There’s no denying that a rich bite of chocolate can make any day better. Depending on your mood, you might choose white, milk, semi-sweet, or dark—is there any craving chocolate can’t cure? But while milk chocolate might reign supreme in our beloved candy bars, here is a collection of our favorite dark chocolate recipes that celebrate its intensity and sophistication. There are seasonal treats like our No-Bake Dark Chocolate-Peppermint Sandwich Cookies, as well as treats that’ll be a hit any time of the year. You can even make a batch of glamorous Dark Chocolate Sablés—a rendition of the famous French butter cookies. Whether you’ll looking for an easy dessert to bake just because or are preparing for a house filled with guests, you can depend on these delectable dark chocolate desserts for a little taste of heaven.
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee Montiel
Chocolate ganache—made simply with heavy cream and chocolate—creates the indulgent filling of this no-bake pie, showcasing the rich flavor of semisweet chocolate. Feel free to switch up the type of chocolate to suit your taste, whether you love milk or dark varieties.
Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This layered pie is an absolute dream for chocolate lovers, and if you need an excuse to make it, it got rave reviews in our Test Kitchen.
Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Ali Ramee; Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood
These mini cakes are totally decadent and make quite the impression for a dinner party. Thanks to our Test Kitchen pros, there’s actually a way to prep these mini masterpieces ahead of time, too.
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Cranberries and pistachios add a festive red and green touch to this chocolate bark that’s perfect for gifting during the holidays.
Greg Dupree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Sweet raspberries and slightly bitter dark chocolate are a beautiful match in this gooey dessert. Don’t forget a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of your serving!
Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
With dark chocolate, a bit of espresso, and a chocolate-peppermint ganache on top, these rich brownies have so much flavor in every bite. Leaving a few inches of parchment paper to hang over the sides of the pan ensures you can pull the brownies out to slice them with no sticking.
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones
These adorable cookies are a guaranteed win at the annual cookie swap (even if it’s not a competition). Even those who aren’t the biggest fans of gingerbread will love this chocolate version this holiday season.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
We topped this decadent flourless cake with raspberries and powdered sugar for a pretty finish, but it would also be delicious with strawberries and vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Greg Dupree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Peanut butter and chocolate go together like cornbread and buttermilk. With this recipe, you can serve a big-batch lava cake to the whole family instead of individual servings.
Jen Causey; Food Stylist: Ana Kelly; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This layered beauty is the ultimate finale for a dinner party spread. If you somehow have leftovers, you can freeze individual slices for enjoying later.
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
The humble saltine cracker is the backbone of plenty of our favorite old-school Southern recipes, and this festive bark is ripe for gifting during the holidays.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Chilled, layered desserts like Chocolate Delight are often reserved for hot summer months, but the flavors of our Hot Chocolate Lasagna were made for winter. Cozy up with a slice of this big-batch dessert.
Store-bought chocolate wafers are coated in bittersweet chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candies for what might be one of the easiest desserts ever. Add coconut oil into your dark chocolate to boost the shine and make for easier dipping. Top with crushed peppermints, candy canes, star mints, sprinkles, or any other holiday garnish that suits your fancy.
These banging good cookies are the size of the small plate after they get a good bang halfway through baking. The thin cookies are crispy on the outside with a gooey mix of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate inside. Dust with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt after cooking.
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
This new twist on peppermint or chocolate bark makes for a sweet food gift for neighbors, teachers, or anyone that could use a little happy. You need just five ingredients and a little patience for it to chill in the fridge.
The traditional French butter cookie gets the chocolate treatment—and only the most intense, seductive chocolate will do. Dip one half of each cookie into melted chocolate after baking. Add a sprinkle of sea salt or chopped pecans to accentuate the earthy flavor.
Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox
This cake upholds one classic principle: chocolate is made to be enjoyed on its own, in various forms, and with little distraction. The cake is made of three distinct layers of chocolate. The marrying chocolate flavors and textures are topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache and tart berries.
Will Dickey; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Ali Ramee
Here’s another recipe that leaves out the flour so that chocolate can reign supreme. Thanks to whipped egg whites, these cookies are airy and crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside. If that wasn’t enough, each cookie is filled with toasted chopped pecans and gooey pockets of melted chocolate.
There’s a lot going on in a Mississippi Mud Cake, but it’s the dark chocolate sheet cake that ties it all together. Mini marshmallows and chopped pecans are suspended in a rich batter, then iced with creamy chocolate frosting. This recipe is classic for a family cookout.
This cheesecake is the definition of decadent, beginning with a crust of crushed dark-chocolate shortbread cookies. After baking, the cheesecake is coated with a silky layer of dark chocolate ganache. If you’re feeling fancy, use melted white chocolate to draw a delicate snowflake on top.
Rather than muting the intense flavor of chocolate with cakey ingredients, our Chocolate Torte uses no flour and a small amount of sugar, allowing decadent chocolate to take center stage. Whipped eggs provide structure to the torte, which expands dramatically in the oven, then collapses into a soft, airy treat. Give it a dusting of cocoa powder and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
