Cocoa

It's just as tasty without booze but only as good as the chocolate you use, so shop accordingly.

I've done some crazy, unconventional things in baking, but using avocados in place of butter may just be the craziest. Believe it or not, it works! For these chewy cookies made with chunks of chocolate and walnuts in every bite, I use absolutely no butter. They taste too good to be light—and you can't detect the taste of avocados at all. I tested these out on many unsuspecting adults, children, and teens, and everyone loved them. Karina, my college-age daughter, was the ultimate test—she's a true chocoholic. She thinks they're pretty awesome!

No need to fear this layer cake: It's made with a simple stir-together method using just two pans. The frosting is dead easy, and the whole thing keeps well. A go-to cake for birthdays, Easter (with chocolate eggs on top), or any time you need a nice piece of good old gooey chocolate cake.

If you can find candied chestnuts, simply toss them in the cocoa with one tablespoon of brown sugar (no need to glaze them first).

Bar-shaped desserts abound in the Midwest. This version is particularly rich.

Crunchy, toasty coconut chips transform a simple loaf cake.

To create this Girl Scout cookie–inspired dessert, grind Thin Mints and use them to make the cookie crust for a luscious mint chocolate cheesecake.

Turkish coffee is ubiquitous in Israel. This dessert has a caffeine kick that'll keep your party guests awake so they can enjoy every last bit of the delicious food you prepared. 

With a cocoa-infused batter and chopped chocolate stirred throughout, these indulgent waffles are just the thing to make any morning feel special.

When making the candied almonds, stir them until the caramel transforms into a dry, crystallized coating.

A refreshing homemade soda that can quench a thirst as well as feed a chocolate fix. Refrigerate the leftover chocolate syrup for another use.

No one has to know these moist, chewy, decadent chocolate cookies are totally wheat-free.

If you have a fetish for dark chocolate, this will fuel your flame. It will also energize your body with antioxidants that boost blood flow to the brain (and a few other vital organs). Cocoa, kale, and cherries, three beloved and sexy superfoods, contain flavonoids and antioxidants that fight heart disease and diabetes and even promote brain growth.

I'll eat just about anything with "sticky" in the title, which prompted me to create a sticky energy bar my raw foodie friends and I can savor together. I've cast sesame seeds in a lead role here because I'm tired of seeing one of my favorite ingredients marginalized atop hamburger buns and everything bagels—they have a terrific earthy-nutty flavor and a delicate crunch that goes well with so many dishes. Moreover, their nutritional profile will leave you star-struck. Sesame
seeds are a very good source of manganese and copper and a good source of protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, and dietary fiber. Further, they contain two special types of fiber, sesamin and sesamolin, which are members of the lignans group and can lower "bad" cholesterol and help prevent high blood pressure. And did I mention chocolate? Namely, raw chocolate drizzle? Sesame seeds plus raw chocolate drizzle equals crazy good.

These protein "truffles" are so ridiculously easy that I feel somewhat silly adding them to this collection. Then again, my super-simple, silly recipes are often my most popular. They are certainly favorites in my repertoire, in large part because of their fast factor, but also because of their portability and candy-like appeal. Plus, they are endlessly customizable by varying the spices, extracts, and other add-ins, or by giving them a chic coating of chia seeds, cocoa powder, or chopped nuts. Who says pretty and power can’t go together?

Mayonnaise in the batter isn't as weird as it sounds—it's just eggs and oil, after all. It's also why this cake is so moist.

This chocolate and pumpkin mashup is surprising yet delicious. It's so good that you don't have to brûlée the top,though that effect surely makes the pie a show stopper.

The first cupcake Matt ever added to the Robicelli's repertoire was "The CPB": chocolate cake and peanut butter buttercream topped with roasted peanuts and rich chocolate ganache. Sounds awesome, right? Of course it's awesome—how the hell can you screw something like that up? Of course, we eventually tired of awesome and needed to go past that to "mind blowing." So we decided to roll the entire damn thing in crushed-up pretzels and pour more chocolate over the top. You're welcome.