Around the Kitchen Table: Our Favorite Chocolate Desserts + 6-Book #Giveaway!

 

KIM DAVIS: February always means a couple of things to me: first is Valentine’s Day – whether you celebrate yourself, a loved one, or a friend, it’s still a day to cherish love and to share chocolate (or eat it all yourself)! One of my go-to chocolate cake recipes is this Tunnel of Fudge Cake which is featured in my Valentines’ Day-themed cozy mystery, Chocolate Can Be Deadly, along with other chocolate recipes.

The second is my husband’s birthday which comes the day after Valentine’s Day. Since his birthday is practically intertwined with Valentine’s Day, we forego the commercialization of the holiday and instead focus on what is important to us, like family. Given that we have a special needs granddaughter, we skip eating out (too many crowds and long waits, even with reservations, which doesn’t work well for her), and instead, I cook a dinner and dessert of my husband’s choosing. Lately, his favorite has been these No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecakes in a Jar (many thanks to Korina Moss for introducing us to her delicious recipe!), and he requests these fun dessert jars often.

 

Calling all chocoholics: do you have a favorite chocolate dessert, whether you make it or buy it? 

 

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LESLIE KARST: I'm not much of a baker, being a "pantser" kind of cook (baking requires measuring and weighing--oh, no!). But I do like desserts, and I do love chocolate. And one of my favorite things to make here in Hawai'i where bananas are so plentiful and delicious, is this Crispy Fried Banana Sundae with oodles of chocolate sauce.

 

 

 

Yes, you do have to prepare it to order--i.e., right before service--but if you have all the ingredients ready to go, it's quite simple. And so tasty! 
 

Happy Valentine's and Galentines Day to all! 

 

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LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  Years ago, a friend gave me a button reading "If wearer is found depressed, administer chocolate immediately." Still a motto to live by. In that spirit, I've posted a LOT of chocolate recipes here over the years. Two well-suited to this cold, dark time of year -- any wonder that we break it up with a sweet, romantic celebration? -- are my Almost Flourless Chocolate Cake and these Salted Chocolate Sablés  I first made the cake right after my neighbor gave me a pressed-glass cake stand that had belonged to her mother, an avid cake baker, who had just passed away, and I love thinking of her whenever we use it. (I never met her, but I adore her daughter!) You can see the lovely gold edging in this photo.

The cookies are a delicious recreation of a favorite from Le Panier, a French bakery in Seattle's Pike Place Market that shows up in both my cozy mystery series -- as itself in the Spice Shop mysteries, and as the namesake of a bakery in Jewel Bay, in my Food Lovers' Village mysteries. 

From my heart to yours. 

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MADDIE DAY: With my anniversary falling on Valentine's Day, you can bet I love coming up with chocolate desserts. My first post here as a regular blogger was Mocha Kahlua Valentine's Cookies. 

I've also posted about Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies.

And my recipe for Mexican Chocolate Mini-Cakes came straight from Nacho Average Murder, in which Robbie Jordan went back to her native Santa Barbara for her high school reunion - and a California-flavored murder investigation.

 

 

Check out my post here on the 13th for a yummy Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake! 

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ANG POMPANO: I don’t make chocolate desserts often, but Annette does and her Surecelle Chocolate Cookies come from a cherished family recipe. “Surecelle” means “little sweets” in the New Haven Italian-American dialect, where they’re especially popular. 

I’m obsessed with these. They aren't your traditional Italian bakery cookies, so you likely won't find them in a cookbook, but they are rich, chocolatey, and wonderfully nostalgic. Hints of cinnamon, toasted nuts, and orange peel are what really make them special. 

They’re baked in loaves, frosted with melted chocolate once cool, and then sliced into thick cookies. They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day... or for sneaking a few when no one’s looking. 

Annette and I are away right now, but I'll try to post the recipe soon. In the meantime, we wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Surecelle Chocolate Cookies:
Little Sweets from New Haven
(Ang's recipe post to come.)

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LUCY BURDETTE: This may get me banned from the blog, but chocolate is not my favorite! If I need to choose, it will be homemade cake. This Guinness cake turned out really well so I will share it with you! 

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PEG COCHRAN: Ah Chocolate. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...I adore chocolate, especially dark chocolate. Hubby likes milk chocolate and our granddaughter likes white chocolate so we never have to fight over a box of candy! Oddly, I don't care for chocolate ice cream and I hear that's fairly common among chocolate lovers. I'm sure there's a brand out there that does it well but I haven't found it yet. I'm not crazy about chocolate layer cakes but any kind of flourless chocolate cake is right up my alley. And brownies! Especially these Palm Beach Brownies that combine chocolate and mint and these frosted Celebrity Brownies!

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MOLLY MACRAE: As with my children and grandchildren, whom I love oodles and oodles and more than tongue can tell, I don’t choose favorites among chocolate desserts. Like Peg, though, chocolate ice cream does nothing for me. I have a couple of recipes for chocolate layer cakes that I bet Peg can fall in love with. One is called Ultimate Chocolate Cake and the other is Total Blackout Cake. I haven’t made either one in years. Hmm. I’ll see what I can do about that.

In the meantime, here’s a recipe for FlourlessChocolate Whisky Cake. It’s fantastic and includes a surprising ingredient.

And here’s a picture of Night Sky Cake. The cake, but not the recipe, makes an appearance in Heather and Homicide, book 4 in my Highland Bookshop Mysteries. It’s chocolate cake with a swirl of lightly sweetened mascarpone inside and on top, sprinkled with flakes of Himalayan salt. When asked about the cake, Basant (the shopkeeper who created the recipe) says it’s “The night sky brightened by a path of moonbeams and sparkling stars.” Sometime later this year I’ll post the recipe for Night Sky Cake. Not for Valentine’s Day, though.

On Valentine’s day my post will be Depths of Sin Hot Chocolate—oh my goodness are you in for a treat. 

 

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CLEO COYLE: Happy February birthday to your husband, Kim! (And to me.) I’ll be celebrating my own birthday tomorrow (Feb. 2nd) along with Groundhog’s Day. My cake of choice will be a Mocha Chiffon Roll Cake from our local Red Ribbon Bakeshop. But for general Chocolate Therapy, especially in winter, I’m happy to prescribe these DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE BROWNIE MUFFINS. They are incredibly easy to make and the perfect RX for all our fellow chocoholics out there. Have a delicious winter, everyone. Stay cozy! ~ Cleo 

Easy Double-Chocolate Brownie Muffins
Click here for Cleo's recipe (with a free PDF),
and have a delicious winter, everyone!

GIVEAWAY!

To be entered in this week's drawing

for these terrific mysteries below,

join us in the comments, and be sure
to leave your email address.

What about you, readers?
Do you have a favorite chocolate dessert, whether you make it or buy it? 

Join the

conversation!

👇

Chocolate Can Be Deadly by Kim Davis 

Bulletproof Barista by Cleo Coyle

A Poisonous Pour (ARC) by Maddie Day

Diet of Death by Ang Pompano

Murder with Ganache by Lucy Burdette

There'll Be Shell to Pay by Molly MacRae

🔎📚🔍

Comments Open 

Through Wednesday 

February 4, 2026

Be sure to leave 
your email address. 

💘

French Butter Cake #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon

 

   

This cake was so easy and so delicious.  Using oil instead of butter made it extremely moist.  At first, I thought the oil was never going to blend in and I'd done something wrong but I kept whisking and eventually it coalesced into a smooth batter.  It's a simple cake that is a blank slate for the toppings of your choice--keep it simple with some powdered sugar, or make it fancy with fresh fruit or whipped cream.  It's a lovely dessert but is also something you might have with a cup of tea or even for breakfast if you're feeling decadent!  

For the cake:

½ cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup neutral flavored oil

For the glaze:

⅓ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1½ tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Spray a 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper and spray parchment paper.

Combine the yogurt, sugar, eggs and the vanilla and almond extracts. Whisk until well blended.

 

Add the baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine then add the flour and whisk again just until all of the flour is blended in. 

Add the oil and stir well. Don't worry, at first it will seem to separate but keep stirring till smooth.

 

Pour the batter into prepared pan.

 

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

 

While the cake cools a bit, prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:

Combine sugar, butter, water and extracts in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved. Do not boil. 

Using a pastry brush, slowly brush the glaze all over the top of the cake, using about a quarter of the mixture.

Flip the cake out onto a cooling rack set over parchment paper (to catch drips). The bottom of the cake will now be the top.

 

Brush the remaining glaze over the top and sides of the cake until all the glaze is gone. Allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired before serving or top with whipped cream or fresh fruit.

 

 

  

 

When a wealthy local benefactor is slain on the farm, Monica has to figure out who wanted to cash in on the killing . . .

As Sassamanash Farms hunkers down for the long winter, Monica agrees to let the local animal shelter host their Christmas-themed fundraiser there. The draw of the event—a chance to have your pet’s picture taken with Santa—brings in animal lovers from far and wide. But when the crackling fire dies down and the festive holiday props are all carted away, Monica discovers a very un-jolly sight next to the barn—the dead body of one of the shelter’s biggest donors. With the farm’s good name in jeopardy, Monica goes to work to root out the killer.

By all accounts the victim was a charming and generous supporter of the shelter, but Monica discovers that he was loathed by those who knew him for being tight-fisted and unscrupulous. Suspecting money might be the motive, she turns her sights on his stylish wife and her lavish lifestyle, along with the manager of the struggling shelter, who stood to collect a hefty bequest from his will. But as Monica closes in on one final clue, the culprit closes in on her. Caught unawares, she’ll have to survive the brutal winter weather, as well as a cold-blooded killer . . . 

Amazon

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Crispy Gnocchi with Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Gorgonzola #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

Gnocchi, in my book, is comfort food. This is true whether you make your own or take a short cut with a package of shelf-stable, refrigerated, or frozen gnocchi from the grocery store. Using a shelf-stable variety works well in this recipe and that gives you time to trim and slice your sprouts. Gorgonzola, sage, and walnuts elevate the dish and the addition of wine vinegar and a touch of honey are the perfect finishing touches. If Gorgonzola isn’t your favorite, you might try another semi-soft cheese that will melt as you stir it into the browned gnocchi and sprouts.

Want more gnocchi recipes? Scroll partway down the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen home page and, in the right sidebar, you’ll find a “search this blog” feature. Type “gnocchi” into the search window and you can go to town with gnocchi dishes for the next couple of months.

 

Crispy Gnocchi with Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Gorgonzola

Adapted from The Skillet by America’s Test Kitchen

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound shelf stable gnocchi

1 red onion, halved and sliced thin (with a knife or in a food processor)

1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin (or left whole and sliced in a food processor)

1/2 teaspoon table salt

3/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, divided

1 tablespoon wine vinegar (red or white)

2 teaspoons minced fresh sage (or 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon dried)

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts

 

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add gnocchi, separating the pieces if they stick together. Cook, without moving the gnocchi, until well browned on one side, 5 to 10 minutes (depending on your skillet and what you think of as medium-high). Stir gnocchi for another 2 minutes, to be sure they’re heated through, then transfer to a bowl.

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the sprouts and salt and spread into an even layer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are spotty brown and just tender, 5 to 7 minutes (or longer – next time I’ll try turning my burner up a bit higher).

Off heat, add the gnocchi, 1/2 cup Gorgonzola, vinegar, and sage and stir until the cheese is melted and coats the gnocchi. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with the walnuts and remaining 1/4 cup Gorgonzola, and serve.

 

💕  click here for a free, printable pdf of this recipe  💕  

 

 

Now available for pre-order – All Shell Breaks Loose

book 3 in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries!

 

On North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island, Maureen Nash sells exquisite seashells to locals and tourists—with Bonny the shop cat and the ghost of a Welsh pirate for company. And when needed, she steps in to help the police solve a murder . . .

Dr. Irving Allred is boasting around town that he’s about to get his hands on an authentic haunted sword. But minutes after Maureen hears the story, a woman walks into the Moon Shell, sword in hand. She found it while walking her bulldog on the beach—and its blade is stained with what looks like blood. Looks like it’s time to call the sheriff’s department.

Allred is furious that his prize is now in police custody—and even more agitated that an unknown buyer was trying to outbid him. He’s convinced the sword will lead him straight to the ghosts he’s been hunting. He’s not the only one on the Outer Banks who’s been searching for spirits, though. An odd visitor also showed up at Maureen’s shop claiming the ability to sense them . . . though somehow she didn’t seem to notice Maureen’s spectral friend hanging about.

When a man who’d been camping nearby is found cut down along the shore, Maureen starts providing some unofficial assistance to Captain Rob Tate by digging into the island’s maritime history. But it’s not the only mystery she’s facing—because the shop’s resident ghost is seeing ghosts himself . . .

 

 

Happy reading!

 

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.