Chocolate

These "Hawks Bars" are so good, chef-owners Michael Fagnoni and Molly Hawks named them after their restaurant. Super-sweet, fudgy brownies are topped with layers of white-chocolate-flavored caramel, bittersweet-chocolate ganache, and candied pecans and served with a scoop of not-too-sweet Cacao Nib Gelato. Incredible.

Children of all ages will adore these homemade frozen treats. My recipe for Yummy Chocolate Cookies pairs perfectly with a variety of ice cream flavors. So you can be as creative as you want in choosing a filling—or two!

Use a tablespoon to shape the dough.

Almost every ingredient in this delicious chocolate cake is a pantry staple, making this a time-saving, budget-friendly dessert that still feeds a crowd. Plus, it keeps well, so even if you do have leftovers, you can enjoy the cake all week.

The satiny hazelnut-flavored chocolate called gianduia—named for the masked character Gianduia of the centuries-old Italian commedia dell'arte—makes for a gelato that is suave and intense.

*Soy-free All I can say is TRUST ME. We use vegetables in other desserts (think carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie), so why not beets? No one would ever guess that the incredible moisture and beautiful color of this cake comes from an earthy root vegetable!

The alias for this cake might be "Extreme Chocolate." It is particularly rich and fudgy, calling for both bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder and topped with a glaze that is equally indulgent.

Goldies, my organic twist on a Twinkie, have become one of my most notorious treats. I like to bake these with an easy chocolate cake (which just happens to be vegan) as a base, as it's the perfect partner to the sweet, creamy filling and dark, almost Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache . For a chic finish, I brush them with gold metallic dust. To give the Goldies their unique look, you will need specialty baking pans. These pans are commonly sold as éclair pans, but since éclairs went out of style two decades ago, you may have better luck ordering them (and the wrappers if you want) online through cooking-supply stores such as kitchenkrafts.com, sugarcraft.com, or cakedeco.com.

I love using this as a frosting or a filling because it is light and creamy, and less sweet than the Classic Americana Icing. It tastes just like whipped cream. Editor's note: This recipe is used as the filling for Sarah Magid's Goldies , an organic take on Twinkies.

Let the ganache cool to lukewarm before you use it. If it's too hot, it will simply absorb into the cake and disappear. Editor's note: This recipe is used to complete Sarah Magid's Goldies , an organic take on Twinkies.

Praline, a southern candy, forms the top of this showstopping cake.

These brown-sugar brownies have a lovely cakey texture. For an extradecadent dessert, top each blondie with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle with caramel or chocolate sauce, and sprinkle with peanuts.

The white chocolate ganache mimics the steamed-milk foam on the top of a cappuccino. A dusting of cinnamon completes the homage.

The perfect dessert for your next barbecue: This chilled pie is an appealing combination of chocolate, berries, and lemon. And all it takes is a food processor and a whisk. The crust—made from chocolate wafer cookies and melted chocolate—is simply pressed into the pan. The filling is just a mix of sweet, bright, and tangy ingredients.

It's not a real party without chocolate! Savor this sweet treat and you'll get 20 percent of your daily calcium.

Baking the cake in one 12-inch round pan creates a dessert with presence. Assorted edible flowers make an easy, great-looking garnish.

This buttery shortbread is a treat for all ages. Kids can help stir the dough with a wooden spoon.

These flat, chewy, half whole-wheat cookies are for the chocolate chip purist: no nuts, no frills—pure bliss. They will fly out of the kitchen mysteriously. Use a 1-ounce (2-tablespoon-capacity) ice-cream scoop for easy measuring.

Editor's note: The recipe below is from Kimberly Kennedy's The Art and Craft of Entertaining. For Kennedy's baby shower tips click here.