My Favorite Frozen Dumplings Now Come in a “So Chocolatey” Dessert Version — and I Could Eat Them Every Single Day

It’s not often that a new dish breaks into my weeknight dinner routine — I have my go-tos and I stick to them — but dumplings have become one of my new favorites. I’m not ordering takeout or making them from scratch. No, my method is a lot simpler and more budget-friendly: I’m ordering frozen dumplings from MìLà on the regular. Whether it’s the mail-order brand’s soup-filled dumplings or potstickers, you’ll find me inhaling them at least one day out of the week, if not more. They’re so good that they could’ve easily come from my favorite Chinese spot.

Needless to say, I’m now a MìLà devotee — so when I heard that the brand was launching a sweeter take on its popular dumplings, I snagged them ASAP. Inspired by molten lava cake and made in collaboration with James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel, the brand’s limited-edition dessert is bite-sized, chocolatey perfection. Here’s why it’s staying stocked in my freezer.

If MìLà hasn’t already gotten on your radar, there’s a chance you may remember the brand under a different name: In 2018, married couple Jen Liao and Caleb Wang initially launched it as a brick-and-mortar shop called Xiao Chi Jie. Under their new name MìLà, they began offering direct-to-consumer Chinese food nationwide during the pandemic. Its popularity has been growing ever since with its soup dumplings bringing in thousands of glowing reviews.

The Chocolate Black Sesame Lava Dumplings are the first of its kind from the brand, born out of a partnership with Cronut creator Dominique Ansel. “When we first imagined this dessert dumpling, I wanted to bring together two culinary worlds that have always inspired me,” Ansel says. “We drew on the creamy black sesame flavors so beloved in Chinese desserts and paired them with the luxurious richness of French chocolate.”

MìLà co-founder Jen Liao’s also has memories of eating tang yuan — a Chinese dessert that features black sesame filling wrapped in a doughy exterior — which also played a role in the limited-edition dessert’s creation. As mentioned, it fuses the sesame’s nutty flavor with Pocket’s Chocolates’ oat milk chocolate, so it’s dairy-free. Wrapped in standard dumpling dough, each tiny piece is about the size of a quarter. Inside of a steamer, they heat up in under 10 minutes and are ready to be enjoyed in virtually no time.

Pretty much anything with chocolate in it tends to be a hit in my book, and I’m glad that this unique treat is no exception. First, as always, they’re remarkably easy to make. I use the brand’s steamer basket — which has become a fixture in my kitchen at this rate — and they have consistently turned out perfect in just eight minutes.

Further, the skin hasn’t yet punctured and made a mess everywhere, which is a testament to the quality of their construction. The dough is just the right amount of chewy, and there’s no toughness you have to get through to the delicious filling (which is gooey, nutty, chocolatey goodness). The sesame balances out the sweetness so that it’s not overwhelming. Despite the small size — you can toss an entire piece in your mouth effortlessly —  it doesn’t take many pieces for me to feel satisfied. Usually, I steam about four at a time and feel completely full afterward.

My next test will be pairing the warm confection with ice cream, and I can hardly wait. One bag includes 25 pieces, so I have a few nights’ worth of dessert left, but I’m already planning to grab another. After all, there’s no telling how long the limited-edition treat will be around!

Buy: Chocolate Black Sesame Lava Dumplings, $18.99