Our 15 Best Super Bowl Desserts

Salty-Sweet Chocolate Pretzel Bars
Photo: © Marcus Nilsson

Super Bowl food is all about salty snacks, sweet treats, and plenty of beer. To make your menu as low-fuss as possible, stick with simple desserts that everyone will love — we're thinking hand pies, easy cookies, and no-bake treats. Read on for even more desserts to make for the Super Bowl.

01 of 15

S'mores Brownies

S'mores Brownies
© SARAH BOLLA

These fudgy, gluten-free brownies are baked in a graham-cracker crust, then topped with marshmallows and broiled.

02 of 15

Pear and Cranberry Slab Pie

Pear-and-Cranberry Slab Pie
© Con Poulos

Instead of making a traditional two-crust pie in a pie plate, Food & Wine's Justin Chapple makes this free-form, fruit-filled, ginger-laced pie on a baking sheet. The pie is extra delicious served with vanilla ice cream.

03 of 15

Dulce de Leche, Coconut, and Chocolate Chip Magic Bars

Dulce de Leche, Coconut and Chocolate Chip Magic Bars. Photo © Fredrika Stjärne
© Fredrika Stjärne

This is a unique version of magic bars, that perennial chocolate-coconut bake-sale favorite. Browning the butter gives the crust a nutty flavor; baking the bars in a metal pan makes them extra crisp. The big twist comes from bacon, which adds a nice salty touch.

04 of 15

Icebox Chocolate Cheesecake

Icebox Chocolate Cheesecake
© CON POULOS

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.

05 of 15

Salty-Sweet Chocolate Pretzel Bars

Salty-Sweet Chocolate Pretzel Bars
© Marcus Nilsson

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.

06 of 15

Chocolate Chip-Pecan Cookie Bars

Chocolate-Chip-Pecan Cookie Bars
© Con Poulos

Quintessential chocolate chip cookies are baked up into bars, making for a thicker, chewier cookie without the need to individually scoop the dough. Feel free to swap walnuts or almonds for the pecans, or use half nuts and half dried cranberries for a touch of tartness.

07 of 15

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
© EMILY FARRIS

These made-from-scratch chocolate chip cookies take less than half an hour, start to finish. The dough can be made ahead and frozen for up to two months, so fresh cookies are always at the ready.

08 of 15

Birdseed Rice Crispy Treats

Birdseed Marshmallow Crispy Treats Recipe
Photo by Johnny Autry / Food and Prop Styling by Charlotte Autry

Chef Kim Alter's original recipe featured a "birdseed" mixture of puffed grain and brown rice; we riffed on her idea and added some toasted and raw seeds and flaky sea salt for even more layers of flavor in these updated iconic treats.

09 of 15

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie
© Jonny Valiant

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.

10 of 15

Toffee-Apricot Oat Cookies

Toffee Apricot Oat Cookies Recipe
Photo by Johnny Autry / Food and Prop Styling by Charlotte Autry

These lacy cookies are studded with tart dried apricot, salty-sweet chunks of toffee, and sweet milk chocolate for the perfect combination of flavors and textures. Be sure to rotate the pans during baking to ensure evenly baked, perfectly crisp-chewy cookies.

11 of 15

Banana and Chocolate Cream Pie Parfaits

Banana and Chocolate Cream Pie Parfaits
© Con Poulos

To make her outstanding deconstructed banana cream pie, Honolulu pastry chef Michelle Karr-Ueoka layers eggless chocolate pudding with cinnamon-flavored graham cracker crumbs, ice cream, bananas, and banana whipped cream.

12 of 15

Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Layers of delicate flavors from lemon, honey, and extra-virgin olive oi­l — which helps keep the cake moist and imparts mild fruitiness — come together in this one-bowl batter. Stacked with a fluffy and rich lemon–cream cheese frosting, this easy layer cake is a keeper.

13 of 15

Dried Apple Hand Pies

super flaky apple hand pies
Victor Protasio

These lightly spiced hand pies are easy to serve on game day since no slicing is required. The dried apples are slowly simmered in apple cider for a big burst of concentrated apple flavor. The unbaked pies can be made ahead and frozen for up to a month.

14 of 15

Chocolate Buttermilk Snack Cakes

Chocolate-Buttermilk Snack Cakes
© David Malosh

In her update of the classic chocolate Hostess cupcake, Chicago pastry chef Mindy Segal uses mascarpone in the rich and creamy filling. These cakes are best served cold, and they'll keep in the fridge for up to three days.

15 of 15

Chocolate and Hazelnut Nanaimo Bars

Chocolate and Hazelnut Nanaimo Bars
Victor Protasio

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.

Was this page helpful?
Related Articles