7 Gooey Chocolate Treats for Kids (and Kids at Heart)

Stephen Johnson, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Nothing says happy Valentine’s Day quite like chocolate. Stick with these seven recipes to wow your family with easy, sweet-tooth-satisfying treats.
This easy, creamy fondue comes together in minutes and works for dunking your pick of fresh fruit.

Gentl & Hyers
When I made our kids lava cakes, the ones with gooey, rich chocolate bursting out of individual cakes, you can bet there were squeals all around — followed by the emptiest plates I’ve ever seen. These from Food Network Magazine are surprisingly easy to prepare.

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File this one under "make ahead" because these decadent chocolate treats freeze like a dream. And bonus: They’re so easy to make that our preschoolers decorated a batch themselves.

Who knew making creamy chocolate pudding from scratch is basically the same process as making the boxed stuff? The results, however, are miles apart!

Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
It’s hard to improve on the classic chocolate chip cookie, unless it’s these 5-star double-chocolate cookies from Food Network Kitchen. Short on time? This recipe works just as well for bar cookies too.

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There’s something so perfect about the portions of these sweet and salty treats for kids. It’s a tiny pop of flavor, but the fun is in the making. Tip: Give each kid a sheet pan as a workspace (it’ll catch any stray drips and sprinkles), and put those mini chefs to work. They’ll thank you for it!

Marshall Troy Photography, 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Right Reserved.
You simply cannot go wrong with a classic chocolate cake — especially when that cake happens to be by Ina Garten and has nearly 2,000 fan reviews.
Charity Curley Mathews is the mother of four kids under 7, founder of Foodlets.com: Mini Foodies in the Making…Maybe and perpetual wiper of the kitchen counter.