I've always believed in hot chocolate for dessert—so long as it's ridiculously rich and served in a demitasse cup with something playful, like a peppermint stick. And then I discovered a recipe for Baked Hot Chocolate in "The Essence of Chocolate," by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg, founders of the chocolate manufacturer Scharffen Berger. While I will continue to serve hot chocolate after dinner, this novel concoction is a fun, delicious riff on the original drink.

This recipe is credited to Heidi Friedlander,...