As I’ve aged, I have come to appreciate baking much more. While I honestly don’t eat a lot of sweets, the creativity of baking is fun. There is also much precision required. When something turns out right, it feels like a gift – and nothing makes my home cozier than cookies warm out of the oven.
I am sharing some of my favorite dessert recipes I’ve collected through the years (realizing only in retrospect that nearly all are chocolate related).
The chocolate cake recipe down at the bottom is a hand-me-down original from a friend of mine and a gift to you. Enjoy!
5 Awesome Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies.
These may seem difficult to make, but I have found them worth it. They can be time-consuming as you need to roll the peanut butter into the center of the dough ball but I can do these during some quiet down time in the house, when rolling chocolate and peanut butter in my hands feels meditative. I stumbled upon something similar during my second pregnancy and it’s been a torrid love affair since. The key is to make sure you don’t overbake these.
(Interested in more great recipes? Check out my post on the 5 Cookbooks You Should Own.)
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I have searched for years for light, fluffy cookies. Not that there is anything wrong with crunchy cookies, just not my style. But that is all I had been able to make: pancakey chocolate chip cookies with a crunchy exterior. My hunt took me all over the Internet and through Joy of Cooking modifications. Then my mom gave me this recipe. It must have something to do with dissolving the baking soda in hot water first but these turn out so good.
OREO Cookie Balls.
I shared these in our Classic Christmas Cookies post. Everyone loves these. You have to use a food processor to get them as smooth as possible but you can’t go wrong.
Baked Nutella Doughnuts.
I went through a baked doughnuts phase at some point. You don’t even need to make the glaze but, really, why would you skip that? (You do need a doughnut pan to make these.)
Lindsay’s Chocolate Cake.
So named as I was given this recipe by my friend Lindsay over a decade ago. This cake is always a hit, looks beautiful, folks are amazed by how fluffy and tasty it is, and it is based on a box mix.
| Cook Time | 50 minutes |
| Passive Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1 (18.25 oz) package Devil’s Food Cake mix
- 1 (3.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 cup melted butter
- 5 eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Ingredients
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|
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch Bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and almond extract. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat for 4 minutes on medium speed. Blend in chocolate chips. Pour batter in to prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out on to wire rack and cool completely before serving.
This cake fluffs up a lot in the baking! Don't be alarmed but also be sure you use the properly-sized pan.