Dessert

17 Gooey Desserts You’ll Want to Eat Straight From the Serving Dish

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A plate of sticky toffee pudding topped with apples a scoop of vanilla ice cream and toffee sauce.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

The subject of gooey desserts sparked a bit of debate among the Epicurious staff—sure, brownies can be gooey, and anything can be drizzled with dulce de leche or toffee sauce. Gooey butter cake, a St. Louis specialty, has it right in the name. But are lemon bars gooey? Chess pie? Maybe gooey is in the eye of the beholder, but below you’ll find a few of our favorites, including a giant skillet cookie, the quickest molten chocolate mug cake, old-fashioned pecan pie, and more. Scroll down and get your spoons ready to dive in.

  • Closeup of gooey brownies one of our best brownie recipes.
    Photo by William Meppem
    1/17

    Molten Chocolate Chunk Brownies

    Every time we look at this recipe, we're tempted to dive headfirst into these superlatively gooey brownies. Bake up a batch so you can do the same.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton
    2/17

    Cinnamon–Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

    If you prefer your cookies with lots of melty chocolate—and a big scoop of ice cream on top—this sharable dessert is for you.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    3/17

    Gooey Butter Cake

    The signature dessert of St. Louis is just what its name suggests—a wonderfully gooey butter cake that doesn’t quite set when baked.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    4/17

    Apple Sticky Toffee Pudding

    What happens when sticky toffee pudding meets apple cake? A gooey dessert you definitely want to put on your fall baking agenda.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi
    9/17

    Classic Pecan Pie

    This easy recipe from Gourmet is a quintessential Thanksgiving dessert, but that doesn't mean you have to wait for November. The prep time for this pie is just half an hour, so you could make one tonight!

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  • Ed Anderson
    10/17

    Grandma Douglas's Schnecken

    These pecan-cinnamon buns sport a gooey pecan caramel on top.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    13/17

    Salted Butterscotch

    Everyone loves a butterscotch drizzle. You can make this sauce ahead and rewarm gently to serve.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    14/17

    Black-Bottom Hazelnut Pie

    This pie features a coating of bittersweet chocolate underneath the gooey, espresso-infused filling and a delectable topping of crunchy sugar-coated hazelnuts.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    17/17

    Toasted Pecan Torte with Butterscotch Topping

    If your idea of the ultimate gooey dessert is part pecan pie, part sticky toffee pudding, and part butterscotch sundae, you've arrived at your dream situation.

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