocolate Bread What goes best with chocolate? More chocolate. What goes best with our Triple-Chocolate Bread? Whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a glass of cold milk. View Recipe 33 of 38 Gooey Chocolate-Caramel Fantasy This luscious dessert includes a chocolate crumb crust and caramel-pecan filling crowned with melted chocolate. View Recipe 34 of 38 Malted Mousse Brownies We stirred chocolate-flavor malt powder into both the brownie base and the lush, fluffy topper. For an extra-indulgent dessert, substitute your favorite homemade brownie recipe. Just be sure it bakes in a 13x9x2-inch pan. View Recipe 35 of 38 Mediterranean Chocolate Mousse If mousse vacationed in a Sicilian villa, this is how it would taste when it came back. Olive oil lends sultry silkiness and fruity complexity. The apricot and pine nut topping is a sun-soaked (but optional) delight. View Recipe 36 of 38 Fudge Brownies The key to a perfect homemade brownie is not overcooking it. Rather than a toothpick test, trust your eyes and nose to tell you when the brownie is set. The center will stay ever-so-slightly moist. View Recipe 37 of 38 Cherry Pie Crepes a La Mode Wrapping the crepes into fruit-filled bundles means that you can assemble them ahead, store them in the fridge, and then zap them in the microwave before serving. (Plus, it's fun to cut in and see the ruby filling spill out.) But for a speedy and pretty variation, just fold the crepes into quarters and top with the cherries and ice cream. View Recipe 38 of 38 Chocolate Panini Assemble this quick-and-easy dessert while your main dish cooks. Just before serving, toast the sweet sandwich until the chocolate filling is warm and gooey. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit