Recipe Roundup

31 Peanut Butter Desserts for People Who Like It Creamy, Crunchy, and Nutty

That jar can do much more than fill a sandwich.
Slices of peanut butter snacking cake swirled with raspberry jam
Photo by Yossy Arefi, Food styling by Yossy Arefi

The best peanut butter desserts are a little salty, a little sweet, leaning on butter and sugar to highlight your favorite nutty sandwich spread. If you love a PB&J, you’ll find a treasure trove of fruit-and-nut dessert recipes that you’ll want to try below, but there are also gems here for those devoted to peanut butter-filled chocolate candies and those who can’t live without caramel. Scroll down for all of our favorite peanut butter desserts, including cookies, cupcakes, creamy pies, and mind-bending s’mores (and don’t waste that last little bit at the bottom of the almost-empty peanut butter jar).

  • Photo of peanut butter cookies on a rack.
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    1/31

    3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

    Some of the best peanut butter desserts are the simplest ones, like these wildly simple, classic cookies that happen to be dairy and gluten-free.

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  • Peanut butter brownies cut into squares on parchment paper.
    Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht
    2/31

    Peanut Butter Brownies

    Chocolate: clearly great. Chocolate and peanut butter? Even better. These brownies strike the ideal balance between pronounced cocoa flavor and the rich, nutty peanut butter.

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  • A giant chocolate peanut butter cup on a pink plate two drink glasses and flowers set against a dark grey background.
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen
    3/31

    Giant Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

    A sliceable, crowd-sized take on the beloved sweet-and-salty candy. You’ll purée extra peanuts into the filling.

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  • Two puffed rice treats with butterscotch and chocolate on top on a plate.
    Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Micah Marie Morton
    4/31

    Scotcheroos

    This Midwestern favorite is most easily described as peanut butter Rice Krispies Treats layered with chocolate and butterscotch.

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  • Tight overhead shot of a graham cracker crust filled with a swirly peanut butter filling.
    Photo by Sara Remington
    5/31

    Peanut Butter Pie

    When you need a make-ahead dessert for a dinner party or barbecue, consider this simple combo of peanut butter and cream cheese sweetened with brown sugar and chilled in a graham cracker crust.

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  • A bowl of midnight puppy chow on a countertop next to two glasses a bag of chocolate chips a bowl of chex mix and a...
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Ali Nardi
    6/31

    Midnight Puppy Chow

    This version of the slumber party classic gets earthy sweetness from maple syrup and a flavorful dusting of cocoa powder.

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  • Photo of peanut butter blossom cookies with chocolate ganache in the center.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Samantha Seneviratne & Jason Schreiber
    9/31

    Peanut Butter Blossoms, but Better

    If the standard chocolate-topped peanut butter cookie leaves you cold, this version made with a dollop of ganache will win you over.

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  • Peanut butter pie bites with pretzel garnish.
    Photo by Kelsey Foster
    10/31

    Peanut Butter Pie Bites

    Starting with peanut butter–filled pretzel nuggets means there’s a ton of peanut butter flavor in every inch of these crowd-pleasing bites.

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Following stints at StarChefs and Saveur, Joe joined Epicurious in 2016 where he’s written about how to make the very best biscuits, the singularity of third-culture cooking, and the ultimate cream cheese frosting. Currently, he works across both BA and Epi as the senior SEO editor for cooking stories, which ... Read More
Senior SEO Editor, Cooking
The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here. ... Read More
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