Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars are the cheesecake dreams of cookie dough monsters.

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Somehow I made peanut butter cup cookie dough cheesecake bars before the classic cookie dough cheesecake bars but today I am remedying that oversight. Although given my affinity towards peanut butter I suppose it’s not entirely shocking that a peanut butter version came first. I do spend most of the entirety of fall and the start of winter celebrating all things peanut butter and chocolate during The Ohio State Buckeyes football season.

The recipe title says it all but in case you need further clarification, these cookie dough cheesecake bars have a classic graham cracker crust and egg-free chocolate chip cookie dough distributed throughout the layer of otherwise classic cheesecake. The pieces on top obviously get a little bit of a baked-cookie texture rather than cookie dough (these bars are baked after all) and I suppose I could have made no-bake cheesecake bars to avoid that, but personally I prefer the texture of baked cheesecake. Besides the cookie dough embedded in the cheesecake is perfectly doughy.

I made these before friends came to visit for the Sonic Temple 4-day rock music festival which brough me to LIFE. It’s hard to beat the euphoria seeing your favorite music performed live. And then we brought our fulfilled but tired feet home every night to these as our late night snack!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH CHEESECAKE BARS

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Yield: 24 Servings Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 Hour 1 Hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CRUST

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (~13 sheets)
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

COOKIE LAYER

• 1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

CHEESECAKE LAYER

• 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-13 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 6 minutes, remove to a cooling rack, and keep oven on.
3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the cookie layer. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand. Distribute half of the cookie dough over the crust, flattening each piece to cover as much as of the crust as possible. Set aside the remaining half.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter over the cookie dough in the prepared crust. Spread to cover evenly.
5. Distribute the rest of the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter, flattening each piece to cover as much of the cheesecake as possible.
6. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm, is just starting to turn golden, and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
7. Lift the bars out by the overhang. Slice into desired size and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from my Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars.

If you love Dubai chocolate bars you’re going to fall even more in love with this Dubai chocolate tart with a thicker crispy filling and creamy ganache topping.

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Originally I had a sloppy joe pot pie planned for today and my husband thought it was a stretch. But “pie” is in the name and to celebrate pi day you truly just need round food. However, that was before I discovered sloppy joe day is March 18th so I postponed it a few days. I did not change it because of my husband :-P.

Dreaming up this Dubai chocolate tart also helped in the decision otherwise I would have left it. Yes yes, it’s a tart not technically a pie but it’s still round so it still works! I was dreaming of a Dubai chocolate bar but with a buttery crust, a thicker layer of filling, and a softer milk chocolate ganache layer on top that you can literally sink your teeth into. But how is that accomplished?

Despite Dubai chocolate going viral sometime around late 2023 this is the first time I have ventured into making something inspired by it myself. Honestly, I was a little bit intimidated by finding and using chopped kataifi pastry dough, especially since many recipes call for frozen versions that you thaw and chop yourself. I am sure it’s fresher and better tasting but when I found dried kataifi I finally took the dive.

Then I discovered that you have to toast the kataifi. Not just because it results in the characteristic crispy crunchiness that is the inside of a Dubai chocolate bar but because, just like raw cookie dough, it contains raw flour and may be contain harmful bacteria like E. coli or Salmonella. So both both reasons please toast the kataifi! And make sure you used a large skillet with high sides. You need to stir it constantly and it will fly everywhere if you are not careful. I have to admit it was still a bit messy but this Dubai chocolate tart was well worth the cleanup.

Then I ran into another dilemma: pistachio butter or pistachio cream? I originally planned on making homemade pistachio butter but discovered that again many recipes use pistachio cream which its more like chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella) in that it is heavily sweetened and has a thinner consistency than nut butters. So I bought myself my first jar of pistachio cream and already knew I was in trouble because it’s delicious!

After managing to not eat all the pistachio cream by itself I had enough to make this Dubai chocolate tart. All that was left was buying some good quality milk chocolate (because most commercially available milk chocolate in this country is chocolate candy sugar garbage) to make the ganache on top and I was on my way to making what I hoped would be one fantastic dessert.

Sure enough when I brought this Dubai chocolate tart into work almost none of it made it home. Even the nut and chocolate-averse person didn’t hate it. The crispy sweet and salty pistachio kataifi filling was perfectly sandwiched between the chocolate pie crust and sweet milk chocolate ganache topped with chopped pistachios. Happy pi day indeed.

Bonus points is that this would also be a great option for St. Patrick’s Day. This might not be the most vibrantly green option but it’s naturally green and that deserves credit too. After all, I have passed off less vibrantly but naturally green things in the past including pesto deviled eggs, matcha rice krispie treats, coconut-pistachio pie, pistachio baklava bars, spinach pizza, and key lime Greek yogurt pie – what’s one more?

One year ago: Portuguese Egg Tarts
Four years ago: One Skillet Corned Beef Pot Pie with Potato Chip Crust
Five years ago: Irish Cream Pie with Pretzel Crust & Whiskey Caramel
Seven years ago: Lucky Lemon Cream Pie
Eight years ago: Coconut Chess Pie
Nine years ago: Shepherd’s Pie Pizza
Ten years ago: Shepherd’s Pie Potato Skins
Eleven years ago: Coconut-Pistachio Pie
Twelve years ago: Crustless Ginger Blueberry-Pear Pie
Thirteen years ago: Banana Pudding Pie
Fourteen years ago: Flower Bouquet Cake Pops
Fifteen years ago: Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter Pie

DUBAI CHOCOLATE TART

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Yield: 12 Servings Prep Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder*
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold shortening (or unsalted butter)
• 1/4 cup cold milk

FILLING

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 oz. chopped kataifi pastry dough (about 2 1/2 cups), thawed if frozen
• 1-1/2 cups pistachio cream
• 2 Tbsp well-stirred tahini
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

GANACHE & TOPPING

• 6 oz. good quality milk chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp chopped roasted pistachios

Directions

1. For the crust: In a food processor or a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt. Add shortening by pulsing in a food processor or cutting in with a knife until it resembles coarse wet sand.
2. Add milk to flour mixture and mix until distributed. With hands, form dough into a round flattened disc, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.
3. Roll dough out on a floured surface to fit to a 10-inch tart pan (or pie plate). Transfer to the pan and fold over any excess crust, carefully pressing the dough evenly into and up the sides of the pan. Using a fork pork holes evenly over the bottom surface, and chill for 15 minutes.
4. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line the crust with parchment lightly coated with non-stick spray and fill with pie weights**. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights and bake another 5 minutes or until the crust is no longer shiny. Remove to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
5. For the filling: Melt the butter in a large skillet with high sides over medium heat. Add the kataifi, stirring to coat in the butter, and cook while stir frequently until golden brown and toasted, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature.
6. In a small bowl stir together the pistachio cream, tahini, and salt. Evenly pour over the chilled kataifi and stir until distributed. Transfer mixture into the cooled tart and spread evenly; set aside.
7. For the ganache: Place the chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl. In another small heat-proof bowl, microwave the heavy cream for 1 minute or just until it starts to boil. Immediately pour over chocolate and cover bowl with saran wrap for 5-7 minutes. Whisk until smooth, pour over the top of the tart, then smooth evenly with an offset spatula. Decorate with chopped pistachios and chill until set, at least 1 hour.
8. When ready to serve, remove tart from pan, slice and enjoy!

Notes

*Since it’s not a leavened recipe, you can substitute Natural cocoa powder but the crust will have a lighter color. **Or dried beans

Source: Crust from my Chocolate Blackberry Pear Tart, Filling adapted from The Kitchn and Food Network, Ganache adapted from my Dark Chocolate Peanut butter Cup Cake.

Chocolate covered strawberries but add peanut butter – that’s what these chocolate strawberry shortcakes are all about. Made with both peanut butter and peanut butter whipped cream.

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Usually I reserve 12/31 for the top 10 countdown of the best recipes of the year but with the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes playing #10 Miami Hurricanes tonight in the Cotton Bowl I obviously had to adjust for one last peanut butter chocolate recipe in 2025! I have to admit todays recipe might cause an upset in my personal top 10 that I listed yesterday but hopefully not sending that energy into the game (being an upset, I mean).

While strawberries aren’t really in season right now, the official state cake of Florida is strawberry shortcake so you know I had to keep with my trend from last years successful CFP and make an Ohio State Buckeye version. Afterall, we already know both chocolate and peanut butter pair with strawberry so why not all three? Inspired by my dark chocolate strawberry shortcakes with amaretto cream I came up with these chocolate strawberry shortcakes with peanut butter whipped cream.

You can’t see it, but similar to my peanut butter oreo banana pudding there is a layer of creamy peanut butter underneath the first layer of whipped cream. The peanut butter whipped cream is delicious but I had to make sure the peanut butter flavor was not lacking.

Basically, these chocolate strawberry shortcakes taste like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with fresh strawberry jam but instead of regular bread it’s on chocolate bread and there’s some fluffy whipped cream action going on in as well. Doesn’t sound like a bad time to me at all. Would be a great dessert idea for Valentine’s Day, too.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER WHIPPED CREAM

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Yield: Serves 6 Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 17 Minutes 17 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

SHORTCAKES

• 2/3 cup 2% milk
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted cold butter, chopped
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 lbs. sliced strawberries, reserving a few for garnish

PEANUT BUTTER WHIPPED CREAM

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp powdered peanut butter***

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat (or grease pan well).
2. Place 2/3 cup milk and dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Cool.
3. Meanwhile, add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl, and whisk together until combined. Add butter and cut in with fork until crumbly in texture. Slowly add milk and chocolate chip mixture and stir in until just combined.
4. Using an extra large cookie scoop, spoon mixture into 6 large circles onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire racks before slicing.
5. In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Add powdered sugar and powdered peanut butter and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
6. To assemble, place the bottom slice of the chocolate shortcakes on serving plate then top each with 2 tablespoons of peanut butte, half of the peanut butter whipped cream, and the strawberries; end with the top slice of the shortcake. Top with remaining whipped cream and strawberries if desired. 

Source: Adapted from my Dark Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes and Peanut Butter Oreo Banana Pudding.

Tahini dark chocolate chip cookies are a slightly elevated version of the classic. Topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a little flaky sea salt they are a touch savory but still mostly sweet.

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Welcome to day one of #ChristmasCookiesWeek 2025! The best part? Today is also day 1 of my trip to Europe, floating down the Danube visiting several Christmas Markets. I don’t think I could have planned this better myself.

While my first cookie of the week may not scream festive, they are certainly dressed up from your traditional chocolate chip cookies. Not to be confused with my tahini cookies – with the addition of rich tahini, bittersweet dark chocolate, and flaky sea salt, these tahini dark chocolate chip cookies will definitely be welcome amongst all the other festive cookies on your holiday tray this year. How do I know? Because I went to a cookie exchange recently and I added these to the mix.

Similar to the disappearance of my tahini brownies, I was quite sad to see these tahini dark chocolate chip cookies run out in the cookie jar. The good thing about them not being blatantly festive though is that I could make these any time of year! So if you are not convinced to make them now, make sure you shave these for later.

Meanwhile, I’m excited for all the other sweets that my fellow bloggers are sharing today (linked below) and for all the festive Christmas Market treats I am about to try for the next week! Sadly I don’t think I will encounter any more tahini dark chocolate chip cookies but I am sure there will be plenty more things to enjoy where I am headed.

• Soft & Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Nut Brittle Cookies by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Gingerbread Biscotti by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Cappuccino Swirl Cookies by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Nutter Butter Snowman Cookies by Blogghetti
• Pumpkin Pie Thumbprint Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• White Mocha Cookies by Magical Ingredients
• Peppermint Shortbread by Art of Natural Living
• White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

TAHINI DARK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

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Yield: 2 Dozen Prep Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 12 Minutes 12 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/24cup creamy tahini
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg + 1 yolk, room temperature
• 12 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
• Flaky sea salt and/or sesame seeds

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, tahini, 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. Fold in the chocolate by hand.
3. Roll 1/4 cup of dough into balls and place on a plate or tray, sprinkle with sea salt and/or sesame seeds (if using), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight for best results).
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 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 10-12 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.

Source: Adapted from my Buckeye Stuffed Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

When life hands you chocolate, make peanut butter French silk pie bars – because obviously peanut butter is the logical next step.

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It’s Saturday which means it’s peanut butter chocolate time! I realize that most of my new recipes lately are for #PBchocSat but it’s about all I have time for these days. I have a pretty demanding mouse experiment at work and I barely cook at all as a result. Heck last night I ate Cheetos for dinner. But I digress.

Since it’s pie season I decided to whip up these French silk pie bars with peanut butter layered in. I could have mixed it into the chocolate layer itself but I wanted to make sure you knew there was peanut butter in there just by looking at them.

While I obviously made these for the Ohio State vs UCLA game tonight, these peanut butter French silk pie bars would also be a great addition to your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving menu. A chocolate pie might not be the most traditional for the holiday but I am not that traditional of a person so I see nothing wrong with it. You should make what you think sounds good!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, some of my family is coming into town for it and I have yet to plan any of the menu yet for the same reason that all I’ve posted lately is peanut butter and chocolate recipes. Do you think they would be okay with a full peanut butter and chocolate coursed menu? I could think of worse things…

PEANUT BUTTER FRENCH SILK PIE BARS

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Yield: 16 Servings Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CRUST

• 3/4 cup finely crushed chocolate graham crackers
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

FILLING

• 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
• 3 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter**

TOPPING

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper with overhang; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in melted butter until evenly distributed then dump into the prepared baking dish and press into the bottom evenly. Bake for 10 minutes then set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.
3. While crust is cooling, prepare the filling. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate, sugar, and butter, whisking constantly until smooth, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and continue to stir for one minute to cool slightly.
4. Whisk in beaten egg yolk then return to medium-low heat. Continue stirring until mixture starts to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat*.
5. Place saucepan in a large bowl of ice water, stir in heavy cream until incorporated and continue to stir occasionally until filling becomes hard to stir, about 10 minutes.
6. Transfer filling to a medium bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until light and airy, about 2-3 minutes set aside.
7. Spread peanut butter** evenly over the top of the cooled crust, followed by the filling. Place in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes or until firm.
8. While the filling sets, prepare the ganache. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and whipping cream. Microwave on high for 15 second intervals, stirring in between, until just melted.
9. Pour ganache over the top of the chilled mousse and spread to cover evenly. Cover and chill for another 30 minutes or overnight until firm.
10. Lift bars out of pan using the parchment paper overhangs. Cut into 16 bars and store any leftovers in the fridge.

Notes

*Don't worry if it looks slightly curdled. **Microwave the peanut butter for a few seconds to make spreading easier.

Source: Adapted slightly from A Kitchen Addiction.

Why have regular round molten lava cakes when you can have skull lava cakes? Normally the inside is what counts but I think the outside does too in this scenario.

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More skulls! I seem to go through phases of Halloween inspiration and skulls are predominating in recent times. It helps that I finally got my hands on my favorite Skull cakelet pan that I found last year at HomeGoods (or Marshalls/TJ Maxx, who knows).

Last year I used to make skull sloppy Joe bombs which where amazing and turned out even better than I had hoped. The same goes for this years creation with the same pan – skull lava cakes! I think you should just have an entire skull-themed meal from start to finish.

Just like my skull gnocchi the recipe itself is just a classic molten lava cake but it’s the shape in which you form it that sets it apart and with all those little nooks in the pan you need to make sure those skull lava cakes comes out whole. With precious cargo like these you don’t want the outside layer of cooked cake to get stuck and cause an eruption of chocolate lava before you’ve even had a chance to plate it.

Tip for successful skull lava cakes:

• I swear by Bak-klene ZT for shaped pans like these skulls, it’s freaking magical. PAM for baking would be my second choice if you cannot find Bak-klene ZT (try Williams Sonoma, Gordon Food Service, or Amazon).
• Don’t use chocolate chips! Besides the fact that chocolate chips are designed to hold their shape better, this is a dessert where the chocolate is the main component so please use a good bakers chocolate.
• Room temperature eggs are a step even I often skip but when mixing into the warm chocolate-butter mixture you don’t want the chocolate to seize up with the addition of cold eggs.
• Underbaking is the whole point. Once you see that the batter is no longer shiny on top it’s probably time for them to come out of the oven or you risk these small cakes cooking all the way through and lacking the molten effect.

Once you have successfully released the skull lava cakes are ready to be devoured! These are an eat right away kind of dessert and don’t keep that well. Technically you can save the leftovers but they won’t be as molten once they cool and you don’t want to reheat and thus cook the centers. So find 3 companions and enjoy them while they are hot, literally.

I served mine on plates splattered with melted red candy coating but some warmed up seedless fruit jelly or strawberry sundae syrup would also work well. I almost made them with a red cream cheese center similar to my slime lava cakes or a skull red velvet version but decided to stick to the classic and instead incorporate the “blood” into the presentation. A dusting of powdered sugar on top would look nice, too.

Technically one cake serves 2 people but I won’t tell anyone if you don’t share. Heck I put peanut butter cup ice cream on top of mine once I finished taking photos, who am I to judge?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Welcome to 2025’s #HalloweenTreatsWeek event!

This is our 8th year doing #HalloweenTreatsWeek … has it really been 8 years? Wow!

#HalloweenTreatsWeek is a Halloween blogging event that is hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife every October. This event is an online, week-long event that is filled with some amazingly wicked Halloween treats and recipes from some fantastic Halloween-loving bloggers!

Make Sure to check out all of the fun Halloween recipes that we’re sharing this week!

Make sure to check out all of the fun recipes that we’re sharing this week!

• Witches Brew Risotto by Big Bear’s Wife
• Magic Wands by Semi Homemade Recipes
• Melted Witch Fudge by Southern Halloween Queen
• Chocolate Haystack Werewolf Paws by Savory Moments
• Graveyard Brownies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Cookies and Scream Cupcakes by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Pumpkin Shaped Cheeseball by Art of Natural Living
• Monster Meat Pie by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties by For the Love of Food

SKULL LAVA CAKES

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Yield: 4 cakes (8 servings) Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 11 Minutes 11 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 4 oz. (4 squares) Baker's semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Generously grease** four cavities of a skull cakelet pan***.
2. In a large microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate and butter on high for 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds, or until melted and completely smooth.
3. Whisk in sugar, eggs, and egg yolks followed by the flour until just incorporated. Divide batter between the four prepared skull cavities.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are still soft and jiggle when disturbed. Remove from oven and let stand 1 minute. Carefully run small spatula or knife around the edges to loosen then invert onto a platter or dessert plates**** (Lightly tap the bottom of the pan while inverted to help loosen further, if needed). Serve immediately.

Notes

*You can easily sub your favorite GF flour for a GF option. I prefer Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour here. **I swear by Bak-klene ZT for all my shaped bakeware, but it's sometimes hard to find so PAM for baking would be the next best option. ***I used a pan with a little over 3/4 cup capacity in each cavity. ****I splattered some red chocolate candy melts on the plates to look like blood. Red fruit dessert topping would also work.

Source: Adapted slightly from Kraft.

You only need three ingredients and minimal tools to make these easy chocolate peanut butter cinnamon rolls any day of the week.

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National Cinnamon Roll Day landing on #PBchocSat means it’s time to wake up to the best combo – chocolate peanut butter cinnamon rolls. Our game against Minnesota may be at 7:30pm but that won’t stop me from rousing the Buckeye spirit early.

I have made homemade peanut butter cinnamon rolls with chocolate glaze before, six years ago in fact for The Game against *ichigan so it was time to make something new. However, I was in no mood to make cinnamon rolls from scratch so I am here to share the lazy girl’s version makin a can of cinnamon rolls seem like they are homemade. Another option could have been a cinnamon roll dump cake but maybe next time.

Similar to my baklava cinnamon rolls, you will buy a tube of jumbo cinnamon rolls, unroll the dough, smear peanut butter and Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) over them, roll back up, slice into 5 rolls, and bake! I considered only adding the peanut butter to the filling and the Nutella to the icing, but decided I didn’t want to dirty even one more dish to make this.

All you will need is a surface upon which to unroll the dough, a knife/spoon/offset spatula to spread the peanut butter and Nutella, a sharp knife to cut (unless you are able to split them apart as originally intended), and a pan in which to bake them. And last but not least, a mouth to enjoy them!

EASY CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CINNAMON ROLLS

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Yield: 5 Servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes 25 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 (17.5 oz.) tube Grands Pillsbury cinnamon rolls
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan; set aside.
2. On a clean, lightly floured surface, unroll the cinnamon rolls without separating them. Spread peanut butter and chocolate hazelnut spread evenly over the dough.
3. Tightly roll dough back up, slice into 5 rolls and arrange in prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
5. When cinnamon rolls are done, immediately drizzle icing from the package over the top. Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from my Baklava Cinnamon Rolls and slightly from my Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Chocolate Glaze.

Chocolate peanut butter milk is just like chocolate milk but with the nutty flavor of peanuts. Because nothing pairs better with chocolate than peanut butter.

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While this might be a super simple recipe for celebrating the first Big Ten game of the season, today is chocolate milk day and I could not resist taking advantage of that for #PBchocSat by making chocolate peanut butter milk.

While you could definitely make this with chocolate syrup and regular peanut butter, I like how I could control the sweetness by using unsweetened cocoa powder and powdered peanut butter. Added bonus is that regular peanut butter wouldn’t dissolve as easily into milk as powdered peanut butter.

Growing up, and now even as an adult, I have never liked chocolate milk. I’m not much of a plain chocolate fan for most anything. But add some peanut butter into the mix and I am all in. Same goes for this chocolate peanut butter milk – aka Buckeye Milk (but not to be confused with my buckeye milkshake)!

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MILK

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Yield: 1 Serving Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups preferred milk*
• 2 Tbsp powdered peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder*
• 2-3 tsp honey or agave syrup

Directions

In a large glass** combine the milk, powdered peanut butter powder, cocoa powder, and sweetener. Whisk with a milk frother** until combined. Taste and add more sweetener if preferred. Serve immediately.

Notes

*Or use chocolate milk and add powdered peanut butter. **Or pulse in a blender.

Source: Adapted from Foodal.

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.