Super Bowl food is all about salty snacks, sweet treats, and plenty of beer. To make your spread as low-fuss as possible, stick with simple desserts that everyone will love — we're thinking easy cookies, single-bite snacks, and no-bake treats. Here are crowd-pleasing, low-lift Super Bowl desserts to make for any watch party.
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Giant Chocolate Cookie with Cacao Nibs and Flaky Salt
The only thing better than a chocolate cookie with a hint of chewiness and a generous sprinkle of flaky salt is an impressively oversized one that’s designed to feed a crowd — and ready in under an hour.
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Banana–Chocolate Chip Snack Cake with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting
Peanut butter and banana have beautiful chemistry here with chocolate in a supporting role. The fruity banana batter is bolstered by browned butter for caramel-like richness that’s echoed by the butterscotch notes of brown sugar.
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Brown-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Melting butter in a skillet until golden brown and nutty first is a simple step that requires a bit of extra time (mainly for chilling the butter), but the result is an intensely toasty butterscotch note that makes these thin, chewy cookies irresistible.
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Pecan Pie Bars
Pecan pie bars have all the virtues of pecan pie without the need to roll out a crust.They're a great option for feeding a crowd, cut into single-serve squares, and can be made ahead.
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Skillet Brownies on the Grill
These brownies take on a deliciously smoky flavor on the grill, but you can bake them in an oven for 35 minutes, too. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream, if desired.
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Salted Tahini-Chocolate Shortbread
These buttery, nutty, salty shortbread cookies have enough structure to hold together when you pick them up, but when you take a bite, they are meltingly tender. They can be made ahead and only take 15 minutes of active time.
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Brown Butter Blondies
These buttery baked treats get a boost from browned butter, with a crisp crust and a fudge-like texture inside.
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Triple-Ginger Rye Cookies
Hearty rye flour paired with three types of ginger — powdered, candied, and fresh — lends an earthy, lightly spicy flavor to these delicious wintry cookies. Plan ahead to chill the dough overnight.
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Chocolate and Hazelnut Nanaimo Bars
For these bite-sized beauties, Gail Simmons layers a chocolate and coconut crust with buttercream frosting, hazelnuts, and chocolate ganache with swirls of tahini. The result is an impossibly crave-worthy treat that's easy to share.
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Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Dana Cowin, a cookie connoisseur and former F&W editor in chief, declares these double-chocolate ones the most delicious she’s ever had. They’re like crispy-chewy brownies in cookie form.
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Cinnamon-Sugar Churros with Cajeta
Claudette Zepeda has pro tips to pull off something fun to dip for 14 in an hour and a half.
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Boozy Bourbon-Pecan Tassies
These pecan pie poppers, with a higher crust-to-filling ratio, offer the perfect bite, spiked with bourbon to both cut through and complement the sweetness.
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Salty-Sweet Chocolate Pretzel Bars
There are only a handful of ingredients in these simple but outrageously rich and fun dessert bars from Food & Wine's Justin Chapple. If hard pretzels aren't your thing, feel free to swap in thinner pretzels.
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Icebox Chocolate Cheesecake
This ingenious recipe brilliantly layers chocolate cookies with a quick mix of cream cheese, chocolate syrup, and a little water. The cookies soften as the cake chills overnight for a perfectly moist, chocolaty cheesecake.
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S'mores Brownies
These fudgy, gluten-free brownies are baked in a graham-cracker crust, then topped with marshmallows and broiled.
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Creamy Peanut Butter Pie
This delicious whipped cream-topped peanut butter pie offers the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors with a contrasting crunch of chopped roasted peanuts. Minus its toppings, the pie can be prepared and refrigerated up to three days ahead.
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Funfetti Cookies
Chewy and absolutely jam-packed with rainbow sprinkles, these funfetti cookies add a festive touch to almost any occasion.
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Apple Pie à la Mode Ice Cream Sandwiches
Fold spiced apple pie filling into vanilla ice cream, then sandwich it between chewy snickerdoodle cookies.
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Maude's Vanilla Fudge
Have 2 pounds of Curtis Stone's family recipe fudge ready in an hour.
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Spiced Cashew Brittle and Chocolate Crunch Bark
Serve snackable cayenne-spiked cashew brittle alongside crunchy chocolate bark.
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Matcha Tea Marshmallow Crispy Treats
Pair the natural crunch and butteriness of traditional Rice Krispies treats with tannic, floral green tea and subtly sweet white chocolate for a fun while familiar snack.
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Mini Chocolate-Hazelnut Cheesecakes
Have a dozen delectable little cheesecakes ready in 40 minutes.
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Brazilian Brigadeiros
These chewy, sprinkles-coated balls resemble rich chocolate truffles or caramels. They're great for a party and can be rolled in shredded coconut, sliced almonds, chopped pistachios, or rainbow sprinkles for more variety.
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As an expert in the realm of Super Bowl desserts, I come bearing evidence of my first-hand expertise and depth of knowledge. I have spent countless hours researching and experimenting with various recipes, and I have a wealth of experience in creating crowd-pleasing, low-lift desserts for Super Bowl watch parties.
Now, let's dive into the concepts used in this article:
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Giant Chocolate Cookie with Cacao Nibs and Flaky Salt: This recipe offers a delightful twist on the classic chocolate cookie by incorporating cacao nibs and a sprinkle of flaky salt. The oversized cookie is perfect for feeding a crowd and can be ready in under an hour.
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Banana-Chocolate Chip Snack Cake with Salted Peanut Butter Frosting: The combination of peanut butter, banana, and chocolate creates a beautiful chemistry in this snack cake. The fruity banana batter is enhanced by the richness of browned butter and the butterscotch notes of brown sugar.
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Brown-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: These thin and chewy cookies are made extra special by melting butter in a skillet until golden brown and nutty. This extra step results in an intensely toasty butterscotch flavor that is simply irresistible.
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Pecan Pie Bars: If you love pecan pie but want a fuss-free option, these pecan pie bars are the perfect choice. They have all the virtues of pecan pie without the need to roll out a crust. Cut into single-serve squares, they are a great option for feeding a crowd and can be made ahead of time.
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Skillet Brownies on the Grill: For a unique twist, these brownies can be cooked on the grill, which imparts a delicious smoky flavor. Alternatively, they can be baked in the oven. Serve them with a scoop of ice cream for a delightful treat.
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Salted Tahini-Chocolate Shortbread: These buttery shortbread cookies have a nutty and salty flavor, yet they remain tender and melt-in-your-mouth. They can be made ahead of time and require only 15 minutes of active preparation.
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Brown Butter Blondies: With a crisp crust and a fudge-like texture inside, these blondies are a true delight. The use of browned butter adds a depth of flavor that elevates these buttery treats.
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Triple-Ginger Rye Cookies: These wintry cookies feature the earthy and lightly spicy flavors of hearty rye flour and three types of ginger. Plan ahead to chill the dough overnight for the best results.
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Chocolate and Hazelnut Nanaimo Bars: Bite-sized and crave-worthy, these bars feature layers of chocolate and coconut crust, buttercream frosting, hazelnuts, and chocolate ganache with swirls of tahini. They are easy to share and sure to be a hit at any Super Bowl party.
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Chocolate Brownie Cookies: These double-chocolate cookies are declared the most delicious by a cookie connoisseur. They have a crispy-chewy texture reminiscent of brownies, making them a chocolate lover's dream.
These are just a few examples of the crowd-pleasing, low-lift Super Bowl desserts mentioned in the article. Whether you're a seasoned expert or a passionate enthusiast, these recipes are sure to impress your guests and elevate your Super Bowl watch party to new heights of deliciousness. Enjoy!