Chocolate

Rich and silky, with black pepper and crystallized ginger adding a little punch.

Any combination of dried fruit and nuts will work here, so choose your favorites or just use what you have in your cupboard. For a sweeter treat, swap in semisweet chocolate chips in place of bittersweet.

Put on your winter whites for this elegant dessert featuring spiced, wine-poached pears, ladyfingers, and a white chocolate–mascarpone mousse.

A creamy chocolate pudding fills this rich cake and an easy-to-make chocolate band wraps it up in style.

Store-bought peppermint ice cream will vary in color from pale pink to bright pink.

The best part about making these Christmas cookies? Cutting them into holiday shapes, of course. Cold dough is easier to work with, so chill your dough in the freezer for five minutes if it starts to get warm. 

The only cooking involved here is whipping up a pear-brandy-infused simple syrup; it brings out the sweetness of the pears and acts as the base for a chocolate topping.

Here we've taken pecan pie above and beyond its usual corn-syrupy incarnation. A layer of bittersweet chocolate adds richness to the dessert while simultaneously balancing its sweetness. And an abundance of pecans makes for a supremely satisfying filling.

With its warm, gooey goodness, this dessert will bring bananas Foster to mind. You'll have some sauce left over, which will be handy because, we assure you, you'll be in the mood to have this again the next night—if not sooner.

Use this classic Mexican mole sauce to marinate the Mole-Roasted Turkey with Masa Stuffing and Chile Gravy . You'll be left with plenty of extra, which can be served alongside the turkey or frozen for later use. (Try it on turkey sandwiches, roasted chicken, or as a sauce for turkey or chicken tamales.)

If pecan pie is a crowd pleaser at your Thanksgiving table, try this delectable chocolate and cashew variation.

These brownies are extra chocolaty: Each one has a caramel- or cappuccino-filled chocolate square in its center. You can also use filled truffles or an assortment of chocolate bars with soft fillings. For an even more decadent dessert, serve the brownies with vanilla ice cream.

This is a dessert to remember: chocolaty cookie crust, creamy mascarpone filling, and a glistening cranberry topping.

Impress your guests with these individual flourless chocolate cakes. The lack of flour makes the cakes very moist—and causes them to sink a bit in the middle.

Editor's note: Isaac Mizrahi shared his recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream exclusively with Epicurious. To read more about Mizrahi and take a peek inside his kitchen, click here. This classic ice cream is made more interesting by using a combination of bittersweet and semisweet chocolate chunks. Be sure to dry the mint leaves well; any water left clinging to the leaves will affect the texture of the finished dish.

To make curls, soften a chocolate bar briefly in the microwave and run a vegetable peeler along one long side.