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As for the pasta/dumpling thing; I know nothing about dumplings; in terms of pasta, you can stuff a canneloni shell (a bit on the large size for an appetizer, but your mileage may vary), a large shell (a bit floppy), or individual rigatoni.
For filling, I'd recommend a good ricotta cheese -- it's slightly sweet, but not too. It's not stretchy, but it'll give the filling the consistency of a ravioli filling, which I personally would prefer.
You could definitely mix the ricotta with some chopped spinach -- the amount is up to your taste. If I were to mix in chocolate to that, I'd probably go for a bit of shaved or chopped chocolate rather than cocoa -- the darkest you can get that isn't straightt, sugarless baker's chocolate -- something in the 70-80 percent cocoa range. As for the spice -- nutmeg (and some pepper, and of course some salt). Nutmeg will go well with both the chocolate and the ricotta.
Heat's not a bad idea, either; if I were doing that, I'd add some cayenne as well.
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