Chocolate desserts don’t have to mean spending half the afternoon baking. Some of these recipes take just a few minutes, while others are worth a little extra time when you want a proper dessert.
There are plenty of cookies here, but also a rich flourless cake, chocolate-covered banana bites, cake pops, and white chocolate bark. So whether you want something quick after dinner or a dessert for a party, there’s a little bit of everything.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate crinkle cookies are somewhere between a cookie and a brownie. They’re soft and fudgy in the middle, slightly crisp around the edges, and covered in powdered sugar before baking to give them that familiar cracked top.
The dough is made with cocoa powder and basic pantry ingredients, so you don’t need anything unusual. Just remember to give it 30 to 60 minutes in the fridge before shaping the cookies. They’re especially good around Christmas, but there’s really no reason to wait until December to make them.
Easy Cake Pops With Cake Mix
Cake pops look like a lot more work than they actually are, especially when you start with a box of cake mix.
Bake the cake, crumble it, mix it with frosting, and roll everything into small balls. Once they’ve chilled, they’re dipped in melted chocolate and finished with sprinkles.
You can change the cake flavor, frosting, chocolate, and decorations depending on what you’re making them for. They’re an easy choice for birthdays and school parties, and kids can help with the decorating.
Chocolate Almond Banana Bites
This is probably the simplest chocolate dessert on the list.
Slice bananas into thick pieces, spoon melted dark or semi-sweet chocolate over them, and finish with chopped roasted almonds. That’s pretty much it.
You can eat them right away or chill them for 10 to 15 minutes if you prefer the chocolate firm. They also freeze well, so you can keep a batch around when you want something sweet without baking an entire dessert.
Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake
If you’re looking for something richer, this flourless chocolate cake is the one I’d pick.
It’s made with dark chocolate, butter, brown sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, and a little coffee to bring out more of the chocolate flavor. There isn’t any flour, and the center stays soft and fudgy rather than turning into a regular fluffy cake.
It looks good with nothing more than powdered sugar and a few berries on top, which also makes it an easy dessert when you have people coming over.
Dubai Chocolate Cookies
These aren’t your regular chocolate cookies.
The chocolate cookie base has a creamy pistachio center, roasted kataifi for crunch, and pieces of pistachio chocolate. You get soft, creamy, and crispy textures in the same cookie.
The recipe only makes two large cookies, which I actually like when you just want dessert without ending up with two dozen cookies sitting in the kitchen. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you’re making them for more people.
White Chocolate Bark With Cranberries & Pistachios
White chocolate bark is another easy one because there’s no actual baking involved.
Melt white chocolate with a little coconut oil, spread it into a pan, and scatter chopped pistachios and dried cranberries over the top. Then put it in the refrigerator until firm and break it into pieces.
The cranberries cut through some of the sweetness of the white chocolate, while the pistachios add plenty of crunch. It’s particularly good for Christmas, either on a dessert platter or packed into small boxes as a homemade gift.
Quickest Chocolate Chip Cookie
Sometimes you want a chocolate chip cookie but don’t want to make an entire batch. This recipe solves that problem.
Everything is mixed in a mug or small bowl and cooked in the microwave for about 40 to 60 seconds. You end up with a warm, soft chocolate chip cookie that you can eat straight from the mug.
Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you want to turn it into more of a dessert. From start to finish, this one takes only a few minutes.
Classic Hedgehog Cookies
These chocolate hedgehog cookies are worth making just for how they look.
The cookie base starts with chocolate cake mix, which keeps the recipe simple. Chocolate sprinkles create the hedgehog’s spikes, while melted white chocolate and a little black icing are used for the face.
They make about 24 cookies and are a fun recipe to make with kids since decorating them is half the point. I’d also keep this one in mind for birthday parties, bake sales, or any dessert table where you want something a little different.