9 Splurge-Worthy Chocolate Desserts

Featured Article, Healthy Recipes and Nutrition
on November 19, 2014
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Things chocolate lovers know to be true:

A) Chocolate is superior to all other desserts.

B) If a dessert isn’t chocolate, it’s not worth eating.

C) People who claim to “not like chocolate” are crazy and shouldn’t be trusted.

If you’re going to splurge this holiday season, why not splurge on a dessert you actually want to eat rather than the usual ho-hum holiday suspects like pecan pie (woof) and gingerbread cookies (do people seriously like these?). Break the holiday dessert mold and serve up one of these decadent, uber-chocolatey desserts at your next holiday gathering. People will love you for it, we promise.

Tradition, schmadition. Life’s too short. Eat chocolate.

Chocolate Dump Cake

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We’re taking it easy with one of the simplest confections around: dump cake. Essentially, you throw all the ingredients into one bowl, then pour the batter into a pan and bake. Our secret is adding brewed coffee to bring out the rich, chocolaty flavor of the cake, which, in our opinion, doesn’t even need frosting. (But we wouldn’t be opposed to a drizzle of chocolate sauce for an added boost.)

Chocolate Cupcakes for Four 

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Baking that batch of 24 cupcakes seemed like a good idea at the time. But having all those leftovers taunting you until they’re gone? Not. Worth. It. That’s why we developed this recipe, which makes exactly enough batter for four cupcakes. We mix all the ingredients in one bowl, so there’s minimal cleanup, and then decorate with our favorite fluffy frosting. This way, you and the fam can have your cupcakes, eat them and get on with your lives.

Brownie Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting 

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 We showed you how to make just four cupcakes. Next up–and get ready for this one–cupcakes that frost themselves. Here’s how it works: We start by making brownie batter, which is fast and doesn’t require a mixer. Then, when the cupcakes are almost fully baked, we top each one with a marshmallow, return the pan to the oven and watch those white clouds of sweetness melt over the surface. Genius.Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
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Say hello to our big/little friend: the skillet chocolate-chip cookie. You don’t need a mixer to make him (God bless pre-melted butter), and you don’t even need to dirty a cookie sheet in the process. All you need is one oven-safe skillet–and, of course, a tall glass of milk on the side.

Double Chocolate Bread

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’Tis the season for breaking out the major cooking gadgets: the mandoline, the stand mixer, the fat separator. But when you get sick of pulling those beasts out of storage, might we suggest this simple one-bowl recipe for chocolate bread? It’s easy, it’s delicious and it makes for excellent French-toast material.

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We love pretzels. We love brownies. But do you know what we really love? Pretzel brownies. (Obvi.) Here, we throw crushed pretzels into fudgy batter, place whole mini pretzels on top, add a dusting of salt and then bake. After about 25 minutes in the oven, this treat puts the whole “Salty or sweet?” conundrum to rest.
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Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert (named after Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova) that requires little more than turning on your mixer and opening your oven door. This version is made with a chocolate-flavored base and topped with chocolate ganache and a healthy dollop of whipped cream. The result looks as swanky as a cake, but without all that decorating fuss.
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This beer-infused cake goes double-duty on the good stuff (chocolate cake plus melty chocolate chunks) and gets topped off with lightly sweetened whipped cream. Luck of the Irish, indeed.
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It’s officially December, which means there’s no end to tasty treats in sight. Go ahead and splurge on hot chocolate so good, you’ll forget that packaged stuff even exists. (Feeling extra saucy? Add a shot of espresso or a splash of coffee liqueur. It only takes a minute, and the results are oh so indulgent.)