Recipe Sifter

Marshmallow clouds wrap chocolate-pecan cookie dough around frozen mini marshmallows for soft, pillowy cookies with surprise sweet chewy centers. Better than s'mores, baked at home.

The shredded zucchini makes this cake very moist, and the topping adds a nice crunch. Whenever zucchini is in season I freeze some, shredded, in 2 cup amounts so I can make this favorite anytime of the year.

Oaxaca tostada bites: tortilla chips topped with a mole-spiced black bean mash of cocoa, cumin, and cinnamon, cool avocado cream, pepper jack, and lettuce. A no-cook, party-ready Mexican appetizer.

Traditional Panforte di Siena with toasted almonds, hazelnuts, candied orange peel, citron, cocoa, and honey syrup cooked to soft ball stage. A dense Italian Christmas confection.

Pumpernickel bread machine loaf gets its midnight color from molasses, instant coffee, and cocoa powder, with rye, cornmeal, and wheat flakes building deep, earthy German-style flavor.

Fudgy sourdough chocolate cake mixed in one bowl with cocoa, cold coffee, and sourdough starter. Rich, dense, and scratch-made with a tang you can't get from a box mix.

Slow cooker beef and pork chili with secret Southern twists: bacon drippings, coffee, cocoa, and a touch of sugar for deep complexity. Simmer for hours until thick and rich.

Chocolate mint cookies loaded with cocoa, mint extract, and mint chocolate chips for double-mint impact. A low-and-slow bake gives soft, fudgy centers with crackled tops.

A rich, fudgy chocolate sheet cake made with whole wheat flour, cocoa, butter, and sour cream, then drenched in warm pourable cocoa frosting while still in the pan.

Chocolate cheesecake with cocoa powder, Kahlua, and a chocolate wafer crust, finished with sour cream glaze. Coffee-spiked dessert for serious chocolate lovers.

Classic Belgian-style truffles with cognac-spiked dark chocolate ganache centers, double-dipped in melted chocolate and rolled in cocoa powder. A fine-dining-grade petit four for celebrations.

Chocolate Scotch truffles wrap toasted hazelnuts in a whiskey-spiked dark chocolate ganache, then double-dip them in melted chocolate and roll in cocoa powder. A grown-up holiday confection with three textures in every bite.

Frozen hot chocolate blends frozen chocolate-milk cubes into a thick, slushy chill, the iconic NYC dessert made light with low-fat milk and cocoa. Top it with marshmallows or shaved chocolate.

Cocoa-based brownies cut into star shapes for parties and patriotic occasions. A blend of butter and shortening keeps them tender and chewy with a deep chocolate edge.

Whoopie pies with soft, cake-like chocolate cookies sandwiching a silky cooked-flour buttercream. The old-fashioned ermine filling stays light and not too sweet. A New England and Pennsylvania Dutch classic.

You will enjoy the taste of these scrumptious cookies that combine two of the richest flavors in baking: chocolate and peanut butter.