Whirligigs

Photo: Tina Rupp

A Fun-to-Say Cookie for Dark-Chocolate Lovers
Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, authors of Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients, make these "whirligig" cookies from a rich, peanut-buttery dough that they slather with dark chocolate, roll up into a log and slice into cookies. They're plenty tasty when room temperature but dangerously addictive when warm.

Get the recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate Whirligigs
Good Morning Sunshine Bars

Photo: Tina Rupp

A Bar That Works for Any Occasion
Embarrassingly simple (cereal, peanut butter, peanuts and chocolate), salty and sweet, these bars from Lewis and Poliafito are tailor-made for bake sales, potlucks, lunchboxes, breakfast (hey, they contain cereal)...

Get the recipe: Good Morning Sunshine Bars
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Rice Krispies Balls

Photo: Victor Schrager

Your Reward for Keeping a Stocked Pantry
Our grandmothers prided themselves on having a towering array of canned vegetables in their kitchen cabinets. The modern-day sweet tooth's version of such planning includes a few chocolate-covered toffee candy bars (aka Heath Bars), Rice Krispies, chunky peanut butter, marshmallows and semisweet chocolate chips. With these ingredients on hand, you're just minutes away from these deliciously crispy treats.

Get the recipe: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Rice Krispies Balls
Rebecca Rather's Surprise-Inside Ice Cream Balls

Photo: Kirsten Strecker

The Sundae to End All Sundaes
As far as outrageous desserts go, it's hard to top this one: It's a ball of chocolate-peanut butter mousse covered with vanilla ice cream, frozen, rolled in chopped nuts and then topped with fudge and caramel sauces. (You're welcome.)

Get the recipe: Rebecca Rather's Surprise-Inside Ice Cream Balls
Chocolate, Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie

Photo: Thinkstock

The Dessert You Can Drink
For many of us, the only thing that makes peanut butter and chocolate better is the addition of banana. Combine all three into a smoothie, and you've got a totally acceptable morning meal. (Freeze the fruit first, so your shake is cold but not watered-down with ice cubes.)

Get the recipe: Chocolate, Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Photo: Thinkstock

Feel-Good Movie Theater Snacks
These healthy peanut butter cups from Alicia Silverstone taste just as rich as the classics we've been noshing on since childhood, but they're made with lower-sugar foods such as unsweetened crunchy peanut butter and maple sugar. Plus, Silverstone mixes in a small handful of chopped nuts for extra crunch.

Get the recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Next: 11 of the most outrageous chocolate desserts ever