If the goal is to keep the peace after homework time, these 13 chocolate desserts can help. There’s something here for every kind of sweet tooth, including the picky one who “doesn’t like chocolate” until it’s in brownie form. They’re simple enough to make on a school night and good enough that parents start sneaking bites too. The only challenge? Convincing your kids these aren’t meant for breakfast.
Turtle Brownies
These brownies mean business. Turtle Brownies show up rich, layered, and fully ready to take over dessert time. They don’t need sprinkles or gimmicks—just a plate and a group of kids who don’t plan to share. They work for birthdays, class parties, or any night you “forgot” to plan dessert. Expect silence, followed by chewing, followed by “can I have another?”
Get the Recipe: Turtle Brownies
Pecan Pie Brownies
These are for the kid who wants both dessert options and refuses to choose. Pecan Pie Brownies throw two favorites into one square and somehow make it work every time. There’s crunch, there’s chocolate, and there’s no such thing as leftovers. They’re the kind of treat that get wrapped in foil for “later” and then mysteriously vanish. If you’re wondering where your last one went, check your kid’s backpack.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Pie Brownies
The Backyard Table
Get it NOW and level up your outdoor dining! The Backyard Table - Recipes for Summer Cookouts features 34 of Chef Jenn's BEST recipes for outdoor eating and entertaining.
You'll get ad-free recipes like:
- Grilled Corn Guacamole
- Grilled French Onion Burgers
- Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
- Blueberry Grunt
- and so many more!
Every recipe is created, tested and loved by Chef Jenn and her family - there's no AI here!
Get it now, at a special introductory price of $7.99. That's over 50 pages of foodie love at your fingertips!
Buy Now!Zucchini Cookies with Chocolate & Pecans
Somehow, these cookies walk the line between sneaky and seriously good. Zucchini Cookies with Chocolate & Pecans have that “wait, what’s in this?” moment followed by “can I have another?” They’re soft, packed with texture, and usually gone before you explain the name. They feel like something from a neighbor’s kitchen you’re lucky to get that recipe for. And once your kids stop asking questions, they’ll ask for a second batch.
Get the Recipe: Zucchini Cookies with Chocolate & Pecans
Double Chocolate Brookies
Not a cookie, not a brownie—just something that makes sense the second you try it. Double Chocolate Brookies are the mash-up kids didn’t know they needed but will definitely ask for again. They’re chewy in the middle, crisp on the edges, and impossible to share. You’ll try hiding them, but the smell alone gives you away. They’re called brookies, but they might as well be called “gone.”
Get the Recipe: Double Chocolate Brookies
Cookie Frosted Chocolate Chip Cookies
These look like a regular cookie until you realize they’re topped with even more cookie. Cookie Frosted Chocolate Chip Cookies are double the fun, double the mess, and double the requests. Your kids won’t just eat them—they’ll talk about them like they just discovered something big. Perfect for birthdays, bake sales, or random Tuesday bribes. One is never enough, and somehow three still isn’t either.
Get the Recipe: Cookie Frosted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Turkey Brownie Cupcakes
These show up once a year and somehow cause more excitement than the actual turkey. Turkey Brownie Cupcakes are less about the holiday and more about the excuse to eat dessert in disguise. Kids love the look, but it’s the taste that gets them asking when they’re coming back. Themed or not, they stick around in the memory bank. And maybe in the freezer for emergencies.
Get the Recipe: Turkey Brownie Cupcakes
Hot Chocolate Cookies
If your kid’s favorite part of winter is the drink, these will lock in that obsession year-round. Hot Chocolate Cookies are soft, rich, and disappear faster than the drink ever did. There’s something nostalgic about them that hits both kids and adults. They’re perfect for snow days, movie nights, and snack drawer stashes. They might be shaped like cookies, but they act like dessert-level comfort food.
Get the Recipe: Hot Chocolate Cookies
Chocolate Caramel Cookies
These are the kind of cookies that get labeled “Mom’s” and then stolen anyway. Chocolate Caramel Cookies hit that perfect balance of sweet and chewy that doesn’t need any introduction. One bite, and your kids are asking how many they’re allowed to have. The answer is always “less than they want.” You’ll start rationing them like snacks from a hidden stash.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Caramel Cookies
Banana-Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
When someone’s whining for dessert now, this one shuts it down fast. The Banana-Chocolate Chip Mug Cake is soft, chocolatey, and magically gone in under five minutes. Kids love that it’s theirs and only theirs, no sharing required. Parents love that it doesn’t trash the kitchen. And everyone agrees it’s probably too good to only have at night.
Get the Recipe: Banana-Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
Chocolate Overload Cookies
There’s no subtlety here—Chocolate Overload Cookies are exactly what they sound like. They’re thick, rich, and somehow still disappearing two at a time. These are the ones that make your kid pause mid-bite and say “who made these?” even though you’re right there. If school lunches come home without them, it wasn’t because they weren’t packed. It’s because they got traded like currency at the lunch table.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Overload Cookies
Grandma’s Coca-Cola Cake
No one remembers how this recipe started, but everyone remembers the first time they had it. Grandma’s Coca-Cola Cake has been earning a spot at birthdays, bake sales, and casual Tuesdays for decades. It’s messy, nostalgic, and possibly the reason dessert happens before dinner. Kids always ask what’s in it—don’t tell them, just hand them a fork. The name sounds old, but it still works like a charm.
Get the Recipe: Grandma’s Coca-Cola Cake
Speculoos White Chocolate Blondies
These bars have the kind of flavor that makes kids ask “what is that?” right before grabbing another one. Speculoos White Chocolate Blondies fly under the radar until they’re gone—and then it’s all questions. They’re sweet, a little spiced, and definitely not your everyday dessert. Great for lunchboxes, late-night snacks, or claiming as “not for kids” even when they know better. Don’t expect leftovers to survive past morning.
Get the Recipe: Speculoos White Chocolate Blondies
Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies
These cookies are what happen when grown-up snacks meet kid cravings. Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies are rich, balanced, and somehow still wind up in backpacks and lunchboxes like gold. They’re not trying to be fancy, but they don’t need help getting noticed either. You’ll hear “these are sooo good” followed by the sound of another one disappearing. They work just as well after dinner as they do before breakfast.
Get the Recipe: Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies