11 Easy Game-Day Desserts Your Super Bowl Guests Are Guaranteed To Love
From heart-stopping touchdowns to over-the-top commercials, there's plenty to love about Super Bowl watch parties. People who aren't even big fans of the sport can appreciate the company and tasty food spread. Buffalo wings, chili, potato skins, and pizza are just a few of the many staples guests can look forward to.
While savory dishes certainly steal the show, it's wise to throw some sweets into the mix to help balance the flavors. Besides, nothing is better than digging into a dessert after a brilliant play. And if your team loses, at least you and your guests have some treats to enjoy while grieving.
Juggling a bunch of appetizers, main dishes, and desserts can be too chaotic even for the greatest multitaskers out there. This is why it's essential to equip yourself with some simple sweets you can whip up in advance or even the morning of the Super Bowl in a jiffy. Read on to discover some phenomenal dessert recipes that are perfect for your Super Bowl party.
Copycat Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake
Every good party has a stunning cake that acts as the centerpiece of the dessert table. Instead of buying one at the grocery store or making a simple boxed cake, you can present an impressive copycat Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake to your guests. The beauty of this recipe is that you can cut corners by using a boxed brownie mix, but you'll spruce it up enough that your guests will think it's entirely homemade.
Using a brownie mix ensures that the dessert is as fudgy and decadent as possible. After baking your base brownie layer and letting it cool, prepare two mixtures: one with dark chocolate and one with white chocolate. Each mixture includes melted chocolate, whipped cream, cream cheese, and sugar. The most crucial step is then covering these three layers with ganache and a drizzle of melted white chocolate. You use a toothpick to create the signature design on top. Of course, no copycat black tie mousse cake is complete without mini chocolate chips pressed into the side, and some chocolate frosting piped along the top edge.
There are several steps involved to bring this cake together, but it's worth the effort. As long as you have enough room in your fridge, the dessert will hold up beautifully for a day, meaning you can make it in advance.
Sweet And Salty Texas Trash Pie
Who can turn down a hearty slice of pie at any gathering? If you prepare this sweet and salty Texas trash pie, it'll be the talk of your Super Bowl bash. Despite its name, this dessert looks and tastes incredible. The name refers to how easily you can dump all of the ingredients into the store-bought pie crust and chuck it into the oven. Its simplicity is why it needs to be part of your dessert spread.
In addition to the frozen crust, you'll need pretzels, graham crackers, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, pecans, caramel truffles, butter, and a can of sweetened condensed milk. You dump the dry ingredients in first, then pour the melted butter and sweetened condensed milk on top to coat every piece in buttery, sweet goodness.
The pretzels add saltiness for balance and tie into the football theme. Pretzels are a common snack that people grab in between gulps of beer. You and your friends could have a blast trying different brews with this pie. If you want to get fancy, you could also mix up some White Russian cocktails to toast to a successful party. Since it only takes a few minutes to make the dessert and about 40 minutes to bake, you should have no trouble preparing it the day of the Super Bowl.
Recipe: Sweet And Salty Texas Trash Pie
Easy But Elevated Cookie Dough Dip
Everyone loves digging into a yummy dip when watching sports. You can never go wrong with classics like a 7-layer dip or queso, but offering a dessert rendition can really take your Super Bowl party to new heights. Some sweet tooths will focus on that dip while others will appreciate jumping back and forth from savory to sweet to cleanse their palates. One of the best and easiest dessert dips to consider making is an elevated cookie dough dip.
You'll be relieved to know that this comes together with only six ingredients, and you may already have them stocked in your kitchen. Butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, brown sugar, dark chocolate, and sea salt all blend to mimic the taste of chocolate chip cookies without even turning on the oven.
Using a beater to combine the ingredients can give you peace of mind that the brown sugar will integrate beautifully, so there's no unpleasant grittiness in each bite. The hint of tanginess from the cream cheese and the pops of bitterness from the dark chocolate chunks prevent it from being cloyingly sweet. Don't forget to set out some fun snacks for dipping. Graham crackers, pretzels, waffle cone chips, and even potato chips could pair well with this cookie dough dip.
No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake
Eclairs are a brilliant dessert because they strike a balance between delicateness and richness. However, making them is definitely a labor of love. Not only do you have to wrestle with pastry dough, but it also takes a while to fill each eclair and coat it with chocolate. No one has time to do this in the midst of Super Bowl party preparations.
However, you can still treat your guests to the same luxurious flavors. With this no-bake chocolate eclair cake recipe, you can effortlessly satisfy a crowd of passionate football fans. All you need is some vanilla instant pudding, whipped topping, whole milk, whipping cream, chocolate chips, and graham crackers. Crushed graham crackers substitute the pastry dough, and you still build lovely layers of vanilla cream and ganache.
This chilled dessert is as low-maintenance as possible. Prepare it the day before your party, so you have less to worry about on game day. You can also make your job as a host simpler by setting a large spoon out next to this cake so guests can feel free to serve themselves.
Recipe: No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake
Buttery Cinnamon Roll Blondies
In many states, the weather is still quite chilly once it's time for the Super Bowl. Knowing this, it's good to serve food with some warm spices. Instead of laboring over homemade cinnamon rolls or serving subpar ones out of a canister, you can capture the comforting flavors by making cinnamon roll blondies.
The blondie batter is similar to a chocolate chip cookie recipe, so you don't need to pull out all the stops to make it. You achieve gooey cinnamon roll vibes by spreading the cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar mixture between two layers of the blondie dough. This leaves space on top for a luscious cream cheese frosting that really sells the entire experience.
Your guests will also appreciate the addition of chopped walnuts in this dessert for a lovely crunch. One bite is guaranteed to light up their faces. This recipe is easy to work with, so you can double it if need be and cut the servings as small or large as you want to feed your crowd.
Recipe: Buttery Cinnamon Roll Blondies
Copycat Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies
There's a reason why so many real estate agents bake chocolate chip cookies during house tours. The smell of the cookies baking makes everyone feel instantly at home. You can put all of your guests in a good mood by popping some copycat Levain chocolate chip cookies into the oven, even if tensions run high during the Super Bowl match. They'll be blown away once they see how thick and tender this treat is.
If these famous cookies sound too intimidating to make, feel at ease knowing that the recipe is quite similar to the classic Nestlé Toll House one on the back of the chocolate chip bag we've all made a million times. The only notable differences are the use of cold butter, an additional egg yolk, cornstarch, and baking powder. You don't need to do anything elaborate to replicate these fancy cookies.
Keep in mind that most traditional cookie dough recipes yield a dozen or more cookies. Since these bad boys are large and in charge, you'll only get eight cookies per batch. You can definitely double or triple the ingredients if you have a bowl that's large enough. While this recipe doesn't require refrigerating the dough in advance, you can still make it ahead of time to make your prep work easier.
Indulgent Biscoff Cookie Butter Cheesecake
Cheesecake is always a major hit at events, but taking the time to bake one properly can be daunting. This is why no-bake recipes have taken the internet by storm. One recipe that is worthy of your Super Bowl watch party is this Biscoff "cookie butter" cheesecake. Not only does it use crushed Biscoff cookies as the crust, but you also mix some Biscoff spread into the cheesecake. Cookie butter fans will think they're dreaming once they pop a spoonful of this dessert into their mouths.
To prepare the cheesecake mixture, you'll combine melted white chocolate, cream cheese, heavy cream, Biscoff spread, lemon juice, and powdered sugar with a beater. After you pour the mixture over the buttery Biscoff cookie crust, you'll have the chance to get artsy by drizzling some more Biscoff spread on top and using a toothpick or skewer to make a gorgeous swirl pattern. Give everything six hours to set, and you'll have magic.
If you don't want to worry about making a mess while slicing and serving this dessert, you could spend a bit more time making individual cheesecake cups. It's not as quick as dumping everything into one pan, but it gives guests the freedom to grab one whenever they're ready to enjoy. This also limits the risk of missing anything good on TV.
Creamy Marshmallow Fruit Dip
Not many people will reach for fruit when there's a glorious buffet of comfort foods available, but sometimes it's nice to have something light in between all of the heavy dishes. You could prepare a fruit salad, but why stop there? Entice your guests to snack on some refreshing fruit by making this marshmallow dip.
You may think that fruit is already sweet enough by itself, and you're not wrong. However, you'll fall in love with this dip whenever you want a creamy companion. Popping some berries, melons, or apples into this marshmallow mixture is the perfect way to cool off after eating a bunch of spicy chili or buffalo wings.
To make this dip, simply whip cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla extract with a beater until nice and fluffy. The marshmallow flavor plays well with the sweetness of all kinds of fruits, and the cream cheese's tanginess brings some balance. The presentation is what will really invite everyone to dig in. You can have a blast arranging the fruits to create a stunning rainbow. For extra whimsy, you could even divide the marshmallow dip into two bowls and add a few drops of food coloring in each to represent your team's colors.
Recipe: Creamy Marshmallow Fruit Dip
Gooey Brownies
Brownies may be a basic dessert, but they're a classic for a reason. People who don't have much kitchen know-how can bake them with a box mix, and most people love biting into a thick, chocolatey dessert. The only controversial thing is whether you're on team cakey or fudgy.
While you can count on this ranking of boxed brownie mixes to satisfy a chocolate sweet tooth, with a little extra effort, you and your guests can enjoy homemade brownies that taste gourmet. Once you learn how to make them from scratch, you'll have a hard time not including the recipe in your self-care routine every weekend.
Believe it or not, you only need eight ingredients to make mouthwatering brownies. The foundation of any worthwhile recipe is high-quality chocolate that you'll melt down for the batter. You'll also need butter instead of oil to make the dessert richer. The prep work itself is a breeze, though. The toughest decision is whether to bake the brownies for around 20 minutes –– until they're fudgy –– or 24 so they're cakier. It's great that this recipe caters to both preferences. Sure, you can make your guests' jaws drop by having a fancy dessert spread, but some folks may be shy about not having the most adventurous taste buds. Including brownies in your Super Bowl party lineup will ensure everyone has a sweet treat.
Recipe: Gooey Brownies
No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls
We all know that chocolate and peanut butter are a match made in dessert heaven. Who wants to spend hours building layers and taking breaks to refrigerate enough homemade peanut butter cups to feed a big crowd, though? This is why every host needs to have a solid no-bake peanut butter ball recipe on hand. You get to enjoy the same flavors and a similar texture with only a fraction of the effort.
The creamy spread on its own is finger-licking good, but the best peanut butter balls have some oomph when you bite into them. This recipe achieves a delightful texture by incorporating oat flour, almond flour, honey, and coconut oil. After you melt the peanut butter and honey on the stove, toss everything into a blender to make sure it's perfectly combined. Then, use your hands to form bite-sized balls.
Dipping the spheres into melted chocolate is the fun part. You can keep things simple by giving the peanut butter balls a thorough coating before transferring them to a parchment-lined pan and chilling them, or you can decorate them for a little extra pizzazz. After a quick 15-minute rest in the freezer, you can take them out and drizzle more melted chocolate on top as decoration. You can also experiment with flaky sea salt, sprinkles, or even pipe little footballs or the jersey numbers of your favorite players.
Recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls
Easy Two-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse
Who says that fancy desserts have to be complicated? Any cocoa lovers invited to your Super Bowl party will be blown away by how divine this easy mousse is, and you'll be so grateful for how quickly it comes together. All you need is some high-quality dark chocolate, granulated sugar, and ice water. If you don't have a go-to product, check out these chocolate brands with the highest-quality ingredients so you can feel confident your mousse will shine.
First, you'll gently melt chopped dark chocolate in a pan with granulated sugar and some water to thin out the texture. Then, pour the melted mixture into a bowl resting on top of ice water. After a little bit of whisking, you'll get a dreamy mousse that you can transfer to ramekins.
To make this dessert even fancier, you can place some fresh strawberries on top. If you have a friend or family member around to help, you can prepare an impressive amount of chocolate mousse ramekins in a jiffy. Just assign someone to ramekin-filling duty, and the other to strawberry duty. It's funny how some temperature changes can transform a simple ingredient. Your guests may not be passionate about a chocolate bar served on a plate, but this mousse will get them talking.