Brown Sugar Sour Cream Peach Cobbler Bundt Cake with Bourbon Caramel

This peach cobbler Bundt cake combines brown sugar, sour cream, peaches, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a buttery Bundt cake finished with bourbon caramel. Inspired by peach cobbler, I traded the traditional baking dish for a Bundt pan while keeping the peaches, warm spices, and brown sugar that make cobbler such a favorite dessert. The sour cream keeps the cake tender, while the bourbon caramel gets poured over the top.

If this recipe title sounds like I emptied the ingredients of an entire Southern church cookbook onto a page, then I probably accomplished my goal.

There is no part of me that is Southern except maybe in my soul. I know that sounds completely barfy and cliché, especially coming from someone whose only claim to anything South is Southern California, and obviously that doesn’t count.

I guess what I respond to isn’t necessarily a place as much as a cooking philosophy.

I’ve always preferred creating recipes that aren’t trying to be mysterious. I like adding brown sugar where it belongs or sour cream because the cake will be better for it. And a sauce that nobody was really expecting, but everybody is happy when it shows up at the table. I prefer generously portioned food that’s comfort first and probably needs more self-control than we’re willing to give it. Maybe nostalgic food is a better explanation, especially if it’s sentimental for me.

I know it’s a very different mindset from the lighter, brighter, fresher approach that seems to dominate modern food media these days. I’ve never been much of a follower. When it comes to food, elegance has never really been the thing that catches my attention. What I love is the feeling that somebody cared more about everyone eating the dessert than what anyone might say about it afterward. And I wanted to follow that path with this cake.

This did start as a regular peach cake, but then I let brown sugar in, followed by sour cream. At some point I realized I had all the ingredients of a peach cobbler and I just let it keep going. Then I stood there looking at it and thought, well, if I’m already doing the most, I might as well finish the job. That’s how the bourbon caramel happened.

For a cake like this, you’ll want to use peaches that are ripe but not falling apart. Once peaches become overly soft, they release too much liquid and turn to mush in the batter. These soften during baking while still leaving pieces of peach throughout the cake, which is what I wanted.

The finished cake has all the peach cobbler feelings wrapped into a Bundt cake. It has the peaches, warm spices, and brown sugar that make cobbler so good, along with a bourbon caramel sauce that serves no practical purpose whatsoever beyond making it better.

The final cake reminds me of a recipe card somebody kept hidden inside a church cookbook for thirty years and only shared it after being pressured by three church ladies and a cousin.

That’s usually a pretty good sign.

What Makes This Different

• I know most peach Bundt cakes start with a vanilla cake batter and fold in peaches. I wanted to start somewhere else entirely.
• Instead of creating another peach cake, I started with peach cobbler flavors and translated them into Bundt cake form. The peaches are still there, but so are the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg that make peach cobbler taste like peach cobbler.
• I wanted the brown sugar to do more than sweeten the cake. With three times as much brown sugar as granulated sugar, the flavor ends up closer to a good peach cobbler filling than a traditional peach cake.
• The sour cream plays a supporting role, helping carry two cups of peaches through the batter while keeping the cake rich and tender. Every slice has pieces of peach throughout.
• I took it further than a glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar. I wanted something that felt more in line with the cobbler inspiration, so I traded the glaze for a warm bourbon caramel that you pour over the cake before serving.
• Nothing here is unfamiliar on its own. Peach cake isn’t unusual, sour cream Bundt cakes are definitely not unusual, and neither is bourbon caramel. What makes this feel special is how everything worked together and became a peach cobbler and Southern-style Bundt cake hybrid. Which is where I wanted it anyway.

Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour – This is what helps hold together the peaches, sour cream, and bourbon caramel. A little extra flour gets tossed with the peaches before they go into the batter, which helps distribute them more evenly throughout the cake.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda – Lifts the batter that would otherwise be weighed down by fruit, brown sugar, and sour cream.
• Fine Sea Salt – Shows up in both the cake and the bourbon caramel. A small amount makes a bigger difference than you might expect once the brown sugar and caramel get involved.
• Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg – These are part of what makes the cake feel inspired by peach cobbler rather than a standard peach cake.
• Unsalted Butter – Adds richness to both the cake and the bourbon caramel.
• Brown Sugar – There’s three times as much brown sugar as granulated sugar in this cake. It shows up in the batter and again in the bourbon caramel, which is part of why this feels much closer to peach cobbler than a typical peach cake. If your brown sugar has turned into a brick, homemade brown sugar takes only a few minutes to make.
• Granulated Sugar – A smaller amount of granulated sugar keeps the cake from becoming entirely a brown sugar project.
• Eggs – Help hold together a batter carrying peaches, sour cream, and plenty of brown sugar.
• Vanilla Extract – Goes into both the cake and the caramel because leaving it out of either one felt wrong.
• Sour Cream – Keeps the cake tender while supporting a batter loaded with fruit.
• Peaches – Use peaches that are ripe but still slightly firm because they soften during baking without completely disappearing into the cake.
• Heavy Cream – Turns the brown sugar and butter into a smooth caramel sauce rather than a thick syrup.
• Bourbon – The bourbon is noticeable, but it doesn’t take over. It joins the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and peaches already happening in the cake.

How to Make Peach Cobbler Bundt Cake with Bourbon Caramel

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (prepare the pan and mix the dry ingredients)
  Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Thoroughly grease and flour a 10 to 12-cup Bundt pan, paying attention to every curve and crevice because Bundt cakes can be surprisingly unforgiving about forgotten spots. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
• Step Two (make the batter)
  Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla. Add half of the flour mixture, followed by the sour cream, then the remaining flour mixture. By this point, it should be pretty obvious this stopped being a regular peach cake.
• Step Three (add the peaches)
  Toss the peaches with flour before folding them into the batter. It only takes a minute and helps keep the peaches distributed throughout the cake instead of ending up in one area. I like peaches that are ripe but still a little firm for this recipe because they soften during baking while still leaving pieces of peach throughout the cake.
• Step Four (bake the cake)
  Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack.
• Step Five (make the bourbon caramel)
  While the cake cools, combine the brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted and the mixture is gently bubbling around the edges, slowly whisk in the heavy cream until smooth, then stir in the bourbon, vanilla, and salt. The caramel comes together quickly and is the reason powdered sugar never really had a chance.
• Step Six (finish and serve)
  Let the caramel cool for 5 to 10 minutes before drizzling it over the cake. Pour it over a warm cake if you want some of the caramel to soak into the surface, or wait until the cake has cooled if you’d rather keep more of it on top. Either way, be generous. Nobody has ever complained about extra bourbon caramel.

Recipe Tips

• Use peaches that are ripe but still slightly firm. Very soft peaches release more liquid and will disappear into the cake instead of leaving pieces of fruit throughout each slice.
• Toss the peaches with flour before folding them into the batter. It helps keep them distributed throughout the cake rather than ending up in one area.
• Grease every crevice of the Bundt pan. Between the fruit, brown sugar, and caramel notes, this isn’t the cake to test your luck with a poorly prepared pan.
• Decide what kind of caramel finish you want before you drizzle. Pouring the caramel over a warm cake allows some of it to soak into the surface, while a cooled cake gives you a more dramatic finish.
• Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes before turning it out of the pan. Too soon and it may break apart. Too long and it may decide the pan is its permanent residence.

Storage

• Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• If refrigerated, let slices sit at room temperature for a bit before serving or warm them slightly to soften the caramel.
• Like many brown sugar cakes, the flavors get better as the cake sits. The peaches, spices, and caramel become even more noticeable by the next day.
• The bourbon caramel can be stored separately in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Warm gently before serving if it becomes too thick.

FAQs

• Why is this called a peach cobbler Bundt cake?
  Because I started with peach cobbler flavors and eventually ended up with a Bundt cake. The peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg all came along from the cobbler side of the conversation.
• Can I use frozen peaches?
  Yes, but thaw them completely and pat away excess moisture before adding them to the batter. I’ve had excellent results using frozen peaches when fresh peaches weren’t available.
• Can I use canned peaches?
  I wouldn’t recommend it. Canned peaches are much softer and add extra moisture to the batter, which changes the texture of the finished cake.
• Do I have to use bourbon in the caramel?
  No. The caramel is still delicious without it. Simply leave the bourbon out or sub with vanilla extract or apple juice and continue with the recipe as written.
• Why use brown sugar instead of all granulated sugar?
  The brown sugar does a lot more than sweeten the cake. With three times as much brown sugar as granulated sugar, the flavor ends up much closer to peach cobbler than a traditional peach cake.
• Why use sour cream?
  Sour cream helps support a batter carrying two cups of peaches. It also gives the cake the texture I wanted without turning it into something that feels fragile once it’s sliced.
• Can I make this cake ahead of time?
  I actually prefer it the next day. The peaches, spices, brown sugar, and caramel have a little more time to get acquainted, and the cake somehow feels even more like itself.
• What if I don’t have a Bundt pan?
  You can bake the batter in two loaf pans, although the baking time will need to be adjusted. The Bundt shape is part of the fun, but nobody is eating this cake because of the pan.

Kitchen Notes

Observations from the margins. Not recipe tips.

• Peaches spend a lot of time convincing everyone they’re simple. They spend the entire bake surrounded by cake and remain recognizable.
• A surprising number of my decisions start with, “Well, if we’re already doing this…”
• The difference between a peach and peach cobbler is usually someone making the decision not to stop.
• The caramel comes in late, but nobody remembers the cake without it.
• Brown sugar has never shown me much interest in moderation.
• The peaches are firm enough to survive the trip through the oven. Not everything benefits from falling apart at the first sign of warmth.
• I’ve figured out there is a point in every recipe where adding one more thing becomes either wisdom or poor judgment. Experience has taught me confidence.
• The bourbon does not take over, but it does change the conversation.
• Some desserts begin with self-control. The best ones take it further.
• The peaches release exactly enough of themselves to belong.
• Not everything that looks excessive is excessive. Sometimes it’s completion.
• The recipe was complete before the bourbon caramel. The caramel refused to accept that answer.
• The difference between peach cake and peach cobbler is often a series of increasingly committed decisions.
• The caramel changes absolutely everything while technically changing very little.
• Holding things back and being unfinished are never the same thing.
• A surprising amount of baking is deciding whether you’re done or just tired.
• The caramel wasn’t necessary. Neither are most unforgettable things.
• The cake was never concerned about the peaches. The peaches were worried about the cake.
• The difference between enough and memorable is usually smaller than you’re expecting.
• There are people who see bourbon caramel and immediately understand what’s really happening here.
• The peaches go in one thing and come out another. Most transformations work that way.
• The cake does not become better by removing the parts that make it complicated.
• Not every ingredient is prepared for what happens after the oven.
• When everyone is talking balance, I’m thinking dessert just prefers satisfaction.
• The recipe gets considerably more interesting once nothing is trying to leave.
• The cake is better because every ingredient agreed to participate.
• Some things only make sense after they’ve been through the oven.
• Sometimes the final ingredient is always the best idea.
• Some things spend years becoming what they were always going to be.

More Desserts That Refused to Keep Things Simple

• No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake – lemon curd, strawberries, mascarpone layers
• Lemon Blueberry Sour Cream Bundt Cake – lemon batter with blueberries throughout
• Carrot Cake with Apricot Filling – apricot filling, white chocolate frosting
• Biscoff Butter Cookies – strawberry and cookie butter frosting
• Blueberry Cobbler – blueberry cobbler with secret spice

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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Peach Cobbler Bundt Cake with Bourbon Caramel

Peach cobbler Bundt cake with bourbon caramel combines brown sugar, sour cream, peaches, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a buttery Bundt cake finished with a warm bourbon caramel drizzle. Inspired by the flavors of peach cobbler, it trades the traditional baking dish for a Bundt pan while keeping the peaches, warm spices, and brown sugar that inspired the recipe in the first place.

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bourbon caramel cake, brown sugar peach cake, Bundt cake recipe, fresh peaches cake, peach Bundt cake, peach cobbler Bundt cake, peach dessert, Summer Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Cooling: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings 12 to 14 slices

Calories 510kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• Bundt pan (10 to 12-cup / 2.4 to 2.8 L) Creates the classic Bundt shape and enough volumefor the fruit-filled batter.
• hand mixer or stand mixer. Creams the butter and sugars properly for the cake batter.
• mixing bowls For preparing the dry ingredients and batter.
• whisk Helps evenly distribute the spices and leavening agents.
• rubber spatula Useful for folding the peaches into the batter without breaking them apart.
• Saucepan (small). Used to make the bourbon caramel.
• cooling rack Allows the cake to cool evenly before adding the caramel.

Ingredients

Peach Cobbler Bundt Cake:

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps (8 g) baking powder
• ½ tsp (3 g) baking soda
• 1 tsp (6 g) fine sea salt
• 1 tsp (3 g) ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
• 1½ cups (310 g) packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (180 g) full-fat sour cream
• 2 cups (300 g) peeled and diced fresh peaches
• 2 tbsps (16 g) all-purpose flour for peaches

Bourbon Caramel:

• 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
• 6 tbsps (85 g) unsalted butter
• ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) bourbon
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Thoroughly grease and flour a 10 to 12-cup (2.4 to 2.8 liter) Bundt pan, making sure every crevice is coated well. Cake goop also works well for this recipe.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
  3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour, 2 tsps (8 g) baking powder, ½ tsp (3 g) baking soda, 1 tsp (6 g) fine sea salt, 1 tsp (3 g) ground cinnamon, ½ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
  1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1½ cups (310 g) packed light brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 4 large eggs, 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
• Add half of the flour mixture, followed by the sour cream, then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
  ¾ cup (180 g) full-fat sour cream
• Toss the peaches with the flour, then gently fold them into the batter. Coating the peaches with flour helps distribute them more evenly throughout the cake.
  2 cups (300 g) peeled and diced fresh peaches, 2 tbsps (16 g) all-purpose flour
• Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
• Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a cooling rack. For a caramel topping that stays mostly on the surface of the cake, allow the cake to cool completely before drizzling. For a topping that soaks into the cake, drizzle while the cake is still warm.
• To make the bourbon caramel, combine the brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and gently bubbling around the edges. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and continue whisking until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the bourbon, vanilla extract, and salt. Let the caramel cool for 5 to 10 minutes before drizzling. The caramel will thicken slightly as it cools.
  1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar, 6 tbsps (85 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, 1 tbsp (15 ml) bourbon, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• Drizzle the bourbon caramel over the cake before serving.

Notes

• Use peaches that are fragrant and slightly soft but not overly juicy. Smaller pieces distribute more evenly throughout the cake. 
• Frozen peaches work well after thawing and patting dry. They also eliminate the need for peeling.
• Greasing the Bundt pan thoroughly is especially important because of the fruit and brown sugar in the batter.
• For a more dramatic caramel finish, allow the cake to cool completely before drizzling.
• The cake can be made a day ahead. The flavors continue to develop as it sits.
• Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• Freeze the cake without the caramel topping for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and add the caramel before serving.

 

 

If you’re making this Peach Cobbler Bundt Cake, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Serving: 130g | Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 850IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg

Have you made this Peach Cobbler Bundt Cake? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Peach Cobbler Bundt Cake with Bourbon Caramel appeared first on Noble Pig.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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Pecan Cream Pie

Pecan cream pie is a cold, creamy dessert made with a buttery pecan crust and a fluffy cream cheese filling packed with toasted pecans. It's the perfect warm-weather alternative to traditional pecan pie, delivering plenty of pecan flavor in every chilled slice.

Course Dessert, Pie

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword chilled pecan pie, cream cheese pecan pie, pecan cream pie, pecan dessert, pecan pie alternative, summer pie recipe, toasted pecan pie

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Chilling 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 37 minutes minutes

Servings 8 to 10 slices

Calories 515kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• 9-inch pie plate Holds the crust and filling while creating the classic pie shape.
• mixing bowls One for the cream cheese mixture and one for the whipping cream.
• Stand Mixer or hand mixer. For a smooth filling and properly whipped cream.
• rubber spatula For gently folding the whipped cream into the filling without deflating it.
• baking sheet Useful for toasting the pecans.
• piping bag with large star tip (optional) If you want to a pipe whipped cream onto the finished pie.

Ingredients

Pecan Crust:

• 1 cup (110 g) finely chopped pecans
• ½ cup (60 g) graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup (60 g) vanilla wafer crumbs
• 3 tbsps (38 g) granulated sugar
• ½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon
• 6 tbsps (85 g) unsalted butter melted

Pecan Cream Filling:

• 1½ cups (165 g) toasted chopped pecans
• 8 oz (226 g) full-fat cream cheese softened
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup (60 g) packed light brown sugar

Optional Toppings:

• sweetened whipped cream
• chopped pecans
• caramel sauce

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a medium bowl, combine the chopped pecans, graham cracker crumbs, vanilla wafer crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until evenly moistened. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden and fragrant. Set the crust aside to cool completely.
  1 cup (110 g) finely chopped pecans, ½ cup (60 g) graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup (60 g) vanilla wafer , 3 tbsps (38 g) granulated sugar, ½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon, 6 tbsps (85 g) unsalted butter
• Once the crust comes out of the oven, spread the pecans on a small baking sheet and toast them in the 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until fragrant. Let them cool completely, then roughly chop. Toasting deepens the pecan flavor and helps the nuts remain distinct throughout the filling. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated.
  1½ cups (165 g) toasted chopped pecans, 8 oz (226 g) full-fat cream cheese, ½ cup confectioners' sugar, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream and brown sugar to stiff peaks. The whipped cream gives the filling its light texture and helps it hold its shape once chilled. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until no streaks remain. Folding preserves the air in the whipped cream, creating a lighter pecan cream filling. Fold in the toasted pecans, reserving a small handful for garnish. Distributing the pecans throughout the filling makes sure there is pecan flavor in every bite.
  1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup (60 g) packed light brown sugar
• Spoon the pecan cream filling into the cooled pecan crust and smooth the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. The extended chill time allows the filling to firm up for slicing and gives the flavors time to develop. Before serving, top with whipped cream, the reserved pecans, and a drizzle of caramel if desired.
  sweetened whipped cream, chopped pecans, caramel sauce

Notes

• Toast the pecans before adding them to the filling. Toasting intensifies their flavor and prevents them from tasting muted once chilled.
• Allow the crust to cool completely before adding the filling. A warm crust can soften the filling and affect the final texture.
• For the best slices, chill the pie overnight.
• Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• The assembled pie is not recommended for freezing, as the texture of the filling can change after thawing.

 

 

If you’re making this pecan cream pie, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

 

 

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

 

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Serving: 140g | Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 185mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 850IU | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg

Have you made this Pecan Cream Pie? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Pecan Cream Pie appeared first on Noble Pig.

Guava Glazed Cream Cheese Cupcakes Inspired by Hawaiian Guava Cake

My guava glazed cream cheese cupcakes are inspired by Hawaiian guava cake, a dessert I grew up seeing in bakery cases throughout Hawaii. Known for its pink chiffon cake, creamy topping, and guava glaze, that looked almost too cheerful while sitting behind the glass. This easy cupcake version keeps those same flavors while using cake mix and guava nectar to simplify the process.

When I was little, there was a bakery in Hawaii that sold this bright pink guava cake, and every time we walked into that place, that’s what I wanted.

I had no interest in this cake because it was guava. I probably didn’t even know what guava was. I insisted on it because it was pink. At that age, pink was the driver of most of my decisions. Pink clothes, pencils, notebooks, shoes, hair bows, clothes for my dolls, the list was endless. If there were two desserts available and one of them was pink, there wasn’t a question which I was getting. In my mind, nothing pink could taste bad.

I remember pressing my face up against the glass looking at that cake. It was famous in Hawaii, even though guava isn’t even native there. Guava may not be native to Hawaii, but good luck separating the two now. These days it’s hard to distinguish Hawaiian bakeries from guava cake.

These days, when I think about guava, it’s filed completely differently. I think about my time spent in Miami’s Little Havana and Puerto Rico, eating warm guava pastelitos and drinking café con leche. That’s probably my favorite way to eat guava. But when I was little, none of that mattered. The flavor was secondary. The color was doing the driving.

I might not have revisited this recipe if it weren’t for the impressive amount of emails I get asking for pink desserts. There is a need for pink cakes for birthdays, pink cupcakes for baby showers, pink desserts for gender reveals, and pink treats for bridal showers. But more importantly, everyone wants something that looks cute and is easily served, without requiring an entire weekend to make. Every time I open one of those emails, I think, “Girls really do love pink food.” And maybe that’s why my petal pink cosmopolitan has always been so popular. Girls want pink drinks too. That one happens to deliver on flavor as well.

And I get it. Because when I think about pink desserts, my mind still goes straight back to that bakery in Hawaii.

Making a perfectly pink guava chiffon cake from scratch is tricky, which is what sent me looking for a shortcut. First of all, access to fresh guavas is one of the biggest issues. And even if you can get them, you will end up with more of a washed-out color than pastel pink. Depending on your screen settings, the cupcakes may appear more peach than pink, but they have a soft pastel pink color in person. Strawberry cake mix gives the cupcakes the signature pink color I wanted, guava nectar infuses the flavor, and the cake I used to stare at through bakery glass becomes something easy enough to make for a shower, birthday party, or any excuse that calls for a pink dessert.

Between the cream cheese layer, guava glaze, and coconut on top, the finished cupcakes taste much closer to Hawaiian guava cake than the ingredient list might suggest.

What Makes These Different

• It’s pretty obvious these aren’t traditional cupcakes with a swirl of frosting on top. They have three distinct layers…a soft pink cake, a creamy cream cheese layer, and a guava glaze. Together, they feel more like a slice of Hawaiian guava cake than a standard cupcake.
• They’re inspired by Hawaiian guava cake, the pink bakery cake known for its chiffon-like texture, cream topping, and guava layer. I thought turning it into cupcakes would make it easier to serve for birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, and other gatherings where individual desserts make entertaining simpler.
• The shortcut ingredients do have a purpose. Strawberry cake mix creates the pink color you’re expecting from Hawaiian guava cake, while guava nectar drives the flavor. Together, they create the look and flavor of the original without requiring fresh guava or a scratch-made chiffon cake.

Ingredients

• Strawberry cake mix – Creates the soft pink color associated with Hawaiian guava cake while providing an easy shortcut for the cupcake base.
• Guava nectar – Adds guava flavor to both the cupcakes and the topping. Make sure to use pink guava nectar for the prettiest color. I listed a handful of brands in the recipe card that produce the bright pink color associated with Hawaiian guava cake.
• Eggs – Bind everything together.
• Coconut oil – For moisture and it does add a subtle tropical flavor that goes well with the guava.
• Granulated sugar – Sweetens the guava topping and the cream cheese layer.
• Cornstarch – Thickens the guava glaze so it spreads neatly over the cupcakes instead of soaking into the cream cheese layer or running down the sides of the cupcake.
• Water – Combined with the cornstarch to create a slurry that thickens the guava glaze.
• Cream cheese – For the creamy middle layer that balances the sweetness of the cake and guava topping.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the cream cheese layer without competing with the guava.
• Cool Whip – Lightens the cream cheese layer and gives it a soft, fluffy texture.
• Sweetened shredded coconut – Optional, but I love the way it complements both the guava and cream cheese while adding a little texture.

How to Make Guava Glazed Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (bake the cupcakes)
  Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two standard muffin pans with cupcake liners. Mix the strawberry cake mix, guava nectar, eggs, and coconut oil until smooth. Fill the liners about halfway full and bake until the cupcakes spring back lightly when touched. Let them cool completely before moving on. Fully cooled cupcakes make it much easier to keep the layers distinct.
• Step Two (make the guava glaze)
  Combine the guava nectar and sugar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Whisk together the cornstarch and water, then stir it into the guava mixture. Continue cooking until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. Refrigerate until completely cooled. It will continue to thicken as it chills.
• Step Three (make the cream cheese layer)
  Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then mix in the sugar and vanilla. Fold in the Cool Whip until no streaks remain. You’re looking for a light, creamy mixture that’s easy to spread over the cupcakes.
• Step Four (assemble the cupcakes)
  Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled cupcakes and refrigerate them for a few minutes to help the layer firm up. Spoon the cooled guava glaze over the top and spread it to the edges. Finish with shredded coconut if you’re using it, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Tips

• Use pink guava nectar. The flavor is similar to white guava nectar, but the color is what helps create that classic Hawaiian guava cake look.
• Use full-fat cream cheese. Reduced-fat versions create a softer cream cheese layer and do not taste the same.
• Don’t overfill the cupcake liners. You want to leave room for the cream cheese layer and guava glaze.
• Let the cupcakes cool completely before adding the cream cheese layer. Even a little warmth can soften the topping and make the layers harder to keep distinct.
• Chill the cream cheese layer before adding the guava topping. A short trip to the refrigerator helps the guava topping sit neatly on top instead of blending into the cream cheese layer.
• Let the guava glaze cool completely before topping the cupcakes. Warm glaze can soften the cream cheese layer and make the layers blend together.

Storage

• Store the cupcakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Because of the cream cheese layer, they should be kept refrigerated until serving.
• If you’re planning ahead, bake the cupcakes a day in advance and keep them covered. Add the cream cheese layer and guava glaze the following day.
• The unfrosted cupcakes freeze well for up to 2 months. I don’t recommend freezing them once the cream cheese layer and guava glaze have been added since the texture can change after thawing.

FAQs

• What is Hawaiian guava cake?
  Hawaiian guava cake is a well-known bakery dessert made with pink cake, a creamy topping, and a guava layer.
• Can I use guava juice instead of guava nectar?
  You can, but guava nectar has a slightly richer flavor and thicker consistency, which is why I prefer it. Guava juice will still work.
• Why is there strawberry cake mix in a guava recipe?
  The strawberry cake mix is what gives you the soft pink color associated with Hawaiian guava cake. The guava nectar adds the flavor while the cake mix helps achieve the signature look.
• Can I make this as a cake instead of cupcakes?
  Yes. The batter, cream cheese layer, and guava glaze can be assembled as a cake instead of cupcakes. You’ll just need to adjust the baking time based on the size of the pan.
• Do these taste like strawberry cupcakes?
  Not really. The strawberry mix contributes more color than flavor. Once the guava nectar, cream cheese layer, and guava glaze are added, guava becomes the flavor that stands out.

From My Kitchen Notes

Observations about choosing.

• Pink was not just a color to me. I think it was a business plan.
• Little girls rarely ask for plain looking desserts.
• The things I wanted as a child usually made more sense than I gave them credit for.
• The color of something has talked me into more decisions than logic ever has.
• I’ve noticed my childhood preferences never really left. They learned a new vocabulary.
• The older I get, the more I appreciate things that know exactly what they are.
• Not every craving starts with flavor. Sometimes it starts with seeing something and deciding life would be better if it belonged to you.
• I spent a lot of time thinking I liked guava cake. Looking back, I mostly liked pink.
• Orange is now my favorite color, and in certain light, these cupcakes have a peachy-pink glow, which feels almost serendipitous at this point.
• There are worse reasons to choose something than joy.
• Some things have earned their place in my life through excellence. Others got there because they made five-year-old me lose my mind.
• The shortest distance between wanting something and justifying it is usually about three seconds.
• I know everyone says looks aren’t everything and I agree, except while choosing cupcakes.
• I used to think wanting something was the interesting part. It turns out understanding why took a lot longer.
• Some things get your attention one way and keep it another.
• The first reason I wanted that cake wasn’t the real reason. It was the first one I knew how to name.
• Being drawn to something and understanding why are often years apart.
• The things that catch your eye aren’t always the things that keep coming up in your life. But sometimes they are.
• I’ve stopped talking myself out of what I like.
• Lately, a surprising number of important things begin with, “I don’t know why, but…”
• Curiosity has a longer shelf life than I’ve realized.
• Sometimes the thing that gets picked first stays for a very long time.
• It turns out “because I liked it” is a more durable reason than people give it credit for.
• I used to think I wanted the cake because it was pink. That was true. It just wasn’t the whole story.

More Desserts That Start With a Shortcut

• Coconut Poke Cake – Soaked with cream of coconut.
• Strawberry Dump Cake – Cake mix and pie filling.
• Piña Colada Cupcakes with Coconut Whipped Cream – Pineapple, coconut, and cake mix.
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Crust Cheesecake – Cheesecake with a cookie dough crust.
• Easy Strawberry Shortcake – A shortcut summer dessert classic with refrigerated biscuits.

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Guava Glazed Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Inspired by Hawaiian guava cake, these guava glazed cream cheese cupcakes feature soft pink cake, a creamy cheesecake-like layer, and a glossy guava topping finished with coconut. This easy shortcut version uses cake mix and guava nectar to recreate the classic flavors in cupcake form.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword baby shower cupcakes, cream cheese cupcakes, guava cupcakes, guava dessert, guava glazed cream cheese cupcakes, Hawaiian guava cake cupcakes, pink cupcakes, tropical cupcakes

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Chilling 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cupcakes

Calories 225kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• Stand Mixer or hand mixer. Mixes the cupcake batter and whips the cream cheese layer until smooth.
• 2 12-Count Muffin Tin Needed to bake all 24 cupcakes at the same time.
• cupcake liners Prevent sticking and makes the cupcakes easy to serve.
• Saucepan (medium). Used to cook and thicken the guava glaze.
• mixing bowls (small). For whisking the cornstarch slurry.
• whisk Helps create a smooth guava glaze without lumps.
• cooling rack So cupcakes can cool before glazing.
• small offset spatula or spoon. Makes it easier to spread the cream cheese layer over each cupcake.

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 box (15.25 / 432 g) strawberry cake mix
• 1½ cups (360 ml) guava nectar preferably pink, (Goya, Grown Right, Sunberry Farms, Hawaiian Sun and Jans Pink - have pink juice)
• 3 large eggs
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) coconut oil melted

Guava Glaze:

• 1 cup (240 ml) guava nectar preferably pink (Goya, Grown Right, Sunberry Farms, Hawaiian Sun and Jans Pink - have pink juice)
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsps (16 g) cornstarch
• 2 tbsps (30 ml) water

Cream Cheese Layer:

• 10 oz (283 g) full fat, block cream cheese softened
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 8 oz (226 g) Cool Whip thawed

Garnish:

• 3 tbsps (15 g) sweetened shredded coconut optional

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two standard muffin pans with cupcake liners.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the strawberry cake mix, guava nectar, eggs, and coconut oil. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until smooth. (Ignore the ingredients and directions on the back of the cake mix box.)
  1 box (15.25 / 432 g) strawberry cake mix, 1½ cups (360 ml) guava nectar, 3 large eggs, ⅓ cup (80 ml) coconut oil
• Fill each cupcake liner about halfway full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and cool completely.
• To make the guava glaze, combine the guava nectar and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Remove the guava mixture from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return to the heat, bring back to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened. Refrigerate until completely cooled.
  1 cup (240 ml) guava nectar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 2 tbsps (16 g) cornstarch, 2 tbsps (30 ml) water
• For the cream cheese layer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined. Fold in the thawed Cool Whip until no streaks remain.
  10 oz (283 g) full fat, block cream cheese, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract, 8 oz (226 g) Cool Whip
• Spread an even layer of the cream cheese mixture over each cooled cupcake. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the topping has firmed slightly.
• Spoon the cooled guava glaze over the cream cheese layer, spreading it evenly across the top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with shredded coconut, if desired.
  3 tbsps (15 g) sweetened shredded coconut
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

• Pink guava nectar will give the cupcakes and glaze the most vibrant color.
• Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before adding the cream cheese layer to prevent melting.
• The guava glaze must be fully chilled before assembling the cupcakes or it can soften the cream cheese layer.
• Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• For the cleanest layers, chill the assembled cupcakes for at least 1 hour before serving.

 

If you’re making these Guava Glazed Cream Cheese Cupcakes, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Serving: 85g | Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 65mg | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

Have you made these Guava Glazed Cream Cheese Cupcakes? I’d love to hear how they turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Guava Glazed Cream Cheese Cupcakes appeared first on Noble Pig.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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Glazed Lemon Sugar Cookies

Fresh lemon juice and zest flavor both the cookie dough and the glaze, giving these glazed lemon sugar cookies lemon flavor in every layer. Soft centers and a thick lemon glaze make them hard to stop eating.

Course Cookie, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword blueberry and lemon cookies, glazed lemon cookies, glazed lemon sugar cookies, homemade lemon cookies, lemon sugar cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Cooling: 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 185kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• mixing bowls One for the dry ingredients, and one for the cookie dough.
• hand mixer or stand mixer. Creams the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• measuring cups and spoons Keeps ingredient measurements accurate.
• 2 baking sheet For even baking.
• parchment paper Prevents sticking and makes cleanup easier.
• cookie scoop (1½ tbsps) For evenly sized cookies and even baking.
• cooling rack Allows cookies to cool before glazing.
• microplane grater For zesting the lemon.

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 2¾ cups (344 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
• ½ tsp (2 g) baking soda
• ½ tsp (3 g) table salt
• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter softened
• 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk room temperature
• 1 tbsp (6 g) lemon zest
• 2 tbsps (30 ml0 fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) lemon extract (optional, but highly recommended)
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar for rolling

Lemon Glaze:

• 1½ cups (180 g) confectioners' sugar
• 2-3 tbsps (30-45 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp (2 g) lemon zest
• 1 tbsps (14 g) unsalted butter melted

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
  2¾ cups (344 g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder, ½ tsp (2 g) baking soda, ½ tsp (3 g) table salt
• Beat the butter and 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
• Mix in the egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon extract, if using, until fully combined.
  1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tbsp (6 g) lemon zest, 2 tbsps (30 ml0 fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract, ½ tsp (2.5 ml) lemon extract
• Add the dry ingredients and mix just until a soft dough forms.
• Scoop the dough into 1½ tablespoon portions and roll each one in the remaining ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar.
  ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• Arrange the dough balls about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly set and the centers still look soft.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely. If your cookies spread, use the opening of a glass to swirl them into a circle before they cool. This will make them perfectly round.
• Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and melted butter until smooth.
  1½ cups (180 g) confectioners' sugar, 2-3 tbsps (30-45 ml) fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp (2 g) lemon zest, 1 tbsps (14 g) unsalted butter
• Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze, allowing any excess to drip off.
• Let the glaze set for about 20 minutes, or until the surface is no longer wet.

Notes

• Fresh lemon juice and zest provide the strongest lemon flavor.
• The extra egg yolk helps keep the cookies soft and tender.
• For thicker glaze, use less lemon juice. For thinner glaze, add additional lemon juice a teaspoon at a time.
• If the dough becomes sticky in a warm kitchen, refrigerate it for about 20 minutes before baking.
• Slightly underbaking the cookies helps keep the centers soft.

 

 

If you’re making these Glazed Lemon Sugar Cookies, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Serving: 38g | Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Have you made these Glazed Lemon Sugar Cookies? I’d love to hear how they turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Glazed Lemon Sugar Cookies appeared first on Noble Pig.

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies With Toasted Marshmallow Pockets

These peanut butter marshmallow cookies are thick and chewy with crisp edges, melty chocolate chips, and toasted marshmallow pockets that caramelize right into the tops as they bake. Chilling the dough keeps the centers soft and gives the cookies a bakery-style texture that stays chewy instead of drying out like so many peanut butter cookies do. The mini marshmallows melt into gooey pockets throughout the dough while the chocolate chips spread through every bite instead of sinking into a few random spots.

These cookies started as a beach problem. Growing up in Southern California, s’mores were part of beach life. SoCal beaches are really, park your car, walk twenty feet, the sand, ocean and a fire pit are right there.

Oregon is park your car, evaluate the terrain, descend a staircase engineered by mountain goats, cross an unstable boulder field while carrying a cooler, chairs, blankets, sweatshirts, a beach bag, and firewood, then decide, yeah, I don’t want to do this.

There is one exception though. If you stay at the Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach, the fire comes with a staff.

They set up the chairs, blankets, a private fire (and tend to it), wine, and s’mores right on the beach while you just show up. It’s a nice evening on the Oregon coast and a great way to drop a couple hundred bucks on s’mores. Ha. It’s also proof that I don’t really hate campfires, just the logistics of them.

At some point I looked at what it took to make s’mores on the Oregon coast and decided I needed a new strategy. And I didn’t start out trying to reinvent or replace s’mores. I reached a point where, sure, the beach experience was great, but organizing it was exhausting. It was easier to bake the campfire into the cookie than haul the campfire to the beach.

I’ve tried all the obvious shortcuts with these cookies. They all looked better in theory than they did in practice. Adding marshmallows on top once out of the oven and little squares of chocolate pressed into warm cookies. It wasn’t close enough to what I imagined. If I was going to create a s’mores experience, I wanted gooey marshmallow melted into the center like lava, chocolate in every bite, and the toasted edges that make s’mores worth the trouble in the first place.

Then peanut butter showed up, which should surprise absolutely nobody. I’ve been obsessed with peanut butter for as long as I can remember, so there was no way I was making a cookie version of a s’more without it. You’re welcome.

These are now my beach or BBQ cookies when I’m craving s’mores and lighting a fire isn’t practical. They travel better than a bundle of firewood and manage to satisfy the same craving. I’ve been making them this way for years and decided it was finally time to share them.

If you’re looking for a peanut butter cookie that stays soft for days, these are the ones to make. The chilled dough bakes up thick, the chocolate chips are scattered through every bite, and the marshmallows melt into toasted pockets that make the tops look a little wild in a good way. They end up somewhere between a peanut butter cookie and a s’more, without requiring a campfire, a bundle of firewood, or a descent down an Oregon cliff carrying half my belongings.

What Makes These Different

• Using mini marshmallows instead of large marshmallows means they are distributed throughout the dough instead of creating one giant hollow cavity in the middle of the cookie. Some stay inside the cookie while others work their way to the surface, where they toast into gooey golden pockets that make the tops look a little wild in the best way.
• Refrigerating the dough is how you get the bakery-style shape. Peanut butter cookie dough will spread quickly once in the oven, especially when marshmallows begin melting. Chilling the dough gives the flour time to hydrate and helps the cookies bake up thicker with soft centers and crisp edges instead of spreading into flat peanut butter pancakes.
• Peanut butter cookies can go from perfectly soft to disappointingly dry with just a minute or two of overbaking. The extra yolk adds richness and helps the centers stay tender long after the cookies cool.
• I also stick with creamy commercial peanut butter like Jif or Skippy for this recipe. Natural peanut butter separates and can be unpredictable in cookie dough. Since the marshmallows already bring plenty of gooey behavior, stabilized peanut butter helps the cookies stay thick, chewy, and consistent from batch to batch.
• Mini chocolate chips work better than regular-sized chips for the same reason the mini marshmallows do. They spread throughout the dough more evenly, so every bite gets peanut butter, chocolate, and marshmallow instead of all the good stuff ending up in a handful of cookies.

Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour – Helps hold together the melted marshmallow, peanut butter, and chocolate while keeping the cookies sturdy and chewy.
• Baking Soda – Helps the cookies spread properly while contributing to the crinkled tops and lightly crisp edges.
• Salt – Keeps the sweetness in check.
• Creamy Peanut Butter – Peanut butter adds flavor and moisture all at once. I use commercial brands like Jif or Skippy because they create a more reliable dough and bake up consistently soft.
• Salted Butter – Adds richness and helps create tender centers with lightly crisp edges.
• Brown Sugar – Adds moisture and chew while helping the cookies stay soft long after they’ve cooled.
• Granulated Sugar – Encourages spread and helps create the lightly crisp exterior that contrasts with the soft center.
• Egg – Binds everything together.
• Egg Yolk – The extra yolk adds richness and helps protect peanut butter cookies from drying out, keeping the centers softer and chewier.
• Vanilla Extract – Makes everything better.
• Mini Marshmallows – Mini marshmallows distribute throughout the dough more evenly than large marshmallows. Some melt inside the cookie while others reach the surface and toast into gooey golden pockets.
• Mini Chocolate Chips – Mini chips spread chocolate throughout the dough so every bite gets a little of everything.

How to Make Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (mix the dry ingredients)
  Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Nothing exciting yet, but getting the dry ingredients combined first keeps you from finding random pockets of baking soda later.
• Step Two (cream the peanut butter mixture)
  Beat the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes. This is not the moment to get impatient. Those few extra minutes help create the thick, soft texture that makes these cookies worth baking in the first place.
• Step Three (add the wet ingredients)
  Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until everything looks smooth and fully combined. The extra yolk helps keep the cookies soft, which is important because peanut butter cookies can get dry in a hurry if you’re not paying attention.
• Step Four (finish the dough)
  Add the flour mixture and mix just until the dry streaks disappear. Fold in the mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips. You want them scattered throughout the dough so every cookie gets the full experience instead of leaving it to chance.
• Step Five (chill the dough)
  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. I know chilling cookie dough is rarely the news anyone wants to hear, but this is what gives the cookies that thicker bakery-style shape and keeps them from spreading into peanut butter frisbees.
• Step Six (bake the cookies)
  Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 9 to 11 minutes, until the tops look set and the edges are lightly golden. Some marshmallows will bubble through the surface and look slightly out of control. That’s exactly what you want.
• Step Seven (cool before serving)
  Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack. The marshmallow pockets will still be molten at this point, and the cookies will finish setting as they cool while keeping their soft centers.

Recipe Tips

• I would not skip the chill time. The dough may look ready to bake right away, but chilling is what gives these cookies their thick bakery-style shape. It also helps keep the marshmallows from completely taking over the baking sheet.
• The centers should still look slightly underdone when they come out of the oven. The cookies continue setting on the hot baking sheet, and that’s how you get that chewy center instead of a dry peanut butter cookie.
• Every cookie bakes a little differently. Some marshmallows stay hidden inside while others bubble through the surface and toast around the edges. That’s part of the charm.
• If you refrigerate the dough overnight, let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats. This makes scooping much easier and gives the flour even more time to hydrate.
• The marshmallows can create little caramelized edges as they bake, so give the cookies some breathing room on the baking sheet. This helps them keep their shape and prevents marshmallow overflow from connecting neighboring cookies.
• Use commercial peanut butter, because natural peanut butter can make the dough oily, crumbly, or unpredictable. Since the marshmallows are already introducing enough variables, this is not the recipe where I like to gamble.

Storage

• Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
• The brown sugar, peanut butter, and extra egg yolk help these stay soft longer than many peanut butter cookies, which is one of the reasons I keep making them.
• For that fresh-from-the-oven texture, microwave a cookie for 8 to 10 seconds. The marshmallow pockets soften right back up, and the chocolate chips get a little melty again.
• Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving.
• You can also freeze portions of cookie dough. Bake them straight from frozen and add an extra minute or two to the baking time.

FAQs

• Can I use natural peanut butter?
  No. Natural peanut butter tends to separate and can make the dough crumbly or greasy. Commercial peanut butter like Jif or Skippy gives much more reliable results.
• Why do I need to chill the dough?
  Chilling helps the flour absorb moisture and keeps the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. It’s the reason they bake up thick with soft centers instead of flat and thin.
• Can I use regular marshmallows instead of mini marshmallows?
  You can, but mini marshmallows work much better. Large marshmallows create giant empty pockets and melt less evenly throughout the dough.
• Why are my peanut butter cookies dry?
  The most common culprit is overbaking. Peanut butter cookies can go from perfect to dry surprisingly fast. Pull them from the oven when the centers still look slightly soft.
• Can I freeze the cookie dough?
  Absolutely. Scoop the dough into portions first, freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen whenever a cookie emergency occurs.
• Can I make these ahead of time?
  Yes. The dough can be refrigerated overnight before baking, and a longer chill often produces an even thicker cookie.
• Why did my marshmallows disappear?
  They didn’t disappear. Most of them melted into the cookie while baking. Some cookies end up with dramatic marshmallow pockets on top, while others hide more of the marshmallow inside.
• Are these basically s’mores cookies?
  Sort of. They have the marshmallow and chocolate side of a s’more, but the peanut butter makes them different. Think of them as a peanut butter cousin of a s’more rather than a direct replacement.

From My Kitchen Notes

A few observations from the beach bag.

• These cookies exist because I wanted s’mores, but at some point became unwilling to carry half of REI down a cliff.
• Marshmallows have never shown the slightest interest in moderation.
• Some things become traditions because everyone agrees. Others happen because one person never stopped bringing them.
• Southern California taught me that beach days and s’mores belong together. Oregon taught me that carrying firewood down a cliff was a great way to reconsider my priorities.
• Beach food always tastes better than the exact same thing eaten anywhere else. I have no scientific explanation for this.
• Some things become associated with a place so completely that eventually one reminds you of the other.
• Some recipes spend years arriving.
• There are people who carefully ration marshmallows and people who understand abundance. I know which group I’m in.
• I didn’t replace s’mores. I outsourced the fire.
• Some traditions start because they’re meaningful. Others started because I got tired of carrying firewood.
• A cookie loaded with marshmallows is essentially a trust exercise between you and your oven.
• Certain things become expected so gradually nobody remembers when they started and stops acting like they’re temporary.
• I never wanted hardship standing between me and marshmallows.
• The marshmallow isn’t the problem. It’s the confidence that comes after the second cookie.
• Some people find comfort in control and order. I put marshmallows in peanut butter cookies to see what happens.
• Some ingredients reward precision. Marshmallows reward acceptance.
• There are few places where you can simultaneously be looking at one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world while wondering whether you’ll survive carrying a folding chair back up the stairs afterward.
• I still enjoy a beach fire, especially when somebody else has carried everything to the sand and I merely arrive to find blankets, wine, and a functioning fire already waiting for me.
• Some things become part of the landscape so slowly nobody notices they’re holding the whole horizon together.
• Sometimes it’s surprisingly difficult to tell when a favorite becomes a fixture.
• Certain things stop feeling special only because they’ve become familiar. That doesn’t make them less special.
• These cookies do not replace a beloved tradition. They replace the logistics required to access the beloved tradition.
• There are recipes that disappear from memory the moment they’re gone and recipes that leave an oddly shaped space behind.
• I still want marshmallow, chocolate, and happiness, but not if I have to carry a bundle of firewood down 200 stairs.
• There are recipes people remember and recipes people assume will always be there. Those are not the same thing.
• Some recipes spend years proving they belong before anyone notices they already do.
• Some things seem optional right up until the year they don’t show up.

More Ways I’ve Avoided Building a Campfire

• S’mores Parfaits – No-bake layers of s’mores flavor.
• Frozen S’mores Lasagna – Ice-cold summer dessert obsession.
• Air Fryer S’mores Egg Rolls – Crispy wrappers, molten centers.
• S’mores Pretzels – Sweet, salty, chocolate-covered crunch.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies

Soft and chewy peanut butter marshmallow cookies loaded with mini chocolate chips and gooey toasted marshmallow pockets. Chilling the dough creates thick bakery-style cookies with crisp edges and soft centers.

Course Cookie, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bakery style cookies, marshmallow cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter marshmallow cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Chilling 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 176kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• Stand Mixer or hand mixer. Creates a smooth, evenly mixed dough.
• mixing bowls For preparing the dry ingredients.
• 2 baking sheet Allows the cookies room to spread properly.
• parchment paper Prevents sticking and promotes even browning.
• medium cookie scoop (2 tbsp / 30 ml) Helps keep cookies uniform.
• cooling rack Allows the cookies to finish cooling without trapping stream.

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups (175 g) all-purpose flour
• 1¼ tsps (6 g) baking soda
• ¼ tsp (1.5 g) table salt
• ⅔ cup (180 g) creamy peanut butter (not natural)
• 8 tbsps (113 g) butter softened
• ¾ cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk room temperature
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (50 g) mini marshmallows
• ¾ cup (130 g) mini chocolate chips

Instructions

• Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
  1¼ cups (175 g) all-purpose flour, 1¼ tsps (6 g) baking soda, ¼ tsp (1.5 g) table salt
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  ⅔ cup (180 g) creamy peanut butter, 8 tbsps (113 g) butter, ¾ cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated.
  1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
• Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
  1 cup (50 g) mini marshmallows, ¾ cup (130 g) mini chocolate chips
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Chilling the dough helps control spread and creates thicker cookies with soft centers.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Portion the dough into 2-tablespoon portions and place them 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the tops appear set and the edges are lightly golden. The centers should still look slightly soft.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. The cookies will continue to set as they cool while maintaining a soft, chewy center.

Notes

• Use commercial creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy for the most reliable texture. Natural peanut butter will produce dry or crumbly cookies.
• If using unsalted butter, increase the salt to ½ teaspoon (3 g).
• For overnight chilling, let the dough sit at room temperature while the oven preheats so it is easier to scoop.
• Avoid overmixing once the flour is added to maintain a tender texture.
• Slightly underbaking the cookies helps preserve their soft, chewy centers.
• Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
• Freeze baked cookies or unbaked dough portions for up to 3 months.

 

 

If you’re making these Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Serving: 38g | Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 134IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

Have you made these Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies? I’d love to hear how they turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies appeared first on Noble Pig.

No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake With Mascarpone Whipped Cream

This no-bake strawberry lemon icebox cake is going to feel really simple while you’re making it, then surprise you after a night in the fridge. The graham crackers soften into thin cake-like layers, the mascarpone whipped cream finds its way into everything around it, and the lemon curd cuts through everything the way strawberries need. It’s cold, creamy, and a little messy to slice. The kind of dessert you forget how much you like until you take the first bite.

I think my entire obsession with strawberry and lemon together started at Du-par’s at the original Farmers Market on Fairfax in Los Angeles.

My dad and I used to go there for pie, and even if we were taking a whole pie home, we’d still sit down and order slices while we were there because moderation was never really part of the plan.

I always wanted the strawberry pie because it came with pink whipped cream, which felt very important to me at the time. But they also had a lemon cream pie, and one day the two ended up on the same plate. The strawberry filling mixed into the lemon cream, the pink whipped cream got rearranged with it, and suddenly I understood something my child brain couldn’t fully explain yet.

Sweet strawberries need lemon. Not enough to take over the whole dessert, but enough to make the strawberries stand out. I’ve loved the two flavors together ever since.

If you want the more classic version without the lemon curd and mascarpone, my older no-bake strawberry icebox cake is soft, sweeter, and more nostalgic.

This no-bake strawberry lemon icebox cake gets surprisingly close to that first bite at Du-par’s. Cold mascarpone whipped cream, bright lemon curd, soft graham cracker layers, and strawberries that somehow taste more like strawberries once the lemon gets involved.

I think part of why I like icebox cakes so much is that they improve while you ignore them. There’s no last-minute frosting stress or careful assembly right before everyone arrives. You make the layers, shove the whole thing in the fridge overnight, and sometime around the next afternoon it turns into a cake without much help from you. This one especially. The mascarpone gives it more richness than the usual whipped topping versions, while the lemon curd keeps the cold cream and strawberries from tasting too sweet.

What Makes This Different

• A lot of icebox cakes are heavy on pudding mixes or whipped topping, which gives them more of a soft supermarket bakery texture. Mascarpone changes the whole direction, making the filling thicker, colder, and more substantial. After a night in the fridge, the layers feel more like cake instead of soft mousse.
• The lemon curd also stays separate instead of getting mixed into the mascarpone cream. Keeping the lemon in its own layer keeps the flavor more distinct and noticeable against the strawberries and cold cream instead of turning into one vague citrus flavor.
• The graham crackers are where the overnight refrigerator magic happens. They absorb moisture from the mascarpone cream and lemon curd slowly, softening into thin cake-like layers. This is one of those desserts that feels dramatically better the next day than it does right after assembly.
• I also rub the lemon zest directly into the sugar before whipping the filling because it pulls the oils out of the zest first instead of leaving random lemon bits floating around in the cream. Tiny step. Big difference.

Ingredients

• Granulated sugar – Mixed with fresh lemon zest before whipping so the citrus oils spread through the mascarpone cream instead of sitting in uneven little pockets through the cream.
• Fresh lemon zest – Gives the filling lemon flavor before the lemon curd layers arrive.
• Heavy whipping cream – Keeps the mascarpone filling light enough to spread without turning dense.
• Vanilla bean paste – Since nothing gets baked, the vanilla flavor stays really noticeable. Vanilla bean paste gives the filling a fuller flavor than extract alone.
• Mascarpone cheese – Makes the filling thicker, colder, and richer than regular whipped cream by itself. It’s what gives this dessert a soft cake-meets-tiramisu texture after chilling overnight.
• Lemon curd – Adds concentrated lemon flavor without watering down the mascarpone filling.
• Graham crackers – They slowly soften overnight into thin cake-like layers in the fridge.
• Fresh strawberries – Thin slices work better than chunks because they layer more evenly and keep the dessert easier to slice once chilled.

How To Make No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake

• Step One (make the mascarpone cream)
  Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving enough hanging over the sides to lift the cake out later. Rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers until it smells intensely lemony, then add it to a mixer bowl with the mascarpone, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste. Whip until thick, creamy, and able to hold soft peaks. You want it thick enough to spread without turning stiff.
• Step Two (start the layers)
  Spread a thin layer of mascarpone cream onto the bottom of the pan so the graham crackers don’t slide all over the place. Add a layer of graham crackers, spread one-fourth of the mascarpone cream over the top, then spoon ½ cup of lemon curd across the surface. Don’t stress over perfectly even layers. Icebox cakes are forgiving. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
• Step Three (add the strawberries)
  Spread another layer of mascarpone cream over the graham crackers, then cover the surface with thinly sliced strawberries. Thin slices work better than chunks because they layer more evenly and make the whole thing easier to slice once cold. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
• Step Four (finish and chill)
  Spread another layer of mascarpone cream over the graham crackers, then add the remaining lemon curd. Top with the final layer of graham crackers and spread the remaining mascarpone cream over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours, until the graham crackers soften into soft cake-like layers.
• Step Five (slice and serve)
  Lift the chilled cake out of the pan using the parchment overhang and move it to a serving platter. Top with extra strawberries and lemon zest before slicing. The layers stay cold and creamy while the graham crackers soften just enough to cut like cake.

Recipe Tips

• The mascarpone mixture should hold soft peaks before layering. If it still looks loose, the layers won’t stay as neat once sliced.
• Thin strawberry slices are more important than perfect strawberry slices. Thick pieces make the layers uneven and tend to move around once the cake chills.
• If your graham crackers crack while layering, ignore it and keep going. After a night in the fridge nobody will know where the broken pieces were anyway.
• The cake slices neater after sitting out for about 10 minutes instead of cutting it straight from the fridge.
• An offset spatula makes the mascarpone cream easier to spread without messing up the layers underneath it.

Storage

• By the second day the layers soften even more and slice almost like real cake. I think the day-two slices are better than the first.
• Keep the cake refrigerated and loosely covered for up to 3 or 4 days. The strawberries release a little more juice over time, but the flavor somehow keeps getting better.
• Frozen slices are also surprisingly good. After about 15 minutes on the counter they end up somewhere between icebox cake and semifreddo.

FAQs

• Can I make this no-bake strawberry lemon icebox cake ahead of time?
  Yes, and you need to. Icebox cakes need time in the fridge for the layers to fully come together. Overnight is ideal.
• Can I use whipped topping instead of mascarpone?
  You can, but the texture changes quite a bit. Mascarpone gives the filling a thicker, colder texture that feels more substantial than whipped topping.
• Can I use frozen strawberries?
  Fresh strawberries work best because frozen berries release too much liquid once thawed and will make the layers watery.
• Why didn’t my graham crackers soften?
  Usually either the cake didn’t chill long enough or the mascarpone mixture was whipped too stiff and couldn’t spread enough moisture into the crackers. Give it a full overnight rest before deciding the texture isn’t right.
• Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone?
  You can, but cream cheese has a tangier, denser flavor and texture. Mascarpone stays softer and lets the lemon and strawberries stay more noticeable.
• Can I make this in a 9 x 13-inch pan?
  Yes. You can double the recipe for thicker layers or keep the same amount for a thinner, more casual version that feeds more people.

From My Kitchen Notes

Observations from my kitchen. Not recipe tips.

• Some desserts belong to adults, but this one reminds me of what it felt like to press two things together on the same plate just to see what would happen.
• Lemon has become corrective to me. Strawberries alone can go full pageant queen if nobody keeps them in check.
• Some things transform overnight. This applies to desserts and people.
• Graham crackers absorb everything around them until they stop resisting and turn soft. Interpret that however you’d like.
• Cold desserts at midnight are different than cold desserts during the day. Daytime says picnic. Midnight says emotional dependency.
• Pink whipped cream altered my brain chemistry permanently.
• Some people hang out around sweetness their entire lives but only really respond once lemon shows up.
• The desserts people remember are usually the ones with a little tension in them.
• Strawberry and lemon work because one softens while the other refuses to disappear.
• The best desserts usually involve a little contrast and at least one bad idea.
• The lemon keeps this from becoming too sentimental.
• Some flavors immediately know what to do with each other. Others take years.

More Refrigerator Desserts for Hot Weather

• Blueberry Cheesecake Icebox Cake – cold blueberry cheesecake-style layers.
• Lemon Tiramisu – lemon curd and soaked ladyfingers.
• No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars – creamy layers and strawberry topping.
• Hawaiian Dream Dessert Cups – pineapple, coconut, chilled pudding layers.

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No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake

No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake layers mascarpone whipped cream, lemon curd, fresh strawberries, and graham crackers into a cold make-ahead dessert that softens overnight into cake-like layers.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword blueberry graham cracker dessert, cold strawberry dessert, layered refrigerator dessert, lemon icebox cake, make-ahead dessert, mascarpone dessert, no-bake strawberry icebox cake, no-bake strawberry lemon icebox cake, no-bake summer dessert, strawberry icebox cake, strawberry lemon dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Chilling 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Calories 575kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• baking dish 9x9 (23x23 cm). Deep enough for multiple layers.
• parchment paper Helps lift the cake out easily.
• Stand Mixer or hand mixer. For whipping the mascarpone cream.
• offset spatula Makes spreading the layers easier.
• mixing bowls For making the mascarpone whipped cream.

Ingredients

• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tsps (12 g) lemon zest from 1 large or 2 small lemons
• 1 pint (2 cups / 16 oz / 473 ml) heavy whipping cream cold
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 16 oz (454 g) mascarpone cheese cold
• 1 box (14.4 oz / 408 g) graham crackers
• 1 cup (260 g) lemon curd
• 16 oz (454 g) fresh strawberries hulled and thinly sliced

Instructions

• Line a 9 x 9-inch (23 x 23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on all sides to help lift the cake out later.
• Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest to a small bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips for about 1 minute until fragrant.
  ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 2 tsps (12 g) lemon zest
• Add the cold heavy cream, vanilla bean paste, mascarpone cheese, and lemon sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed until the mascarpone loosens and the mixture begins to thicken. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating until thick, creamy, and able to hold soft peaks.
  1 pint (2 cups / 16 oz / 473 ml) heavy whipping cream, 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla bean paste, 16 oz (454 g) mascarpone cheese
• Spread a very thin layer of mascarpone cream onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange a single layer of graham crackers over the cream, breaking pieces as needed to cover the bottom of the pan without overlapping.
  1 box (14.4 oz / 408 g) graham crackers
• Spread one-fourth of the mascarpone cream evenly over the graham crackers. Spoon ½ cup (130 g) lemon curd over the cream and gently spread into an even layer. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
  1 cup (260 g) lemon curd
• Spread another one-fourth of the mascarpone cream over the graham crackers. Arrange a layer of thinly sliced strawberries evenly over the cream. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
  16 oz (454 g) fresh strawberries
• Spread another one-fourth of the mascarpone cream over the graham crackers. Add the remaining ½ cup (130 g) lemon curd and spread into an even layer. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
• Spread the remaining mascarpone cream evenly over the top. Cover the pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 8 hours, until the graham crackers soften into cake-like layers.
• Use the parchment overhang to lift the chilled cake out of the pan and transfer it to a serving platter. Top with extra sliced strawberries and lemon zest before slicing.
• Slice into 9 pieces and serve cold.

Notes

• Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar helps distribute the citrus flavor more evenly through the mascarpone cream.
• Thin strawberry slices create cleaner layers and make the cake easier to slice once chilled.
• A slightly under-whipped mascarpone mixture can loosen too much overnight, so the cream should be thick enough to hold soft peaks before layering.
• If the graham crackers crack while layering, don’t worry about it. They soften overnight and won’t be noticeable once sliced.
• The cake slices more cleanly after sitting at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
• Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The graham crackers continue softening as the cake sits, creating an even more cake-like texture by day two.
• Freeze individual slices in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Let them sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving.

 

 

If you’re making this No Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

 

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Serving: 242g | Calories: 575kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 1450IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 1mg

Have you made this No Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake appeared first on Noble Pig.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie “Lava Style”

A salted caramel chocolate chip skillet cookie already comes with a certain amount of drama, but that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted a caramel river layered through the middle to make sure this went into full dessert theater mode. The edges crisp up and turn golden in the cast iron skillet while the center stays soft enough for the salted caramel to melt into gooey pockets that beg for a scoop of ice cream on top.

I’ve been making this skillet cookie since my house was full of high school kids. I still live pretty far out of town, which never stopped this house from being the hangout house. The kids ruled the first and third floors while the middle level was where I mostly existed. My end of the bargain was keeping the drinks fridge stocked, the storage room full of new and interesting snacks, and movie candy bought in bulk while the house somehow survived the constant rotation of everyone coming through. Sleepovers turned into entire weekends, school projects were filmed on the decks and in the forest, giant groups watching movies, and enough tennis shoes by the front door that eventually I stopped trying to make them trip hazards. I miss it.

Skillet cookies were the easiest thing to make because they fit into the unpredictable nature of kids showing up. And, if you bake even a little, you already have everything sitting around for them anyway. Butter, sugar, chocolate chips, vanilla ice cream. They didn’t require planning ahead, which was important because half the time kids were already downstairs before I even realized how many were here, or if more were coming.

And they never even wanted plates. I learned quickly that teenagers do not care about presentation when something is hot and gooey and immediate.

I’d carry a cast iron skillet downstairs during a ping pong-air hockey-video game rally or upstairs to the theater for a movie marathon and everyone would grab a spoon and dig in while the ice cream melted straight into the middle. Nobody was trying to eat with manners. The skillet itself was the serving dish. The kids stayed and I never freaked out about extras showing up because there was room here, and they stayed. The house just absorbed it all somehow.

I still think that’s what skillet cookies are for.

I layer the salted caramel through the middle instead of mixing it into the dough because otherwise it melts straight into the cookie while it bakes. Keeping it concentrated in the center gives you gooey caramel pockets instead of vague caramel flavor. The cast iron skillet holds heat long after the cookie comes out of the oven, which is how the crisp golden edges appear while the middle stays soft enough for the caramel and chocolate to melt into the center instead of setting up too quickly. It ends up somewhere between a skillet cookie and the restaurant pizzookie that had a hold on us in the 90s.

What Makes This Skillet Cookie Different

• I didn’t want a giant chocolate chip cookie baked in a skillet, which is why I layered the salted caramel through the middle instead of mixing it into the dough. I wanted the full lava-style center. This keeps the caramel from disappearing into the cookie while it bakes and creates molten pockets throughout the center.
• The cast iron skillet creates the crisp golden outer ring while the middle stays soft enough for the caramel and melted chocolate to stay gooey underneath without turning cakey or dry. It’s meant to be served warm straight from the skillet with melting vanilla ice cream on top, much closer to a hot restaurant dessert than a cookie bar.
• A thicker salted caramel sauce works best because thinner caramel mostly melts into the dough instead of staying in visible caramel ribbons. The flaky sea salt on top is mandatory. It gives the whole skillet the salty-sweet contrast that makes the center disappear first. Because that’s why you’re here.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter – Softened butter helps the edges brown in the cast iron skillet instead of turning dry.
• Brown sugar – Creates a softer and chewier cookie while adding deeper caramel flavor.
• Granulated sugar – Helps the outer edge turn crisp while the middle stays softer through the center.
• Eggs – The glue that holds it all together.
• Vanilla extract – Makes everything better.
• All-purpose flour – Enough to support the molten caramel center without turning the cookie cakey.
• Baking soda + baking powder – Keep the skillet cookie thick enough to support the caramel layer.
• Kosher salt – Balances the sweetness in the dough.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Melt into pockets throughout the skillet while the extra chips on top create glossy chocolate pools across the surface.
• Salted caramel sauce – A thicker sauce stays layered through the middle instead of melting completely into the dough while baking. Low-quality versions are thin. This is where it’s worth going higher end.
• Flaky sea salt – There is no version of this dessert where you leave it out.
• Vanilla ice cream – This is made for melting ice cream straight into the middle while the skillet is still warm.
• Warm chocolate sauce – Turns it even further into full restaurant-style skillet dessert territory. A good chocolate sauce makes a noticeable difference.

How to Make Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (make the dough)
  Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Whisk the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until smooth, then add the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until the flour disappears, then fold in most of the chocolate chips. The dough should stay thick and soft looking.
• Step Two (make the caramel layer)
  Spread half the dough into the skillet, then spoon the caramel mostly through the center instead of taking it all the way to the edges. Add the rest of the dough over the top in spoonfuls, drizzle over more caramel, and lightly swirl a few spots so you get molten caramel pockets through the middle instead of one fully blended caramel cookie. Scatter the remaining chocolate chips across the top.
• Step Three (bake until the middle stays soft)
  Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center still looks slightly underdone. That part is important. The cast iron skillet keeps holding heat long after it comes out of the oven, so the middle stays molten as it cools instead of staying raw or turning dry. Let it sit for about 5–10 minutes before serving so the caramel thickens slightly underneath.
• Step Four (bring ice cream immediately)
  Top the warm skillet cookie with vanilla ice cream, extra caramel sauce, warm chocolate sauce, and flaky sea salt. Then put the skillet in the middle of the table because nobody wants this plated individually once the ice cream starts melting into the center.

Recipe Tips

• The center should still look slightly soft when the skillet comes out of the oven.
• Use a thicker salted caramel sauce if possible. Thin caramel will disappear into the dough while baking, while thicker caramel stays in ribbons and gooey pockets instead.
• Warm caramel sauce layers much easier between the dough than cold caramel straight from the refrigerator.
• Don’t spread the caramel all the way to the edges. Keeping most of it through the center helps create the softer middle instead of caramel bubbling out around the sides.
• Let the skillet cool for about 5–10 minutes before serving. The caramel thickens slightly during that time and the cookie holds together better underneath the melting ice cream.
• Reserve some chocolate chips for the top. They melt into chocolate pools across the surface while the skillet finishes baking.
• This is best eaten warm straight from the skillet. Once the ice cream hits the center, the whole thing turns into more of a hot cookie sundae than a regular chocolate chip cookie.

Storage

• Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The edges stay firmer once chilled while the caramel underneath thickens considerably in the refrigerator.
• To reheat, microwave individual portions for about 20–30 seconds or warm the whole skillet in a low oven until the center softens again. The caramel loosens back up once warm and the chocolate softens again.
• I still think this is best fresh from the oven with melting ice cream on top, but cold bites straight from the refrigerator are also a very solid life decision.

FAQs

• Can I make this without a cast iron skillet?
  Yes, but cast iron gives the best edge texture and heat retention. A regular baking dish works, but the edges won’t get quite as crisp and the middle won’t stay quite as soft underneath.
• Why does cast iron work so well for skillet cookies?
  Cast iron holds heat longer than a regular baking pan, which is what gives the skillet cookie crisp edges while keeping the center softer underneath. It also keeps the dessert warmer longer once it hits the table.
• Why does the center still look underbaked?
  Because it should. The skillet keeps baking the cookie after it comes out of the oven. Pulling it while the center still looks slightly soft is what keeps the middle from turning dry later.
• Can I use homemade salted caramel sauce?
  Yes, but make sure it’s thick enough to stay layered through the center instead of completely melting into the dough.
• Is this supposed to be served warm?
  Very much yes. This is a warm skillet dessert with melting ice cream, not as a cooled cookie bar.
• Can I make this ahead of time?
  You can make the dough ahead and refrigerate it, but the skillet cookie itself is best baked fresh right before serving while the caramel is still warm.
• Why layer the caramel instead of mixing it into the dough?
  Layering keeps the caramel concentrated so you get actual gooey pockets instead of the caramel disappearing completely into the cookie while baking.

From My Kitchen Notes

Some observations from my rural house kitchen.

• I no longer think the skillet cookie is about the cookie. It’s about being the house that absorbed adolescence. And I love that.
• I do think some desserts become part of the architecture of a house.
• A skillet cookie is emergency hospitality, teenage gravity, sleepover currency, and the thing that meant nobody had to leave yet. I can’t think of another dessert with that much ROI.
• There’s something oddly emotional about seeing a completely destroyed skillet cookie and realizing everybody had a good night.
• A cast iron skillet can survive an astonishing amount of life.
• The first sign your house has become “the house” is when extra people stop feeling unexpected.
• My kitchen operated for years as an unofficial community center.
• The line between “sleepover” and “temporary civilization” gets thinner with enough teenagers involved.
• A front door covered in shoes always made me smile.
• There’s something very specific about hearing an entire lower floor laughing while you’re upstairs cleaning a kitchen.
• Some forms of caring for others become so routine nobody notices they’re happening until years later.
• There’s probably still movie candy hidden somewhere in this house from 2014.
• Nobody ever says, “I came over specifically hoping somebody made a skillet cookie,” but certain patterns become obvious after enough years.
• There’s something very revealing about who automatically grabs spoons and who waits to be invited.
• A cast iron skillet full of melted chocolate turns fully grown human beings into opportunists almost immediately. Including me.
• It’s interesting how often people return to the exact same places during phases of life when they feel uncertain about everything else.
• There are houses people still think about twenty years later without fully understanding why.
• There are people who would rather burn the roof of their mouth than wait five more minutes for something they want.
• The middle-of-nowhere house with wraparound decks, movie candy, giant TVs and kids spread across three floors like a living organism are still some of my favorite memories.
• The phrase “I’m fine” becomes dramatically less convincing around hot caramel.
• Real motherhood for me was not Pinterest-hostess, it was stocked fridges, noise, extra blankets, late-night movie candy, kids everywhere, people staying longer than expected, and knowing instinctively how to feed twelve teenagers with no warning.
• A surprising amount of human behavior can be explained by proximity and timing.
• I no longer believe consistency is accidental.
• There are people who can spend an entire evening pretending they aren’t waiting for something while clearly tracking it the whole time.
• I think a lot of human behavior comes down to finding reasons to stay near what feels good without having to explain yourself too much.
• Somehow through skillet cookies I figured out how much I value participation, presence, shared space, real life, and people feeling safe enough to stay.
• The skillet itself became my own maternal infrastructure.

More Desserts Worth Fighting Over

• Blackberry Cobbler – cast iron and summer berries.
• Grilled Pineapple Rum Sundaes – hot buttered rum sauce, melting ice cream.
• Strawberry Banana Crumble – crispy oat topping, gooey fruit center, in cast iron.
• German Chocolate Poke Cake – caramel-soaked with chocolate drizzles throughout
• Butterscotch Bananas with Vanilla Ice Cream – gooey bananas in cast iron.

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

This salted caramel chocolate chip skillet cookie bakes up with crisp golden edges, a gooey center, and caramel layered straight through the middle. Served warm with melting ice cream, chocolate sauce, and flaky sea salt, it turns into a full lava-style skillet dessert situation the second the spoons hit the pan.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword caramel skillet dessert, cast iron cookie, chocolate chip skillet cookie, gooey skillet cookie, salted caramel chocolate chip cookie, salted caramel dessert, skillet cookie, warm skillet dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Resting 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6 to 8

Calories 369kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• cast iron skillet 10" (25 cm). The right size for crisp golden edges while keeping the center soft.
• mixing bowls One large bowl is enough for the dough.
• whisk Helps create the the dough base.
• rubber spatula For folding and spreading the dough.
• measuring cups and spoons For accurate baking measurements.

Ingredients

• cooking spray

Skillet Cookie:

• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
• ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp (3 g) baking soda
• ½ tsp (2.5 g) baking powder
• ½ tsp (2.5 g) kosher salt
• 1¼ cups (300 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
• ½ cup (160 g) thick salted caramel sauce divided

Serving:

• extra salted caramel sauce
• warm chocolate sauce (use the best quality you can)
• vanilla ice cream
• flaky sea salt for finishing

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 10-inch (25 cm) cast iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet.
  cooking spray
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then whisk again until fully combined and slightly thickened.
  ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir just until the flour disappears. Avoid overmixing once the dry ingredients are added so the cookie stays soft through the center instead of turning dense.
  2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, ½ tsp (3 g) baking soda, ½ tsp (2.5 g) baking powder, ½ tsp (2.5 g) kosher salt
• Fold in 1 cup (240 g) of the chocolate chips, reserving the remaining chips for the top.
  1¼ cups (300 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Spread half the dough into the prepared skillet. Spoon or drizzle half the salted caramel sauce over the dough, keeping it mostly through the center rather than all the way to the edges. Add the remaining dough on top in spoonfuls, then gently spread it to cover most of the caramel layer. Drizzle the remaining caramel sauce over the top and lightly swirl in a few spots to create molten caramel pockets throughout the cookie. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips across the surface.
  ½ cup (160 g) thick salted caramel sauce
• Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the edges are deep golden brown and the center still looks slightly soft. The cast iron skillet will continue holding heat after baking, which helps the middle settle into a gooey lava-style texture without overbaking.
• Let the skillet cool for 5–10 minutes before serving. This gives the salted caramel time to thicken slightly while keeping the center warm and soft.
• Finish with extra caramel sauce, warm chocolate sauce if desired, and a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream while the caramel is still molten and the chocolate remains melted.
  extra salted caramel sauce, warm chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, flaky sea salt

Notes

• A thicker salted caramel sauce works best because it stays in visible ribbons and gooey pockets instead of disappearing into the dough while baking. This is my absolute favorite salted caramel sauce. Some nicer grocery stores do carry it or you can order it. This one has the best flavor, with the best ingredients.
• The center should still look slightly soft when the skillet comes out of the oven. Cast iron holds heat longer than a regular baking pan, so the middle continues settling as it cools.
• For the strongest lava-style texture, serve the skillet cookie warm while the caramel is still soft and the ice cream melts into the center.
• Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave for 15–20 seconds to soften the caramel and warm the middle again.

 

 

If you’re making this Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Serving: 120g | Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 482IU | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg

Have you made this Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie appeared first on Noble Pig.

Layered Buckeye Brownies with Thick Peanut Butter Filling

It’s interesting how some Buckeye brownies barely commit to the peanut butter layer, which always feels strange considering that’s the entire reason people love Buckeyes in the first place. The ones I learned to make were always thicker, richer, colder, and much more interested in the peanut butter than the brownie itself.

My aunt spent a huge part of her adult life in Ohio, even though she was born and raised in Los Angeles. Every summer she’d come visit us in California and I couldn’t wait for her to get there. We’d immediately start baking and it was always Buckeye brownies. And this was not a one pan and let’s eat them kind of thing. This was multiple pans, made different ways, different ratios, while constantly adjusting things.

“What if we make the peanut butter layer thicker?”

“No, they should be colder than that.”

“More chocolate on top.”

“Okay but the brownie needs to stay fudgy.”

Kid me thought this was a really fun aunt who loved baking.

What I didn’t realize until years and years later was that she was really running a covert Buckeye brownie operation out of my parents’ kitchen. In case you didn’t know, Buckeyes are embedded into Ohio dessert culture, and everybody has an opinion about how they should be made.

But my aunt did not want to experiment in Ohio because somebody might stop by unexpectedly and see a peanut butter layer she wasn’t satisfied with yet. Or that she was experimenting at all. Which is crazy funny to me now. She was a certified perfectionist.

So instead, she used summer trips to California as her own private testing grounds before returning to the Midwest with a Buckeye brownie recipe nobody could compete with. I have to say, I respect the game.

Because her version of these brownies made no attempt to be balanced or reasonable. She wanted the peanut butter layer thick enough that nobody would question what this dessert was about. And the brownie underneath to stay rich and chewy right from the refrigerator, and the chocolate layer on top to turn into something closer to Buckeye candy than ordinary brownies, because she also wanted the ganache thicker than most versions she’d tried.

And I do agree that a lot of Buckeye brownies feel cautious with the peanut butter, which feels completely wrong to me. If you’re already making a peanut butter brownie based on Buckeye candy, then commit to it fully. My aunt certainly did. And after years of watching her secretly escalate these things from a California kitchen, apparently, I do too.

I’ve watched people cut these brownies into smaller and smaller squares because they swear they only want “one little piece,” then somehow keep going back into the kitchen for another cold slice straight from the refrigerator. I get you.

The peanut butter layer is such a draw. It stays thick and soft, the chocolate on top firms up once chilled, and the brownie underneath never turns dry or cakey. They taste much more like cold Buckeye filling layered over brownies, which I’m fairly certain was my aunt’s entire long-term objective from the beginning.

What Makes These Different

• The biggest difference is the peanut butter layer. A lot of Buckeye brownies treat the peanut butter like frosting or a thin middle layer. In honor of my aunt, the peanut butter filling is thick, cold (she was obsessed with the cold factor), soft, and very clearly the entire idea of how these should be made.
• The brownie underneath stays dense and fudgy instead of cakey, which is important once all the layers get stacked together. Since these spend most of their life in the refrigerator, the brownie stays dense and chewy while the peanut butter layer firms up into something much closer to Buckeye candy filling.
• The chocolate layer on top is ganache instead of hardened melted chocolate, so the brownies slice neater and keep a softer bite straight from the fridge. It also makes them feel more like something you’d find in a bakery case than a casual pan of brownies.
• These are at their best straight from the refrigerator when the layers firm up, the ganache comes together, and the whole pan tastes somewhere between Buckeye candy, peanut butter fudge, and very devoted brownies.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter – Melted into the brownie batter for a denser texture that stays fudgy once chilled instead of turning light or cakey. It also softens the peanut butter filling and gives the ganache a smoother finish.
• Granulated sugar – Sweetens the brownies.
• Brown sugar – Keeps the brownie layer softer and slightly chewy, especially after refrigeration.
• Eggs – Hold the brownie layer together and support the thick peanut butter filling without turning dry.
• Vanilla extract – Makes everything better.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – The dark chocolate flavor.
• All-purpose flour – Just enough to hold the layers together while keeping the brownies dense and fudgy.
• Salt – Keeps the peanut butter and chocolate from tasting flat and helps balance the sweetness across all three layers.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Melt into the brownie batter and also become the base of the ganache topping.
• Creamy peanut butter – The whole identity of the recipe. The filling stays thick, soft, and very Buckeye-like instead of turning fluffy like frosting.
• Confectioners’ sugar – Turns the peanut butter layer into something much closer to Buckeye candy filling than frosting.
• Heavy cream – Keeps the ganache smooth enough to slice straight from the refrigerator while also helping the peanut butter layer stay soft instead of dry or crumbly.

How to Make Layered Buckeye Brownies

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (make the brownie layer)
  Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper so the brownies lift out easily later. Stir the melted butter and sugars together until smooth, then mix in the eggs and vanilla. Add the cocoa powder, flour, and salt just until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Bake until the edges are set but the center still looks slightly soft. That’s what keeps the brownies dense and fudgy once chilled instead of cakey. Let the brownies cool completely before adding the peanut butter layer.
• Step Two (make the peanut butter layer)
  Beat the peanut butter and softened butter together until smooth, then mix in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Add enough heavy cream to make the filling thick and spreadable instead of stiff, then spread it all the way to the edges over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate the pan briefly so the peanut butter firms up before adding the chocolate layer.
• Step Three (pour on the chocolate)
  Microwave the chocolate chips and heavy cream in short intervals, stirring between each one until smooth. Stir in the butter if you want a slightly softer ganache once chilled, then spread the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter layer.
• Step Four (slice and refrigerate)
  Refrigerate until the chocolate layer firms up enough to slice, then lift the brownies out using the parchment paper and cut them into squares with a sharp knife. These are especially good cold straight from the refrigerator when the peanut butter layer turns thick and the brownie underneath stays dense and fudgy.

Recipe Tips

• Let the brownie layer cool completely before adding the peanut butter filling or the layers start blending together.
• Refrigerating the peanut butter layer before adding the ganache keeps the chocolate from pulling peanut butter into the top layer while you spread it.
• Don’t overbake the brownie base. The center should still look slightly soft when it comes out of the oven so the brownies stay dense once chilled instead of drying out under all the layers.
• Wipe the knife clean between slices if you want neat looking layers.
• These taste best cold straight from the refrigerator when the peanut butter layer firms up and the chocolate on top gets closer to that Buckeye candy texture.
• If the peanut butter filling feels too stiff while mixing, add another splash of cream until it smooths out enough to spread.
• Use regular creamy peanut butter instead of natural peanut butter. The oil separation makes the filling softer and less candy-like once chilled.

Storage

• Store the brownies covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The peanut butter layer stays firmer cold and the brownie underneath keeps that dense texture better after chilling.
• These also freeze surprisingly well. Slice first, then freeze the brownies in layers separated with parchment paper so you can pull one out whenever a cold chocolate peanut butter bar feels necessary.
• I prefer these cold after they’ve been refrigerated overnight because the layers stay together better and they taste even closer to Buckeye candy.

FAQs

• Do Buckeye brownies need to stay refrigerated?
  Yes, especially because of the peanut butter filling and ganache. They also taste much better cold straight from the refrigerator.
• Why is my peanut butter layer too stiff?
  Usually too much confectioners’ sugar or not enough cream. Add another splash of cream until the filling spreads easily without tearing the brownie layer underneath.
• Can I use natural peanut butter?
  No. Natural peanut butter separates too much and changes the thick candy-like texture of the filling.
• Are these more like brownies or Buckeye candy?
  They are much closer to Buckeye candy. The peanut butter layer is thick enough that the brownies mostly exist to support it.
• Can I make these in a 9 x 13-inch pan?
  Yes. Increase all ingredients by about 50% and expect a slightly longer bake time.
• Do these stay fudgy after refrigeration?
  Yes. The melted butter, lower flour ratio, and slightly soft center keep the brownie layer dense once chilled instead of turning cakey.

From My Kitchen Notes

A few observations from years of related decision making.

• Some desserts are recipes, but others become multi-year campaigns.
• A surprising amount of my family lore is women quietly trying to outdo each other with butter and sugar.
• My aunt looked at perfectly acceptable brownies and said, “Nope. Make the peanut butter layer thicker.” I completely agree with this.
• Refrigerated brownies at midnight feel connected to several larger sensitive issues.
• Little-kid me thought we were baking together. Adult-me realizes she was silently running an interstate Buckeye escalation campaign. I’m not even mad about it. In fact, I like it. Too much, probably.
• Adults have inner worlds and ambitions and weird little competitive drives you never see as a child.
• Some people inherit real estate. I inherited excessive peanut butter standards.
• As a child I was mysteriously contributing to an invisible Ohio social circuit dessert culture through recipe testing, and was just excited to lick peanut butter filling off the mixer. While my aunt was returning to Ohio with classified dessert information.
• I would thrive in a community where neighborhood women secretly evaluate desserts while acting like they do not. And for me that place is Charleston, South Carolina. I know it’s happening there too. I want to play this game.
• The line between “baking” and “plotting” is thinner than people realize.
• Nobody making a peanut butter layer this thick is aiming for subtlety or hoping things stay casual.
• There’s something deeply Midwestern about acting like dessert competitions aren’t happening while keeping score internally.
• Peanut butter and chocolate remain one of the strongest alliances ever formed.
• The people most affected by these brownies are usually the ones acting the most composed around them.
• Some things become a problem the second people realize how much they want them.
• Committing THAT hard to a niche regional dessert category for YEARS without ever publicly acknowledging the competition is deeply iconic behavior. I can’t tell you how much I love it.
• There’s a point where “I’ll just have one bite” turns into fully abandoning your original plan.
• Some people spend a surprising amount of time acting like they’re less interested than they really are.
• Certain cravings get stronger the longer people try to ignore them.
• A cold pan of brownies in the refrigerator has ruined stronger people than you.
• The people acting the least affected by peanut butter are almost always the most affected.
• Some levels of commitment become obvious immediately once you cut into the pan.
• At a certain point, continuing to call these “just brownies” becomes completely unserious behavior.
• If my aunt had been born and raised in Ohio it would just be, this is family Buckeye recipe nostalgia. But she was a California girl who essentially entered Midwest Buckeye culture like, “Oh interesting. I can improve this,” which makes me laugh now. Because she wasn’t defending tradition, she was infiltrating it.
• It’s always outsiders trying to take regional food traditions further because they’re not emotionally attached to “this is how we’ve always done it.” My aunt was a full maximalist who was secretly workshopping Buckeye brownies in California, then returning to the Midwest prepared to dominate church basement potlucks without ever publicly admitting her whole, little covert operation existed. That is aunt behavior at an elite level. This makes me feel like I am not living up to my potential.
• Some people keep returning to the exact same thing long after they’ve run out of reasonable explanations for it.
• It makes me wonder if somebody named Carol got completely blindsided by an upgraded peanut butter ratio my aunt quietly developed in California. I can only hope.

More Chocolate and Peanut Butter Combos

• Marbled Peanut Butter Crunch Bars – crunchy, chewy, peanut butter packed.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream Pie – creamy, cold, Costco-inspired pie.
• No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Icebox Cake – refrigerator dessert with snack aisle energ

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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Layered Buckeye Brownies

Layered Buckeye brownies with a thick peanut butter filling, fudgy brownie base, and smooth chocolate ganache topping. These rich refrigerator brownies are inspired by classic Ohio Buckeye candies and go heavy on the chocolate and peanut butter combination that made the original famous.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Buckeye brownies, Buckeye candy brownies, chocolate peanut butter brownies, fudgy Buckeye brownies, layered Buckeye brownies, peanut butter brownies

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Chilling 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings 9 to 16 squares

Calories 430kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• baking dish 9x9 (23x23 cm). Keeps the layers thick and tall.
• parchment paper Makes lifting and slicing easier.
• mixing bowls One for each layer.
• hand mixer or stand mixer. Helps smotth out the peanut butter filling.
• offset spatula Useful for spreading the layers evenly.
• microwave safe bowls For melting chocolate.

Ingredients

Brownie Layer:

• ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter melted
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup (67 g) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• ½ cup (50 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp (2 g) table salt
• ½ cup (120 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Layer:

• 1 cup (255 g) creamy peanut butter (not natural)
• 6 tbsps (85 g) unsalted butter softened
• 2 cups (240 g) confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 tbsps (30 to 45 ml) heavy cream or milk

Chocolate Ganache Topping:

• 1½ cups (360 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream
• 1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter optional, for shine and a softer ganache

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9 x 9-inch (23 x 23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides to lift the brownies out later. For a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) pan, increase all ingredients by 50% and expect a slightly longer baking time.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until fully combined.
  ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ⅓ cup (67 g) light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• Add the cocoa powder, flour, and salt and stir gently just until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the chocolate chips and spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
  ½ cup (50 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour, ½ tsp (2 g) table salt, ½ cup (120 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Avoid overbaking so the brownie layer stays dense and fudgy once chilled. Let the brownies cool completely before adding the peanut butter layer.
• To make the peanut butter layer, beat the peanut butter and softened butter together until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract and mix until thick. Add the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until the mixture becomes thick but spreadable.
  1 cup (255 g) creamy peanut butter, 6 tbsps (85 g) unsalted butter, 2 cups (240 g) confectioners' sugar, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract, 2 to 3 tbsps (30 to 45 ml) heavy cream
• Spread the peanut butter layer evenly over the cooled brownies, reaching all the way to the edges. Refrigerate the pan for about 30 minutes so the layer firms slightly before adding the chocolate topping.
• Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth. You can also do this on the stovetop over low heat. Stir in the butter, if using, for a softer texture and extra shine.
  1½ cups (360 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream, 1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter
• Pour the ganache over the chilled peanut butter layer and spread evenly with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Refrigerate for one hour, or until the chocolate layer is firm enough to slice.
• Use the parchment overhang to lift the brownies from the pan. Slice with a sharp knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts for neater layers. Store refrigerated for the thickest peanut butter texture and the fudgiest brownie consistency.

Notes

• These brownies are intentionally rich and slice best once fully chilled.
• Creamy commercial peanut butter works best because natural peanut butter will make the filling oily or too soft.
• If the peanut butter layer feels too stiff while mixing, add another splash of cream until spreadable.
• The ganache will firm up in the refrigerator while still staying soft enough to bite through.

 

 

If you’re making these Layered Buckeye Brownies, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Serving: 110g | Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 240mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 420IU | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg

Have you made these Buckeye Brownies? I’d love to hear how they turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Layered Buckeye Brownies appeared first on Noble Pig.

Marbled Peanut Butter Crunch Bars, Fully Committed

These are not the thin little peanut butter Rice Krispie treats wrapped in plastic that we find at the gas station. They’re thicker, softer, richer, and messy in the best possible way. So instead of melting the usual marshmallows and calling it done, I cooked the sugar first, added brown sugar for more caramel flavor, and finished them with a thick marbled peanut butter and chocolate topping that brings them closer to a bakery dessert bar than an after-school snack.

I’ve never been good at choosing one dessert category. Even as a kid, I remember watching the old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials where somebody crashed chocolate into peanut butter and suddenly everybody acted shocked that the combination tasted good. Meanwhile I was sitting there like yes obviously. Peanut butter and chocolate have always been the answer.

But eventually even that stopped feeling like enough. Because I wanted peanut butter Rice Krispie treats, but I also wanted the Scotcheroo thing, and thicker bakery bars with soft centers and chocolate swirled across the top too. Basically, I wanted all dessert limitations removed entirely, because that’s how my brain works when it comes to treats.

So these bars became my fully committed version. Thick peanut butter cereal bars with brown sugar, marshmallows, and enough chewiness that they feel substantial, finished with marbled chocolate and peanut butter across the top. Can you tell I lost all interest in holding back halfway through? The goal was always a real dessert bar rather than a lunchbox treat with ambition.

These were the bars I brought to bake sales in high school because they sold out first and looked pretty impressive sitting next to regular brownies. People think they’re going to taste like a cereal bar until they bite into them and realize they’re dealing with something much messier and far more mood-lifting.

These end up thicker and much more bakery-counter-esque than the average Rice Krispie treat. The marshmallow peanut butter cereal bars stay chewy in the middle, the chocolate peanut butter topping turns into messy swirls over the top, and the flaky salt sets the standard. They’re somewhere between Scotcheroos, no-bake dessert bars, and the kind of oversized peanut butter treats you buy “for later” and then immediately eat them in your car.

What Makes These Different

• Instead of dumping marshmallows into a pan and hoping for the best, I cook the sugar mixture first with brown sugar and corn syrup before the marshmallows go in. The brown sugar adds the caramel flavor while the corn syrup helps keep the bars soft and chewy for days instead of turning into a cereal brick by the next afternoon.
• There’s also way more peanut butter happening here than in most Rice Krispie treats. I added peanut butter directly into the marshmallow cereal base, then again into the marbled topping across the top. The bars taste somewhere between Scotcheroos, marshmallow cereal treats, and oversized peanut butter dessert bars. They don’t fully belong to one category.
• The marbled top changes the entire personality. I’ve made them with a plain chocolate layer, but I think they’re too boring that way. The swirled peanut butter and chocolate topping makes them feel richer and look very much like something you’d find in a store. The peanut butter does stay softer underneath the chocolate, so the tops don’t crack into shards the second you slice them.
• I also don’t compact the cereal mixture too firmly into the pan. Pressing too hard crushes the cereal and knocks out the chewiness that makes homemade marshmallow bars worth eating in the first place. These should feel thick, gooey, and slightly ridiculous when you bite into them.
• And the flaky salt on top is a nice touch. The salt brings the peanut butter, chocolate, and brown sugar back together and taste more like a dessert shop bar instead of a bake-sale cereal square from 1987.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter – Helps the cooked sugar mixture stay soft and rich instead of turning into stiff marshmallow glue once the bars cool.
• Light brown sugar – Adds the caramel flavor that brings them closer to Scotcheroos and bakery dessert bars instead of plain marshmallow cereal treats.
• Light corn syrup – This is what keeps the bars chewy for days and helps the marshmallow mixture stay smooth instead of turning grainy or hard.
• Mini marshmallows – Melt faster and more evenly into the peanut butter mixture, which helps create the gooey texture throughout the bars.
• Creamy peanut butter – Goes directly into the cereal layer so the peanut butter flavor is part of the entire bar instead of only sitting on top.
• Vanilla extract – Makes them better.
• Kosher salt – Keeps the sweetness from getting out of control and helps the peanut butter flavor stand out more clearly.
• Rice Krispies cereal – The puffed rice keeps the bars chewy and light instead of dense like some no-bake peanut butter bars can become.
• Chocolate chips – Make the chocolate swirl layer across the top. Stick with semi-sweet or dark.
• Peanut butter chips – Make the marbled topping thicker, softer, and much more peanut butter-forward than a plain chocolate Scotcheroo-style topping.
• Flaky sea salt – The final thing that takes these out of lunchbox treat status entirely.

How To Make Marbled Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (cook the peanut butter marshmallow base)
  Add the butter, corn syrup, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugars dissolve and the mixture starts bubbling. I don’t skip cooking the sugar first because it gives the bars a softer, chewier texture with more caramel flavor than the standard “melt marshmallows and hope for the best” outcome. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and marshmallows until mostly melted.
• Step Two (fold in the cereal)
  Add the puffed rice cereal and gently fold everything together until all the cereal is coated in the peanut butter marshmallow mixture. Try not to over-stir or compact it into oblivion because crushed cereal is how you end up with dense bars instead of chewy ones. Transfer everything to a parchment-lined 9×13-inch pan and lightly press it into an even layer without smashing it down too firmly.
• Step Three (make the marbled topping)
  Melt the peanut butter chips in one bowl and the chocolate chips in another until smooth. Spread the melted peanut butter chips over the bars first, then drizzle the chocolate across the top and swirl everything together with a toothpick or skewer. The marbled top is what makes these feel a little more bakery-style instead of plain Rice Krispie treat land, so don’t over-swirl it into a muddy brown mess.
• Step Four (let them set and slice)
  Sprinkle the top lightly with flaky sea salt, then let the bars sit until the topping firms up enough for slicing, about an hour or so depending on your kitchen temperature. Lift them out using the parchment paper and cut into squares or rectangles. These stay chewy and slightly gooey at room temperature, which is exactly the texture I want.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t hurry through the sugar mixture step. You want the sugars to fully dissolve and bubble before adding the peanut butter and marshmallows or the bars won’t get the chewy texture that separates them from basic cereal treats.
• Use fresh marshmallows! Old marshmallows melt weirdly and can make the bars stiffer instead of soft and gooey. This is not the time for that half-opened bag that’s partially stale.
• Fold the cereal in gently. If you stir or mash everything together, the puffed rice crushes down and the bars lose their crunch.
• Don’t compact the bars too firmly into the pan. Light pressure keeps the centers softer and prevents the bars from turning dense once they cool.
• Melt the chocolate and peanut butter chips slowly. Overheated chips get thick and grainy fast, which makes the swirl topping harder to marble smoothly.
• Swirl the topping while everything is still warm. Once the chocolate starts setting, the marbled swirl won’t come through as clearly.
• Flaky salt is the detail that makes a noticeable difference. These are sweet bars, and the salt keeps everything from going fully candy-bar sweet.
• Let the topping set before slicing or the bars turn into a delicious failure.
• If you want extra spotless slices, lightly oil the knife between cuts. If you don’t care, they still taste the same.
• These are better at room temperature than straight from the refrigerator because the peanut butter layer stays softer and creamier.

Storage

• These stay soft at room temperature for several days, which is one of the best things about them. Store the bars covered in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• I prefer keeping them at room temperature because the marshmallow cereal layer stays softer and the peanut butter topping keeps that creamier bakery-bar texture. Refrigeration firms everything up more, which some people like, but it changes the texture slightly.
• If you stack them, place parchment paper between layers so the marbled topping doesn’t stick.
• You can also freeze them. Wrap the bars individually or layer them between parchment paper in a freezer-safe container. Let them come back to room temperature before eating so the bars soften again properly.

FAQs

• Are these like Scotcheroos?
  Kind of, but thicker and much more peanut butter-forward. Scotcheroos usually have a firmer butterscotch-chocolate topping, while these are more bakery-style with the thick marbled peanut butter and chocolate swirl over the top.
• Why are my Rice Krispie bars hard?
  Usually, the cereal got compacted too firmly or the sugar mixture cooked too long. Pressing gently into the pan helps keep the bars softer and chewier.
• Can I use natural peanut butter?
  I wouldn’t recommend it here. Natural peanut butter will separate and change both the texture and the consistency of the topping.
• Why use peanut butter chips in the topping?
  They create a thicker, creamier peanut butter layer that gives everything more of that bakery dessert bar feel instead of a thin chocolate shell.
• Can I use crunchy peanut butter?
  You can, but the bars lose some of that smoother chewy texture. I like creamy peanut butter best because there’s already enough crunch from the cereal.
• Do these count as no-bake bars?
  Yes, although technically the sugar mixture gets cooked on the stove. But there’s no baking involved, which is part of why these are so dangerous to casually make on a Tuesday night.

From My Kitchen Notes

A few observations, not recipe tips.

• Some people are capable of casually choosing one dessert. I might question your rigidity if you’re that person.
• Peanut butter and chocolate together feels emotionally corrective somehow.
• Every bake sale has one tray that disappears first. You already knew which one it was going to be before the folding tables were fully set up.
• Certain cravings never mature past age twelve. They get better cookware.
• Some combinations survive for decades because they were right the first time.
• Bakery bars always feel slightly more committed than regular desserts.
• I’ve never once wanted a thin cereal treat.
• There’s something psychologically revealing about a person’s relationship to peanut butter.
• Some people want a polite little drizzle of chocolate over dessert. I want visible commitment.
• A lot of adulthood is realizing you can combine all the things you liked as a kid and nobody can stop you.
• There are people who cut dessert bars neatly with rulers and there are those of us who start slicing diagonally halfway through because the pan is still warm and appetite entered the room.
• Soft centers matter. In cereal bars and people.
• Some desserts are technically no-bake. Others feel baked by history.
• The flaky salt on top is the difference between sugar and dessert.
• Some attachments become fully integrated into your internal chemistry whether they continue making practical sense or not.
• There are certain people whose imprint eventually ends up on even your comfort food.
• Some recipes become long-standing personality traits with marshmallows added.
• The interesting thing about marbled toppings is they convince you the second piece will somehow create closure. It doesn’t.
• Some things were always meant to collide eventually. Peanut butter knew. Chocolate knew. Everybody knew. Some people still spend years pretending inevitability is avoidable.
• I do realize most food sites are giving you a cheerful little “here’s a delicous no-bake dessert bar for your family!” type of post. Meanwhile I’m handing you commentary notes on a psychologically loaded peanut butter square about inevitability, attachment, appetite, emotional projection, and visible commitment. You’re not imagining it. Frankly, this is more fun for me.

More Sweet Snack Table Treats

• Butterfinger Caramel Cheesecake Bars – caramel, crunch, creamy cheesecake layers.
• Lucky Charms Ice Cream – cereal milk ice cream nostalgia.
• Best Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies) – chocolate peanut butter cereal snack mix.
• Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars – chewy cereal bars for snacking.
• Sugar Cookie Rice Krispie Treats – buttery marshmallow treats with sprinkles.
• Reese’s Pieces Cookie Bars – chewy bars packed with crunch.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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Marbled Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

These marbled peanut butter crunch bars are soft, chewy, and layered with peanut butter, marshmallow, and puffed rice cereal finished with a thick chocolate-peanut butter swirl topping and flaky sea salt. Somewhere between a Scotcheroo, a bakery dessert bar, and the peanut butter Rice Krispie treat you wished you grew up with.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bakery-style Rice Krispie treats, chewy peanut butter bars, chocolate peanut butter bars, marbled peanut butter crunch bars, marshmallow cereal treats, no-bake dessert bars, peanut butter cereal bars, peanut butter chocolate dessert bars, peanut butter marshmallow bars, Scotcheroo-inspired bars

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 16 to 24 bars

Calories 304kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• baking dish 9x13 (23x33 cm). Gives the bars their thick bakery-style shape
• Saucepan (large). For cooking the peanut butter marshmallow mixture.
• parchment paper Helps lift the bars cleanly from the pan.
• rubber spatula Makes folding the cereal easier without crushing it.
• 2 microwave safe bowls For melting the chocolate and peanut butter chips.
• skewer or toothpick. Cretaes the marbled swirl topping.

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 3 tbsps (42 g) unsalted butter
• 1 cup (240 ml) light corn syrup
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
• 1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1½ cups (390 g) creamy peanut butter (not natural)
• 10 oz (283 g) mini marshmallows
• 7-8 cups (190 to 215 g) Rice Krispie cereal name brand or store-brand puffed rice cereal both work
• ¾ cup (180 g) peanut butter chips
• ¾ cup (180 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
• flaky sea salt (optional)

Instructions

• Prepare a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking pan with parchment paper and lightly coat it with nonstick spray. Leave a little overhang on the sides to make the bars easier to lift out later.
  cooking spray
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, light corn syrup, granulated sugar, and brown sugar over low to medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugars fully dissolve and the mixture becomes smooth and bubbling, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cooking the sugar mixture first gives these bars a softer, more caramel-like flavor than standard marshmallow cereal treats.
  3 tbsps (42 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (240 ml) light corn syrup, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately stir in the kosher salt, vanilla extract, peanut butter, and mini marshmallows. Continue stirring until the peanut butter is fully blended and the marshmallows are mostly melted with a few soft pieces still visible. That little bit of remaining marshmallow helps create the chewy texture.
  1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract, 1½ cups (390 g) creamy peanut butter, 10 oz (283 g) mini marshmallows
• Add the puffed rice cereal and gently fold until evenly coated. Try not to crush the cereal while mixing so the bars keep their light crunch.
  7-8 cups (190 to 215 g) Rice Krispie cereal
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and lightly press it into an even layer using a greased spatula or lightly greased hands. Do not firmly compact the mixture or the bars can become dense instead of soft and chewy.
• Place the peanut butter chips in a microwave-safe bowl and melt in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Repeat with the chocolate chips in a separate bowl.
  ¾ cup (180 g) peanut butter chips, ¾ cup (180 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Pour the melted peanut butter chips over the cereal layer and spread gently into an even coating. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top, then use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the chocolate into the peanut butter layer to create a marbled finish.
• Sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt, if using. Let the bars sit at room temperature until the topping is set enough for slicing, about 1 hour.
  flaky sea salt
• Lift the bars from the pan using the parchment paper and cut into squares or rectangles. Store covered at room temperature for the softest texture.

Notes

• Do not firmly pack the cereal mixture into the pan or the bars can become dense instead of soft and chewy.
• Leaving a few partially melted marshmallow pieces in the mixture helps create a softer texture.
• Melt the peanut butter chips and chocolate slowly to keep the topping smooth and easy to swirl.
• Flaky sea salt gives the bars a sweet-salty finish that balances the richness of the peanut butter and chocolate.
• You can melt extra chocolate when serving and drizzle it over the top of the bars along with small Reese's peanut butter cups. It's completely optional.
• Store the bars tightly covered at room temperature for the best texture.

 

 

If you’re making these Marbled Peanut Butter Crunch Bars, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Serving: 70g | Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 44IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 3mg

Have you made these Marbled Peanut Butter Crunch Bars? I’d love to hear how they turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Marbled Peanut Butter Crunch Bars appeared first on Noble Pig.

Chocolate Chip Artisan Bread, Made Like Real Bread

Chocolate chip artisan bread is not a soft, cake-like bread. The dough gets mixed and worked from the start, then shaped and baked hot, which gives it a crusty outside with chocolate in every slice.

I used to run straight into their kitchen and climb up on the chairs before anyone even said hello, because I knew exactly where I was going. My parents would be right behind me, talking to Frank and Christine like they’d been there a hundred times, which they had.

Frank had worked at Helms Bakery in Culver City his whole life after the Navy. It was the kind of job where he was in dough all day, kneading and rolling by hand. He would tell me he was a dough master, which I thought was a joke, but maybe it wasn’t. I would tell him he had Popeye’s arms because I had never seen forearms like that in my life, and he’d laugh and let me grab onto one so I could hang there while he held me up. I didn’t think much of it then, I just knew that wasn’t normal.

He would make everything Helms was known for, massive cream puffs, applesauce donuts when it got colder, bread, one thing after another. I had never had any of it from Helms itself because by then they weren’t around anymore, but Frank continued to bake in his retirement. I had a front row seat watching him do it and eating it when it was ready.

I’d sit there watching him and he’d ask me, “What do you want?” and I already knew.

“Chocolate chips.”

Every single time, that was my answer.

He’d take whatever dough he had going and make one giant bread loaf just for me. He’d fold in the chocolate chips, shape it, set it off to the side to rise. After it was baked, I wouldn’t wait for it to cool or for anyone to tell me to slow down. I’d just tear into it while he kept making things. There was always more dough and trays, more of everything. He baked for everyone, friends, charities, weddings, holidays, gatherings, whoever needed something, and he did it for fun.

I didn’t think about any of it then, but I knew I wanted to be in that kitchen, sitting there all day eating that loaf while he made everything else. I can still see him piping pâte à choux in perfect circles, with no template or hesitation. He didn’t have to even think about it. And I never questioned where all of these baked goods were going. It seemed completely reasonable to me that someone would be baking like this in their own home. Because as a kid, none of it had a purpose. It wasn’t production or efficiency. For me, it was something happening in the moment that I got to be part of.

So this is my loaf, what I’m calling chocolate chip artisan bread, and I make it the way Frank worked, starting with a real bread dough and mixing and kneading it from the beginning. I fold the chocolate chips in while I’m working it so they interrupt the dough and break it up in an uneven way. I bake it in a hot Dutch oven so I get a firm crust with softer pockets of chocolate in every slice. This stays in bread territory, but with something extra going on, which is the only way I’ve ever wanted it.

What Makes This Bread Different

• I make this the same way I make my regular bread and then add chocolate, not the other way around. If you’ve made my Dutch oven bread, this begins in that same place.
• I mix it and knead it from the start, getting it where I want it before it rises. It’s not a loose, watery dough you leave alone in a bowl and eventually bake.
• The chocolate chips go in right away. If I’m kneading by hand, I can feel them catching as they go through the dough, which ends up uneven. This is where those pockets come from when you slice it. If you knead with a stand mixer, you’ll hear the chocolate chips catch on the dough hook. That’s what you want.
• I keep everything else simple so it stays bread. Water, flour, yeast, salt, a little sugar, oil. Nothing extra.
• It’s also a same-day loaf. I let it rise, shape it, and bake it in a hot Dutch oven, covered and then uncovered, so I get a crust on the outside with a softer inside and chocolate throughout.
• It’s the kind of thing I’ll end up toasting later and slathering with butter, because that’s my favorite way to eat it.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour – this is the base of the dough. It gives it enough strength to handle the chocolate chips without tearing apart, but it’s still easy to work with.
• Warm water – I keep it in the warm range to activate the yeast so everything mixes smoothly.
• Instant yeast – I mix it straight into the flour without proofing. You can use active dry if that’s what you have, but I like instant since I’m making this the same day and not going for a long fermentation or anything tangy.
• Salt – helps slow down the fermentation and keeps the flavor in balance.
• Sugar – a little, but it’s not turning this into a sweet dough.
• Chocolate chips – these go in right from the start so they get worked through the dough instead of folded in later.
• Oil – enough to keep the dough workable and easy to handle without making it rich.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Artisan Bread

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (mix and knead)
  Stir together the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and chocolate chips, then add the warm water and oil and mix until a rough dough forms. Knead it by hand for about 8 to 10 minutes, or use a stand mixer with a dough hook until it smooths out a bit. The chocolate chips will pull at the dough and leave it uneven in places, which is exactly what you want.
• Step Two (first rise)
  Shape the dough into a ball, cover, and let it rise until doubled in size. This usually takes about 1 to 2 hours, depending on your kitchen.
• Step Three (shape and second rise)
  Press the dough into a rectangle, fold it in, then roll it into a log and place it seam-side up in a floured banneton or towel-lined bowl. Let it rise again for 30 to 60 minutes, until it looks slightly puffy and slowly springs back when pressed.
• Step Four (bake)
  Preheat your Dutch oven to 475°F. Turn the dough onto parchment, score the top, and bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for another 20 to 25 minutes at 450°F until golden and the crust is set.
• Step Five (cool)
  Let it cool completely before slicing so the inside finishes setting. Waiting is the hardest part.

Recipe Tips

• When I’m kneading, the dough won’t stay perfectly smooth because of the chocolate chips. You’ll feel them catching, and there’s a point where it looks a little off. I leave it alone and keep going. It evens out enough on its own.
• I don’t add extra flour because it feels slightly tacky. That’s how this dough should feel, and adding more flour will make it denser.
• I watch the rise more than the clock. It should look fuller and a little puffy, not overblown.
• When I shape it, I pull it into a tight loaf so it holds its form in the oven.
• The Dutch oven needs to be fully hot before the dough goes in. That initial heat is what gives you the crust on the outside.
• I score it right before it goes in so it has somewhere to open instead of splitting randomly as it bakes.

Storage

• I keep this on the counter with the cut side down on a board or lightly covered, and it stays good for a couple of days without drying out.
• I don’t usually put it in the refrigerator because it changes the texture faster than I want and dries it out.
• If I’m not going to finish it, I slice it and freeze it so I can take out pieces as I need them. If I’m freezing the whole loaf, I wrap it tightly and thaw it at room temperature before slicing. It goes straight into the toaster from frozen and comes right back without needing to thaw.
• If I want it warm without toasting, I’ll put it in the oven for a few minutes and it’s ready again.

FAQs

• Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant?
  Yes. I would mix it with the warm water first and let it sit for a few minutes to proof before adding it to the flour. Your rising times will be a little longer.
• Why does the dough feel a little irregular when I’m kneading it?
  That’s from the chocolate chips. You’ll feel them catching as you work the dough and it won’t be perfectly smooth, which is normal.
• Is this supposed to be sweet?
  Not really. There’s some sugar in the dough and the chocolate adds sweetness, but I still treat it like bread.
• Do I have to use a Dutch oven?
  I do, because I like what it does to the crust. If you don’t have one, you can bake it on a sheet pan, but it won’t come out the same on the outside.
• Why do I need to let it cool before slicing?
  Because the inside is still setting when it comes out of the oven. If you cut into it too early, it won’t have the same texture. I realize this takes some willpower.
• Can I make the dough ahead of time?
  You can, but I usually don’t. I make this the same day and bake it once it’s ready. If you do make it ahead, keep it covered in the refrigerator and let it come back to room temperature before baking.
• When do I serve this, breakfast, lunch, snacktime, dessert?
  Yes. Or yes, yes, yes.

FROM MY KITCHEN NOTES

Just a few scribbles from my kitchen notebook. Not recipe tips.

• There are people who know how to make something at scale and still have it feel like it’s happening right in front of you.
• There’s real skill between someone following steps and someone who already knows what’s next.
• There are things you watch as a kid that don’t mean anything until they suddenly do.
• Helms wasn’t something you went to. It came to you. Trucks drove out to Los Angeles neighborhoods, they blew a whistle, people came out to buy. I didn’t see that part, but I’ve heard enough stories to wish I had.
• It’s not lost on me that I got to experience all the Helms Bakery items long after they went out of business, and it makes me feel lucky in some way.
• I never saw Frank measure anything. He didn’t need to.
• I used to think I was asking for chocolate chips because I was a kid. I don’t think that’s why anymore.
• Frank was not a pastry chef or a “baker” in the modern sense. He was someone who could take dough and turn it into whatever was needed, whenever it was needed, with no second-guessing. I respect that.
• Some things only make sense when they’re part of everything else that’s going on around them.
• For Easter, Frank would gift everyone loaves of beautifully braided breads with a butter lamb he made from molds. The image of this man with torpedo shaped forearms and a giant anchor tattoo across the top making delicate butter lambs makes me smile now. You don’t casually do that unless that kind of making is part of how you live.
• I don’t think anyone in that kitchen thought any of it was special. That might be why it was.
• I didn’t realize at the time that the thing I liked most wasn’t the bread, it was watching someone not hesitate. Confidence is everything.
• Waiting for bread to cool requires some kind of super human control, which I do not possess.
• There are things you recognize later and wish you had paid attention to differently.
• If I knew then exactly where every cream puff went, the whole thing might feel smaller to me now. Right now it still feels like something that just kept going beyond what I could see.
• There’s remembering something and realizing what it was. They are different. Not everything needs to be explained to be understood.
• I’m pretty sure the dough he used for everything was the same one Helms was known for, the one that had been around forever, because he made everything out of that. Mine was that same bread with chocolate chips on it, and I had no idea I was eating something with so much history tied to it. I just knew it was mine.
• Until I wrote this post, I didn’t realize how much this memory still mattered to me. I wasn’t only remembering Frank and how he was fully present, it was a reminder of what it felt like to be taken care of without asking, to be included without earning it and how it feels to exist in something good.
• As a kid I did the best version of  enjoying it without awareness or analysis. I was just in it. Now, I have the awareness, but not the moment. That’s the gap.
• There are moments where everything is clear and nothing changes anyway.
• Some things don’t get better with more time.

If You Like Working With Dough

• Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread – everyday loaf for toast and sandwiches.
• Everything Bagel Rolls – soft rolls with savory topping.
• Parker House Rolls – buttery, soft, pull-apart rolls.
• Round Challah Bread – braided loaf, rich and tender.
• Homemade Slider Buns – soft buns for sandwiches.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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Chocolate Chip Artisan Bread

Chocolate Chip Artisan Bread is a crusty, golden loaf with chocolate chips mixed right into the dough. It’s made like a regular bread dough and baked in a Dutch oven, giving you a firm crust with soft spots of chocolate throughout.

Course Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate chip artisan bread, chocolate chip bread, crusty chocolate chip bread, Dutch oven chocolate chip bread, homemade artisan bread

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Rise snd Cooling: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings 10 slices

Calories 290kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• mixing bowls (large) For mixing and rising the dough.
• Stand Mixer (with dough hook) Optional, for mixing and kneading.
• Dutch Oven (5-6 quart / 4.7-5.7 L) Cretaes steam for a crusty loaf.
• Banneton (10-inch / 25 cm oval or 9-inch / 23 cm round) or medium bowl lined with a well-floured towel. Helps hold shape during second rise.
• lame or sharp knife. For scoring the dough before baking.
• digital thermometer (optional) To check doneness during baking.

Ingredients

• 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
• 2¼ tsps (7 g / 1 packet) RapidRise yeast
• 1¼ tsps (7 g) table salt
• 2 tbsps (25 g) granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (120 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
• 1¼ cups (300 ml) warm water (38–43°C / 100–110°F)
• 2 tbsps (30 ml) neutral oil

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, instant yeast, salt, sugar, and chocolate chips, stirring until everything is evenly distributed so the chips are not clumped in one area of the dough.
  4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, 2¼ tsps (7 g / 1 packet) RapidRise yeast, 1¼ tsps (7 g) table salt, 2 tbsps (25 g) granulated sugar, ¾ cup (120 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Add the warm water and oil, then mix until a shaggy dough forms. If using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, then increase to medium-low speed and continue mixing for 4 to 5 minutes until the dough becomes mostly smooth and elastic. If mixing by hand, knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until it becomes mostly smooth. The dough may tear slightly as the chocolate chips work through it, which is expected and part of how the texture develops.
  1¼ cups (300 ml) warm water, 2 tbsps (30 ml) neutral oil
• Shape the dough into a ball, place it in the bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled in size, which typically takes about 1 to 2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gently deflate it, and press it into a rough rectangle. Fold the bottom up and the top down, then turn the dough and roll it into a tight log while pulling the dough toward you to shape it.
• Place the dough seam-side up in a well-floured 10-inch (25 cm) oval banneton or 9-inch (23 cm) round banneton, or use a medium bowl lined with a well-floured towel. Cover and let it rise again for 30 to 60 minutes. The dough is ready when it looks slightly puffy and slowly springs back when pressed with a finger.
• About 30 minutes before baking, place a 5 to 6 quart (4.7 to 5.7 L) Dutch oven with lid in the oven and preheat to 475°F (245°C) so the pot is fully heated when the dough goes in.
• Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper, score the top with a sharp knife or lame, and carefully transfer it into the hot Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and continue baking for another 20 to 25 minutes at 450°F (232°C) until the crust is golden.
• The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom or reaches an internal temperature of 205 to 210°F (96 to 99°C). Remove from the pot and let it cool completely before slicing.

Notes

• The dough should feel slightly tacky but not overly sticky. Adding too much flour during mixing can lead to a denser loaf.
• Chocolate chips will pull at the dough while kneading, which can cause small tears. This is normal and part of how the crumb forms.
• Let the bread cool fully before slicing so the inside finishes setting and doesn’t turn gummy.

 

 

If you’re making this Chocolate Chip Artisan Bread, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Serving: 90g | Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2mg

Have you made this Chocolate Chip Artisan Bread? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Chocolate Chip Artisan Bread appeared first on Noble Pig.