No-bake peanut butter buckeye pie is ready for game day! With an oreo crust filled with a fluffy peanut butter and chocolate filling.

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Will today be the day the Buckeyes put and end to the four year winning streak of That Team Up North? I thought for sure it would have been last year but turns out we needed that loss for the kick in the pants to go on and win the National Championship. If that’s the price to pay, honestly, I would pay it every year.

Some people disagree, they would rather beat *ichigan than win a National Championship and I think they are delusional. I also think we would be crazy to fire Day if we don’t beat them today. My Penn State alum husband keeps hoping we will so that they can finally beat us (and maybe scoop him up for themselves). Sometimes you don’t know appreciate you have.

What I do appreciate is having family willing to drive to us for Thanksgiving this year. We typically travel for every holiday and family event and are happy to be there but it can be quite exhausting – especially after a long month at work with a taxing finale and after last years fiasco getting stuck in the Erie snowpocolypse at a strangers house overnight thus missing The Game last year.

To be fair that meant family from Rochester had to drive through Erie but thankfully nothing exciting was happening in Erie this time around. So we had our little gathering with some of my immediate family (sad to not have our CA portion with us) with the usual Thanksgiving suspects on the table but I got a little creative for dessert.

I made three pies for 7 people because why not? First was a date-walnut pie I had made for cookbook club awhile back. second was a masala chai spiced pumpkin pie where I just subbed the pumpkin pie spice for a homemade masala blend. And last but not least was this no-bake buckeye pie! My pumpkin pier loving father actually said the buckeye pie was his favorite.

It’s just like a classic peanut butter pie but I split the filling in half and added a little cocoa powder to one half which was then spooned into the crust to resemble the top of a buckeye nut. Of course I then had to omit the final layer of whipped topping or else you wouldn’t be able to admire the visage of this buckeye pie but feel free to add some to yours when serving.

Thirteen years ago: Onion Ring Topped BBQ Bacon Burgers

Fourteen years ago: Red Velvet Crème Brulee Cupcakes

NO-BAKE BUCKEYE PIE

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Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CRUST*

• 24 chocolate sandwich cookies**, finely crushed (about 2-1/2 cups)
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

FILLING

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir the cookie crumbs and melted butter together with a fork. Press crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ pie plate. Chill for 30 minutes before filling.
2. In a large bowl, beat together peanut butter, cream cheese, and sugar until well combined. Divide evenly between two bowls, add cocoa powder to one, and beat until combined. Gently mix in half of the whipped topping into each bowl until thoroughly combined. Spoon chocolate mixture into outside rim of the pie shell, followed by the peanut butter in the center. Using a spatula, smooth mixture in a circular motion to not blend the two, maintaining the appearance of a buckeye.
3. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, until ready to serve.

Notes

*Or use a prepared chocolate cookie pie crust. **I used peanut butter creme filled Oreos because why not?

Source: Adapted from my Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter Pie.

No matter how you slice it this buckeye banana bread is a winning combination for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

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Will I ever run out of peanut butter and chocolate recipe ideas? Who knows but today is not that day!

Inspired by my Buckeye Bundt cake, this buckeye banana bread has a chocolate banana bread base and a peanut buttercream cheese filling that when sliced resembles a buckeye. Of course I had to also drizzle the top with peanut butter and mini buckeye candies while I was at it.

I have actually been waiting to make this recipe for over a week as the bananas at the grocery store were all very underripe and it took that long for them to finally ripen enough to make this buckeye banana bread of my dreams. But some dreams are worth waiting for, and banana bread made with underripe bananas is not worth rushing it.

Speaking of waiting, even though banana bread is usually considered a breakfast item, the peanut butter cream cheese filling pushes it into the dessert category in my mind. But no judgement if you cannot wait and want to eat it for breakfast before the game.

Speaking of the game (not to be confused with THE game next week), Ohio State’s last home game of the season is today against Rutgers. Unfortunately two of our star receivers are out but I have a feeling we will do just find in their absence. Sorry Rutgers.

Once todays game is over it is officially the start of Beat *ichigan Week! Which means I have to have something extra special up my sleeve for the last game of the regular season. Especially since family will be in town for the holiday weekend to help us eat it!

Six years ago: Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Eleven years ago: Buckeye Brownie Cookies

Twelve years ago: Stuffed Shells with Pumpkin Sage Cream Sauce

Thirteen years ago: Individual Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Fourteen years ago: Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup (2011)

Fifteen years ago: Veggie Lasagna

BUCKEYE BANANA BREAD

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Yield: 1 loaf Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 Hour 1 Hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

FILLING

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp milk

BREAD

• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup mini Buckeye candies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. For the filling: In a medium bowl, blend together the peanut butter filling with a hand mixer until smooth. Scoop the filling into a pastry bag (or a zip top bag with the corner snipped off*). Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas with melted butter and sugars, mixing well. Add the egg and beat well.
4. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until incorporated. Be careful not to over mix!
5. Spread 3/4 of the batter evenly in prepared pan. Using the pastry bag that has the peanut butter mixture, carefully pipe a thick line of the filling over the center of the chocolate batter. Pour the remaining batter on top.
6. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs (but no batter).
7. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Heat peanut butter in a small microwave safe bowl for 10 seconds. Drizzle over cool bread, decorate with mini buckeyes, and let set before slicing and serving.

Notes

*No piping tip necessary as we want a nice big opening.

Source: Adapted from my Banana Peanut Butter Cup Muffins and Buckeye Bundt Cake.

Pizza night just got even more customizable, allowing everyone to pick out the toppings they prefer on this pizza charcuterie board.

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Did you know that in addition to being spooky month, October is National Pizza Month? Seemed like the right time to share my pizza charcuterie board creation before I dive into the Halloween treats.

I’ve seen different versions of pizza charcuterie on the internet. One version is a charcuterie board baked right into the pizza crust itself which was super fun but seemed like it would be better as a two person sharing size than a larger sized one for a group. Since I planned to make this for when we hosted our neighborhood happy hour I needed something more easily shared.

The more obvious version is a charcuterie with pizza-inspired components – different sauces, cheeses, cured meat, and other preferred toppings (fruit on pizza anyone?). But then I got thinking, why slap those toppings on crackers or crostini when you can basically build your own pizza instead?

I present to you a cheese pizza charcuterie where you chose your adventure, adding your preferred toppings to slices of cheese pizza – can be homemade, frozen, or from a pizza shop. I even served it on our large pizza peel!

While I did include crackers for those that wanted smaller bites, not many of them were eaten as made evident by how many were left at the end. Not that I blame them. Why would you pick a cracker when you can have cheese pizza? I did make my cheese pizza mostly from scratch but used a store-bought dough instead of a homemade pizza crust but feel free to go all out.

I almost made a white cheese pizza without any tomato pizza sauce in case someone would rather had an olive oil or pesto base, but then I didn’t because I wasn’t going to deal with putting a cup of oil on the board and I think pesto and tomato sauce pair just fine together. I also added a little cup of crushed red pepper for those that like a little heat.

Of course you can get even more creative and add BBQ sauce, Buffalo sauce, Ranch or whatever other ideas you come up with. One of the reasons I love pizza so much is it’s versatility if you are willing to go outside of the box.

Next up is more cheese! Because what does a cheese pizza need other than more cheese? Especially when it’s fresh mozzarella balls or ricotta. I love me some post-oven ricotta on a pizza.

Burrata would also be a great option albeit a little messier. Of course again there’s all kind of options to choose from, especially if you change up the sauces to something less traditional. If you did BBQ or Buffalo sauce as mentioned earlier, a smoked cheddar cheese would also be a great option as seen on my BBQ Pork Charcuterie.

Once you have enough cheese it’s time for the toppings that truly start to divide a crowd. I had pepperoni, prosciutto, black olives, Paisano peppers (a pepperoncini variety), fresh basil and other herbs from my garden, sun-dried tomatoes, and hot honey (it was served on the side in a bottle to make life easy). Balsamic glaze would also be a great addition.

I originally intended there to be ham, bacon, and pineapple as well but honestly I ran out of room and figured I had enough going on. But making it your own is the best part about making a pizza charcuterie, or any charcuterie really. Add or remove the toppings you prefer. Or make it a double feature paired with a Fall Charcuterie Board to mix and match the toppings.

PIZZA CHARCUTERIE

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Yield: 6-8 Servings Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 large sheet pan cheese pizza, sliced into small pieces
• 6 oz. pepperoni
• 6 oz. prosciutto
• 8 oz. fresh Mozzarella Ciliegine
• 8 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1 small (2.25 oz) can of sliced black olives, drained
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup Paisano peppers or pepperoncini
• Fresh basil or other herbs
• Crushed red pepper
• 8 oz. assorted crackers (optional)

Directions

1. On a large pizza peel or platter, arrange pizza slices, meat, cheese, sauces, and olives (in small bowls or ramekins). Fill in any empty spaces with sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoncini, fresh herbs, and crackers if desired. Serve immediately.

A Buckeye football skillet cookie starts with a peanut butter cup cookie base, topped with football sugar cookies, and is finished with ice cream and sprinkles.

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Welcome to week 3 of #PBchocSat for the 2025 Ohio State Buckeyes Football Season. After the cupcake of all cupcake games last weekend against Grambling State (70-0) we have another game as a significant favorite over Ohio University – not to be confused with The Ohio State University (this is why THE is a thing).

Somehow it was decided that this game was worthy of a primetime 7:30pm feature but then again it seems like all the actual big games are now at noon. I blame Fox Sports starting “Big Noon Games” back in 2019. The only reason I tolerate it at this point is that I’ve been told the players prefer to play earlier in the day. And it’s safer bike in the daylight wince that’s how I get to and from the games. But I digress.

When I saw the pre-sliced football-shaped Pillsbury sugar cookies at the grocery store I immediately chucked them into my cart. I had no idea what I would ultimately create with them, but I knew I wouldn’t just succumb to baking them as is and letting them be. As if I could ever do that :-P.

In the end I succumbed to a video I saw on Instagram where they were baked on top of a chocolate chip skillet cookie, but of course I didn’t stop there. It’s a homemade peanut butter cup cookie cake base, topped with the football sugar cookies, then finished with scoops of ice cream (peanut butter cup in my case) and scarlet and gray sprinkles. Like my double decker chocolate chip cookies but in a skillet.

Do you need to make your own cookie dough for this buckeye football skillet cookie? No, you could absolutely use a tube of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough. It’s getting topped with refrigerated sugar cookie dough so no judgement. However, since it’s #PBchocSat I needed some peanut butter mixed in there. In fact I put peanut butter in the dough as well as some chopped up mini peanut butter cups.

Granted, I realized while typing this that we live in a new age where they sell all kinds of flavors of cookie dough, and I’m fairly certain peanut butter chocolate chip is an option. Whatever, homemade is better and I don’t have the patience to make my own football sugar cookies so it’s half and half haha.

BUCKEYE FOOTBALL SKILLET COOKIE

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Yield: 12 Servings Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped mini peanut butter cups
• 1 (7.2 oz) package of refrigerated Pillsbury football-shaped sugar cookie dough
• Ice cream and sprinkles, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet (10-inch springform pan). 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in peanut butter, egg and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture until combined. Stir in chopped peanut butter cups. Dough will be thick and sticky.
4. Spread the cookie dough out evenly into the pan. Top with football-shaped sugar cookies. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before topping with ice cream and sprinkles to enjoy warm.

Source: Adapted from my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie Cake, inspired by Life and Sprinkles.

Potato chip buckeyes are a sweet and salty dream. With a creamy peanut butter and crispy bits of potato chip dipped in a chocolate coating.

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The 2025 season of college football starts today, which means it’s #PBchoSat! To kick off, I am starting out strong with this years version of my buckeye peanut butter balls – potato chip buckeyes.

Ohio State plays Texas at home today and you better believe I will be there in person. I’m lucky enough to be friends with a graduate student who not only doesn’t want her tickets, but is married which means she is allowed to buy two sets of tickets at a discounted rate. But I digress.

When I was brainstorming ideas for today I was reflecting on the last time we played them in the CFP earlier this year in January and I made buckeye pecan pie bars inspired by the state nut of Teas – pecans.

This time I found another source of inspiration. Did you know that Frito-Lay is from Texas? I have had potato chip truffles on my general list of things to make for awhile so when I realized I could make them in buckeye form I was sold. Sweet and salty and ready to take on the Longhorns!

I actually brought these to our annual Labor Day neighborhood potluck last night. No matter where allegiances lie (or lack thereof) these potato chip buckeyes were a popular item in the mix. Obviously slightly more appreciated by those in attendance that are Buckeye fans.

Now that we are sufficiently stuffed and ready to go, I hope the home team advantage is real today because we may not be as strong of a team as we were last year. It’s so hard to know with it being the first game of the year. Only time will tell… O-H!

POTATO CHIP BUCKEYES

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Yield: 8 dozen Prep Time: 1 Hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 oz. finely crushed crinkle-cut potato chips, plus larger pieces for garnish
• 1 lb. (~4 to 4-1/2 cups) sifted powdered sugar
• 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate candy coating*
• Wooden toothpicks, preferably round

Directions

1. Line two baking sheets with waxed paper; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter and butter. Add crushed potato chips, then powdered sugar one cup at a time to reach desired consistency, then use hands to form a smooth dough.
3. Shape into balls using 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball (or a small cookie scoop). Place on prepared pan, insert a wooden toothpick, and place in the freezer.
4. Melt chocolate in a double boiler (or metal/glass bowl over a pot of lightly simmering water). Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat.
5. Remove balls from freezer. Dip into melted chocolate leaving a small circle uncovered at the base of the toothpick. Return to wax paper, chocolate side down. Repeat with remaining balls.
6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Remove toothpicks and if desired, carefully smudge the holes left behind with fingertip.

Notes

*Chocolate chips will not melt as well as candy coating.

Source: Adapted from my Oreo Buckeyes.

Live dangerously with these cheesy Cheetos deviled eggs. Imagine a classic deviled eggs but with a punch of cheddar flavor.

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It’s one of my favorite food holidays of the year – National cheese doodle day! My favorite kind is of course the classic crunchy Cheetos. No flaming hot Cheetos for me, thanks. It’s not even that they are spicy, I just don’t like their flavor.

For today’s Cheetos deviled eggs recipe I obviously stuck to my preferences. Could you use puffs? Yes, because you are just going to pulverize them anyway, but since there will be leftovers you should buy which you want to eat.

If you prefer a more saturated Cheetos flavor or don’t want to deal with pulverizing Cheetos, you can try my friend Peabody’s Cheetos deviled eggs that use the cheese packet from Cheetos mac and cheese – genius.

Otherwise, these Cheetos deviled eggs are pretty standard outside of the addition of finely shredded cheddar cheese and crushed Cheetos into the filling. Once the whites are filled, I topped them with more crushed Cheetos and little bites of whole Cheetos.

CHEETOS DEVILED EGGS

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Yield: 2 Dozen Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 oz. crunchy Cheetos, crushed and divided

Directions

1. In a pot of salted water, add the eggs. Bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat, and let cook until hard boiled, approximately 12 minutes (I love my egg indicator). Drain and let cool.
2. Once cool, remove the shell, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop the yolks into a medium bowl. Place the hard boiled whites on a tray.
3. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese and 2 tablespoons of Cheetos crumbs.
4. Spoon or pipe filling back into the egg whites. Chill until ready to serve. Immediately before serving, sprinkle with remaining Cheetos crumbs. Garnish with small Cheetos if desired.

Source: Adapted from my BBQ Deviled Eggs.

Get your lucky charms ready for cheering on the Buckeyes with these lucky buckeye chocolate chip cookies – made with Lucky Charms cereal marshmallows and mini buckeye candies.

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This is it guys – the final College Football Playoff Championship game is tonight, Ohio State versus Notre Dame! Which means I had to make just one more buckeye-themed recipe for the occasion. Between the impact of the transfer portal and the first year of the 12-team playoff, this has been an exciting season and one of my favorites ever. Obviously if we win tonight it will be that much sweeter.

For todays treat I wanted to continue the trend of pulling inspiration from the state in which the schools reside but I already did a Buckeye Sugar Cream Pie when we played Indiana. I waffled between a buckeye car bomb poke cake and a buckeye cocktail utilizing Irish whiskey and or cream but then I remembered Lucky Charms cereal exists and had to run with it to make a buckeye version of Lucky Charms chocolate chip cookies – AKA lucky buckeye chocolate chip cookies! (Not to be confused with my buckeye stuffed peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.)

I used my favorite chocolate chip cookies as a base but replaced some of the chocolate chips with miniature buckeye candies. I thought about making miniature homemade buckeyes, but that would have taken more time than I cared to endure at the moment. Alternatively, I did take the time to sort of the marshmallows from a box of Lucky Charms cereal. Even though you can buy just the cereal marshmallows, I wanted those little shamrock hats which those don’t include. I had to pick my battles for these cookies.

Hopefully, just like the box indicates, these Lucky buckeye chocolate chip cookies will bring our team to life (hearts), give them the power to fly past their opponents (stars), help with speed (horseshoes), bring good luck (clovers), make them invisible (blue moons), be full of color (unicorns), teleport across the field (rainbows), and float the ball down the field (balloons). That combined with the mini buckeye candies these cookies are truly, magically delicious! Maybe you’ll also save the plain cereal you sorted out to make some cereal milk to serve with them ;-).

Four years ago: Indian Shortbread (Nankhatai)

Five years ago: Slow Cooker Curried Lentil and Sausage Soup

Six years ago: Macaroni & Cheese Pierogi

Nine years ago: Bacon Fig & Asiago Grilled Cheese Sandwich Minis

Thirteen years ago: Saltine Cracker Toffee

Fourteen years ago: Papaya Blueberry Almond Granola Bars

LUCKY BUCKEYE CHOCOALTE CHIP COOKIES

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Yield: 3 dozen Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg + 1 yolk, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1-1/2 cups mini Buckeye candies
• 1-1/2 cups marshmallows separated from Lucky Charms cereal (or purchase pre-sorted)

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended (1-2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients in three batches until just blended. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips, mini buckeyes, and marshmallows by hand.
3. Roll 2 tablespoons of dough* into a ball that is slightly taller than wide and place on a plate or tray. Cover tightly and chill for at least 2 hours**, but overnight for best results.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mats (or parchment paper); set aside.
5. Place cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are barely golden (will look underbaked). Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes

* You can also use a 1/4 cup scoop and cook them another 2-4 minutes (will yield less obviously). ** Don't want to wait to chill? They will still bake just fine but the flavor/texture improves when chilled.

Did You Make This Recipe?

I want to see! Tag me on Instagram at @TheSpiffyCookie and hashtag it #TheSpiffyCookie.

Source: Adapted from My Favorite Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Ferrero Rocher fell in love with a Buckeye and made these Hazelnut Buckeyes. A traditional peanut butter ball coated in chocolate and finely chopped hazelnuts with a whole hazelnut stuffed inside.

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While buckeyes are the state nut of Ohio, hazelnuts are the state nut of Oregon. In fact, 99% of all the hazelnuts in the US are produced in Oregon. But in honor of the quarter final rematch game between Ohio State and Oregon today you know I had to play a mashup on the two state nuts.

I thought about making Chocolate Hazelnut Buckeyes (aka Nutella Buckeyes) which I somehow have not made yet, but I wanted to keep the peanut butter. It may not be Saturday, but the edible version of these Ohio Killer Nuts is a peanut butter ball wrapped in chocolate. And I couldn’t miss the chance to use the metaphor of wrapping that hazelnut up in a peanut butter and chocolate buckeye. Hopefully manifesting what will happen this evening.

So what did I end up doing? You know those Ferrero Rocher chocolate hazelnut truffles that are particularly popular this time of year? Replace the chocolate that surrounds the hazelnut in the center with peanut butter, and leave a spot uncovered when you coat it with the mixture of melted chocolate and finely chopped hazelnuts and you get a Ferrero Rocher-inspired hazelnut buckeye! And it’s freaking delicious.

I will admit, I missed the ease of dipping these with a toothpick. Due to the hazelnut inside you could not insert the toothpick deep enough to be sturdy for dipping. So I had to kind of lap up the chocolate over the peanut butter ball while still keeping the buckeye “eye”. Could you just dunk them completely in? Yes, but then they would just be peanut butter calls, not buckeyes! Best thing about making buckeyes is that they don’t need to be perfect. The real things are lumpy and weird!

FERRERO ROCHER HAZELNUT BUCKEYES

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Yield: Approximately 8 dozen Prep Time: 1 Hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4-5 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 8 dozen whole roasted hazelnuts
• 3 oz. roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
• 8 oz. chocolate candy bark
• 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp food grade paraffin or shortening, optional

Directions

1. Line two baking sheets with waxed paper; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, and vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time to reach desired consistency, then use hands to form a smooth dough.
3. Using 2 teaspoons of dough, roll around one whole hazelnut and roll into a ball. Place on prepared pan and place in the freezer.
4. Melt chocolates (and paraffin or shortening if using) together in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat and stir in the finely chopped hazelnuts.
5. Remove balls from freezer. Dip into melted chocolate leaving a small circle on the top. Return to wax paper, chocolate side down. Repeat with remaining balls.
6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Serve immediately or store in fridge until ready.

Buckeye cookie cups are chewy chocolate sugar cookies baked in a mini muffin pan, topped with peanut butter frosting!

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Not to be confused with my peanut butter mousse cookie cups or brownie peanut butter cups, while these buckeye cookie cups are baked in a mini muffin pan, they are made with chocolate sugar cookie dough instead of chocolate chip cookie dough or brownies, respectively, and topped with peanut butter frosting.

Originally I had wanted to fill them with peanut butter mousse but unfortunately lacked one of the ingredients and didn’t feel like dashing to the store. Thankfully I pretty much always have the ingredients to make peanut butter frosting and was able to improvise.

The end goal was to create something that resembles a buckeye candy – chocolate on the outside and peanut butter on the inside/ It may not be mousse but these buckeye cookie cups still earn their name in appearance. For extra spirit I added some scarlet and gray sprinkles on top.

Why the worry about resembling a buckeye? Because today is THE GAME against that team up north! It may not be as even of a match up as in recent years but a big game like this is hard to predict sometimes. So I’ll be stuffing my face with these before heading to the shoe!

BUCKEYE COOKIE CUPS

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Yield: 2 Dozen Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 8 Minutes 8 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

COOKIE CUPS

• 1 batch chocolate sugar cookie dough

FROSTING

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• Pinch salt
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream or milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two mini muffin pans.
2. Please a tablespoon of prepared cookie dough in each cup. Bake for 8 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes (middles will sink slightly) before removing from pan to cool completely on rack. Repeat with remaining dough.
3. While the cookie cups cool, prepare the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, and salt together until smooth. On low speed, mix in the powdered sugar until just incorporated, followed by the vanilla and cream. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip until light and very fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add more powdered sugar or heavy cream if necessary to reach desired consistency.
4. When the cookie cups have cooled, pipe frosting on top of each cookie cup and top with sprinkles if desired. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and remove 5-10 minutes before ready to serve.

Source: Inspired by my Peanut Butter Mousse Cookie Cups, adapted from my Chocolate Sugar Cookies and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake.

Buckeye sugar cream pie is Ohio’s version of the Indiana Hoosier sugar cream pie made with a chocolate pie crust and sweet peanut butter cream filling.

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Sugar cream pie may be the unofficial state pie of Indiana, but today instead of a Hoosier sugar cream pie I made a Buckeye sugar cream pie! Shockingly Indiana has been climbing the ranks in college football this year and today it’s our turn to take them on – thankfully at home.

Obviously I had to take the opportunity to buckeye their state pie in honor of the occasion. Especially since today is also my dad’s 80th birthday! It’s the perfect pie to make for this day because he was born in Ohio but grew up in Indiana. It was just meant to be.

Despite the long history of this pie, The only ingredient that people can agree upon is that it has to contain sugar. Otherwise, the filling can be made with milk or cream (or anything in between), flour or cornstarch, sometimes butter, but definitely not eggs. This sweetened dairy mixture is then best thickened on the stove top and poured into a pre-baked crust for a more reliable consistency.

So how did I make this Indiana staple a Buckeye sugar cream pie? First I made a chocolate pie crust, which honestly takes the majority of the prep and cooking time of this recipe. I don’t pre-bake crusts often, but it’s always fun to pull out my pie weights for the occasion.

Once the crust was prepped and ready to go, all I had to do to the filling was substitute out the butter for peanut butter. I almost used powdered peanut butter but since this pie was born out “desperation”, using ingredients found in many Hoosier pantries, I figured most people don’t have powdered peanut butter lying around and opted for classic creamy peanut butter instead.

The end result was better than I imagined. A buttery, slightly chocolate crust, filled with a creamy peanut butter filling reminiscent of creme brulee, with a dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg on top. I even added a tiny buckeye candy on top.

Five years ago: Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cream Pie

Nine years ago: Chorizo Ragu Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Eleven years ago: Mini Razzle Dazzle Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls

Twelve years ago: Pumpkin Bagels with Cinnamon-Walnut Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread

Thirteen years ago: Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

BUCKEYE SUGAR CREAM PIE

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Yield: 8 Servings Prep Time: 6 Hours 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 35 Minutes 35 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE PIE CRUST

• 1/4 cup cold milk
• 1 tsp chocolate extract, optional
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1-1/4 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup cold shortening, cut into cubes
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

FILLING

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 5 creamy peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

TOPPING

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Make the crust: In a small bowl, combine the milk, vinegar, and chocolate extract (if using); set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and shortening and cut into the flour mixture with a knife or pastry cutter (or pulse in a food processor).
3. Add milk mixture, stirring (or pulsing) until a dough forms. If needed add a little more flour or milk to form a dough that hold itself together without being sticky. Form into a smooth flattened disc of dough, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.
4. Roll dough out on a floured surface and fit into a 10-inch pie plate. Trim excess or crimp edges as desired*, pierce the sides and bottom of  crust with a fork, and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes or overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place pie crust on a baking sheet. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
6. Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights, brush the inside of the crust with egg white, then return to the oven and bake another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool while preparing the filling.
7. Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the cream and peanut butter, then set over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to boil, about 5 minutes. Cook for 1 more minute, then remove from the heat. Immediately add the vanilla and whisk to combine.
8. Pour the filling into the pre-baked cooled pie crust and smooth to fill evenly. Let set for 30 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to broil with an oven rack 6 inches below the element. Drizzle melted butter over the top of the pie, tilting or using a pastry brush to distribute the butter evenly. Sift cinnamon and nutmeg over the top. Place the pie under the broiler until the butter bubbles and the surface browns, about 2 minutes.
10. Cool completely on a wire rack before refrigerating for 4 hours or overnight until fully set. 

Notes

*I used the excess to roll back out and cut out little circles to decorate the edges.

Did You Make This Recipe?

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Source: Adapted from Saving Room for Dessert and the crust from my Caramel Apple Pie.