From tarts to cakes to cookies, we have a recipe for all things chocolate!
A lil chocolate malt cake for 4 from the cookbook Little Everyday Cakes by Nashvillian Candace Floyd. Kids will love the crunchy malted milk balls at the center and adults will love the rich flavor. This recipe is also featured in the Edible Nashville Cookbook!
2. Chocolate Basque Cheesecake
Excerpted from For the Love of Chocolate, by Phillip Ashley Rix, we couldn’t run to the kitchen fast enough to make this glorious cheesecake. And we had all the ingredients taboot. This crustless cheesecake is super creamy due to the eggs and almost fudge, as it has no crust, also making it super easy to whip up. Now in our regular rotation.
This recipe comes from Cassandra at DURĆI Chocolate. The secret to exceptional hot chocolate is starting with exceptional chocolate. Add a drop or two of peppermint extract and finish with a peppermint stick for a festive twist. For a little heat, add cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne. Or turn it into a fireside treat with a toasted marshmallow and crushed graham cracker on top. This recipe is featured in our fall 2026 issue of the magazine.
4. Dorie Greenspan’s Chocolate Melody Cookies
This recipe comes from Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. “Once upon a time, the Nabisco company made a cookie called Melody. They were large and round — I’m told by a cookie-dunker that they were just the right size to fit into a glass of milk — had scalloped edges and were topped with sparkly sugar. They were thin, crunchy and more cocoa- flavored than chocolatey. They were beloved. But evidently not enough, because sometime in the 1970s, production ceased. Search — I did — and you’ll find eulogies to the Melody, but no recipe. Until now.
5. “Billionaire” Chocolate Praline Shortbread
My grandmother made incredible shortbread cookies, but just as I do with every treat I dream up, I added chocolate. And caramel. And praline nuts. This take on millionaire’s shortbread is so good that I think it’s worth even more than a cool million. (Note: This caramel uses the “dry” method and might take you a try or two before you perfect it.) –Phillip Ashley
6. Chocolate Sour Cream Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Glaze
Grated zucchini makes this cake super moist, and of course is abundant this time of year. This recipe is excerpted from The Harvest Baker by Ken Haedrich with photography by Johnny Autry.
7. Peanut Butter Chocolate Fridge Cake
This dessert (which is what a Resses peanut butter cup that collides with a cheese cake and a S’more tastes like), is perfect for Fourth of July grill-outs. It’s already made. It won’t melt as quickly as popsicles. Just slice and serve. Make a day ahead to get thoroughly set and chilled.
8. Decadent Three-Layer Chocolate Cake
This chocolate cake From Juniper Green caterers has the unusual technique of combining a buttermilk, olive oil, egg mixture with the dry ingredients, creating a luscious moist cake. Frosted with a rich chocolate buttercream, it’s perfection.
9. Caitypie’s Chocolate Peppermint Pie
You can’t beat this chocolate peppermint pie for the holidays!
10. Fudgey Chocolate Malt Brownies
This simple recipe for chocolate brownies is the bomb and uses just one bowl! They are super dense and best kept in the fridge. To make super decadent, top with Espresso Chocolate Buttercream.
