Dessert Recipes

Poached pears with chocolate drizzle: Bosc pear wedges simmered in white wine and apple juice with warm spices, then crowned with melted dark chocolate. An elegant light dessert.

Zucchini Double Chocolate Cake: a 13x9 cake with cocoa batter, melted chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and two cups of shredded zucchini. Bakery-style alternating-addition method.

Chocolate-dipped frozen banana bites rolled in assorted toppings. A 4-ingredient no-bake dessert that turns ripe bananas into healthy-ish cold treats for kids and adults alike.

Mud pie with an Oreo cookie crust, coffee ice cream layered with homemade chocolate-marshmallow mud sauce, and Kahlua whipped cream on top. The retro frozen dessert that earned its nickname for a reason.

Buttery shortbread cookies topped with caramel, coated in melted chocolate, and pressed with chopped pecans. Homemade Turtle-style candy cookies that make a gorgeous gift box treat.

Chocolate chip walnut pie with melty chocolate chunks, toasted walnuts, and brown sugar baked into a flaky pastry crust. Cookie-meets-pie hybrid that begs for vanilla ice cream on top.

Soft chocolate-butterscotch cookies built on a melted base of sweetened condensed milk and chips, each topped with a toasted pecan half. Fudgy, candy-like, and easy to mix.

Pecan and chocolate bars with a buttery shortbread base, toffee brickle bits, coconut, and melted chocolate on top. Three layers of crunch, chew, and richness in every square.

Marbled brownies with a vanilla butter batter swirled with melted chocolate chips. Just 6 ingredients for a two-toned treat that's fudgy, buttery, and beautiful.

Coconut pecan upside-down cake with chocolate chips, dark brown sugar, and a tender vanilla butter cake. Like a German chocolate cake meets a skillet dessert.

Rocky road dessert pizza with a brown sugar cookie crust, melted chocolate, puffed marshmallows, and chopped peanuts drizzled with more chocolate. A fun holiday treat.

Intensely rich chocolate mousse with semi-sweet chips, egg, vanilla, almond extract, and crème de cacao whipped with hot cream: few can eat more than one small serving.

Layered white chocolate raspberry cheesecake with chocolate wafer crust and dark chocolate whipped cream topping. Slow-baked low and slow for a silky, crack-free finish.

Baci di Dama are Italian "lady's kisses": delicate ground almond cookies with candied orange peel, sandwiched together with melted chocolate. Gluten-light, flourless-forward, and elegant enough for gifting.

Rich chocolate cupcakes hiding a cream cheese and chocolate chip center that stays molten and gooey. The cocoa batter gets its lift from vinegar and baking soda, yielding a tender, fudgy crumb. Makes 3 dozen crowd-pleasers.

Mom said we had to have this even if Melissa didn't send it in. She's right, there is no way to each just one piece. So....easy.