Sweet Victory: Game Day Desserts

Updated August 19, 2008
Credit: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck

Our crowd-pleasing game day desserts can be made ahead, are easy to transport, and don't require forks or refrigeration.

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Team Spirit Cupcakes

Credit: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Virginia Cravens

Team Spirit Cupcakes Tout

Showing your team spirit on game day has never been easier with these tailgating desserts. Just buy vanilla-frosted cupcakes from the bakery and decorate with coarse sugar and lollipops in your school's colors. For easier transport, pack the frosted goodies in a cupcake keeper, like this one from Bakers Sto 'N Go. The holder seals in the flavor and has a convenient grab-and-go handle.

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Ginger Chocolate-Chip Bars

Credit: Kana Okada; Styling: Sara Quessenberry

Ginger Chocolate-Chip Bars Recipe

Give traditional chocolate chip bars a game-winning twist by kicking up the flavor with spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. To keep the bars moist and chewy, store them in a plastic container for up to 3 days before the game.

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Fresh Lemon Bars

Fresh Lemon Bars Recipe

The fresh lemon flavor of these sweet, fruity bars are a fan favorite. Dust them with powdered sugar just before serving.

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Peanut Butter-Caramel Candy Bites with Colorful Candies

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Harget

Peanut Butter-Caramel Candy Bites with Colorful Candies Recipe

Use your team's colors to decorate these peanut butter cookie cups. These colorful treats are sure to elicit cheers from even the youngest of fans.

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Pecan Tassies

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Buffy Hargett

Pecan Tassies Recipe

These mini pecan pies are just the right size to pick up with your fingers—no forks or plates required.

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Peanut Butter Candy Bar Brownies

Peanut Butter Candy Bar Brownies Recipe

What's a football game without peanuts? When you make these 5-star-rated brownies, stir in crushed peanut-shaped peanut butter cookies, two kinds of chocolate-peanut butter candy, creamy peanut butter, and honey-roasted peanuts.

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Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Ultimate football rivalries deserve ultimate cookies–so plan to take these along for your next tailgating extravaganza. They are everything chocolate chip cookies should be.

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Peppered Peanut Brittle

Credit: Karry Hosford

Peppered Peanut Brittle Recipe

Since peanut brittle is already in pieces, this is one dessert you don't have to worry about staying intact for the drive to the campus. And, it's nice to have some sweets in small pieces for game-day nibbling.

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Bourbon Fudge Brownies

Credit: Photography: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Lydia DeGaris-Pursell

Bourbon Fudge Brownies Recipe

Bourbon and vanilla enhance the rich chocolate flavor of these moist brownies. If you don't want to use bourbon, use hot milk in its place.

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Oatmeal-Pecan Snack Cookies

Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey

Oatmeal-Pecan Snack Cookies Recipe

Chock-full of nuts, dried fruit and nuts, these rich treats are like a cookie version of granola. If you're getting the tailgate set up in the morning, have a couple for breakfast.

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Pecan Toffee

Pecan Toffee Recipe

Break this toffee into small pieces so there will be plenty of candy to go around. We guarantee it will go fast.

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Sour Cream Pound Cake

Credit: Randy Mayor; Cindy Barr

Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe

Pound cake is perfect for tailgating because you don't really have to have a fork to eat it. The thicker the slice, the better! You can make pound cake ahead of time and freeze it, and, if there are any leftover pieces, you can freeze those, too.

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Football Cake Pops

Credit: Mark Ferri; Styling: Andrea Steinberg

Football Cake Pops Recipe

What could be better for a tailgating dessert than a cake ball shaped like a football that's served on a stick? Make a batch now and you'll be the most popular person at your tailgate party.

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Love Purple and Live Gold Cupcakes

Love Purple and Live Gold Cupcakes Recipe

Calling all LSU fans. These purple-and-gold cupcakes are a party waiting to happen and can be served to any fans with a team sporting the purple and gold.

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Crimson Tide Cupcakes

Crimson Tide Cupcakes Recipe

Score an extra timeout for yourself and order cupcakes ahead from your favorite bakery. Hand crafted pennants with cheer worthy sayings are just as effective at icing the competition.

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How to Make Mocha Balls

Whip together these bite-sized treats as a sweet gift or a simple dessert. The best part? No baking required!

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Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cake

Credit: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cake Recipe

If you've never known the glory of a mayonnaise cake, you're in for a treat! The staple ingredient yields an ultra-moist crumb and keeps the sugar from taking over your taste buds.

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Slutty Brownies

Credit: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro

Slutty Brownies Recipe

These decadent brownies are made with layers of brownie, cookie dough, and Oreos. What more could your tailgating guest want?

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Giant Cookie-in-a-Pan

Credit: Oxmoor House

Giant Cookie-in-a-Pan Recipe

This cookie cake is easy to transport and will serve lots of guests. Use M&M’s your team’s colors to make it even more festive.

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Mississippi Mud Brownies

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell

Mississippi Mud Brownies Recipe

Even if you’re not rooting for a Mississippi team — from the fluffy marshmallows to the chocolate frosting — you’ll love these brownies.

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Popcorn-Marshmallow Pops

Popcorn-Marshmallow Pops Recipe

Use M&M’s your team’s colors to make these fun popcorn pops that make for tasty treats as well as a fun tailgate decoration.

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Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Fudge

Credit: Oxmoor House

Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Make the combination of peanut butter and chocolate even better by stirring in instant coffee granules and topping the fudge with chopped peanuts. You can easily make these treats the night before your tailgate.

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Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Credit: Kate Sears

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Decorate these fruit-flavored cupcakes with sprinkles of your team’s colors.

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Fudge Brownie Pops

Credit: Ryan Liebe; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

Fudge Brownie Pops Recipe

These brownies are incredibly rich and moist, and impossibly easy to make: just roll 'em, dip 'em, and stick 'em! For easier handling, push the finished pops, standing upright, into Styrofoam and place in the refrigerator to chill.

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Tiger's Eye Brownies

Credit: Gooseberry Patch

Tiger's Eye Brownies Recipe

Nothing goes together better than peanut butter and chocolate. Serve these at your tailgate for a moist and delicious dessert.

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How to Make Rum Cake

This moist, rich rum cake is great to make ahead for tailgates. It tastes even better the next day.

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Red Velvet Cake Balls

Credit: Gooseberry Patch

Red Velvet Cake Balls Recipe

Red Velvet Cake balls are the perfect bite size dessert. They are incredibly easy to make and an easy-to-pick up tailgate treat.

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How to Make Buckeye Balls

See how easy it is to make these delicious chocolate and peanut butter candy balls.

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Sheet Pan Oatmeal Toffee-Orange Cream Bars

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Sheet Pan Oatmeal Toffee-Orange Cream Bars Recipe

These toasty-sweet, sheet pan sandwich cookies are fantastic for potlucks or tailgates—heck, whip a batch up on the weekend and enjoy for after-school snacks or dessert throughout the week. Toffee bits and cinnamon kick up the flavor of a traditional oatmeal cookie, while adding fresh orange zest to the filling adds a special touch or bright flavor to these tasty bars. Be sure the cookie is completely cool (out of the pan) before cutting it, or it will crumble. And to ensure a smooth cut, you’ll want to chill the filled cookie really well before slicing into bars.

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Miso-Caramel-Tamari Popcorn Mix

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Miso-Caramel-Tamari Popcorn Mix Recipe

A slightly thicker caramel and the addition of whole roasted almonds turn traditional caramel popcorn into gift-worthy popcorn mix. We use less sugar in the glaze and cut the sweetness with mild white miso (fermented soybean paste) and tamari (a richer, wheat-free soy sauce) for a salty-savory note that makes the snack incredibly addictive.

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Keto Salted Almond-Butter Brownies

Credit: Meredith Food Studios

Keto Salted Almond-Butter Brownies Recipe

Anyone on the keto diet looking to indulge needs to make these brownies, stat. These keto brownies are sugar-free yet decadent. The interior is fudgy and chocolatey, and the salted almond butter topping adds a toasty twist. 

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PB&J S’mores

Credit: The Baking Bean

PB&J S’mores Recipe

New York City pastry chef Clarice Lam, who owns door-to-door bakery The Baking Bean, puts a nostalgic spin on a classic campfire recipe. These peanut butter and jelly s'mores are sure to satisfy your most intense comfort food cravings. 

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All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Credit: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Pam Lolley

All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

When it comes to making cookies from scratch, these crispy-chewy chocolate chip cookies represent the best of the best. Simple ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions make this a recipe you'll come back to again and again. Whip up a batch of these all-time favorite cookies and they won't last long. Pro tip: Bake 10 minutes for a softer cookie or up to 14 minutes for a crispier cookie.

After you've made these craveworthy cookies, don't forget to try our fun variations. All sorts of goodies—from crushed white-chocolate pretzels to toffee candy—can be added to the batter to create other signature cookies.