Whip up a scrumptious Peanut Butter Ice Box Cake—utterly delightful with its rich peanut butter flavor, velvety texture, and a breeze to assemble.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
Our easy Peanut Butter Icebox Cake recipe is loaded with layers of fluffy chocolate pudding, Reese’s peanut butter cups, and creamy peanut butter filling, all sandwiched between sheets of chocolate cookies and topped with Magic Shell and more candy!
This cool and creamy chocolate peanut butter icebox cake has a few easy-to-make components: there’s a chocolate pudding whipped topping mixture and a peanut butter, powdered sugar, whipped topping mixture that are each spread over the crushed cookies.
Once assembled, the peanut butter ice box cake sits in the fridge for several hours until the cookies soak up the moisture from the filling and softens into a cake-like consistency.
What Is An Icebox Cake
An icebox cake is a no-bake dessert made by layering ingredients such as cookies or graham crackers, whipped cream, pudding, or fruit. The set together in the refrigerator to soften into a cake-like consistency.
In reality, an icebox cake is less of a recipe and more of a concept because it’s infinitely customizable as long as you layer your cream and cookies.
Why We Love This No Bake Icebox Cake
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Cool, creamy, refreshing twist on a classic chocolate peanut butter cup candy.
- Fool-proof recipe filled with alternating layers of chocolate sandwich cookies, peanut butter, and pudding.
- Delicious make-ahead dessert to feed a crowd.
- Perfect for potlucks, backyard BBQs, summer parties, or any time you don’t want to heat up the house.
Peanut Butter Icebox Cake Ingredients
- Chocolate sandwich cookies
- Salted sweet cream butter
- Instant chocolate pudding mix
- Whole milk
- Whipped topping
- Miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups
- Cream cheese
- Creamy peanut butter: I used Reese’s brand but feel free to use your favorite.
- Powdered sugar
- Chocolate magic shell
Substitutions and Additions
- Change The Cookie: Instead of chocolate sandwich cookies, you can use chocolate graham crackers, plain graham crackers, fudge-covered graham crackers, or even a peanut butter sandwich cookie (like Nutter Butters).
- Tasty Toppings: I sprinkled the top with pieces of peanut butter cups but you can also use Reese’s Pieces, crushed cookies, or chopped peanuts.
Recommended Tools
- 9×13 baking dish
- Nonstick spray
- Mixing bowls
- Handheld mixer
- Offset spatula
How to Make Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
- Coat The Cookie Crumbs: Pour the melted butter over the crushed cookies and stir to coat the crumbs completely. Press into the bottom of the baking dish. Set it aside.
- Prepare The Pudding Mixture: Beat the pudding mix and milk until it begins to thicken. Fold in the whipped topping.
- Make The Peanut Butter Mixture: Mix together the cream cheese, peanut butter, and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping.
- Assemble: Spread a layer of pudding mixture over the cookie crumb base. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups, cover with another layer of crushed cookies, then spread the cream cheese peanut butter mixture over the chocolate cookies. Top with a final layer of chocolate pudding.
- Cover The Cake: Drizzle and smooth the magic shell over the top of the pudding layer and sprinkle with candy pieces.
- Serve: Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to overnight. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
- Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature; otherwise, you will end up with lumps in your peanut butter cream cheese mixture.
- You can substitute crunchy peanut butter for creamy peanut butter if you prefer a crunchy alternative.
- You can substitute chopped full-size peanut butter cups for miniature peanut butter cups.
- Refrigerate the peanut butter cups for about 10 minutes to make them easier to cut.
- This cake needs to sit for at least 4 hours so the pudding mixture can set and the graham crackers can absorb the pudding/whipped topping and become soft.
- Chilling overnight will allow all the flavors to mingle and blend together even more!
- An offset spatula is a perfect tool for smoothing each layer into the pan.
How to Store Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
- To Store: Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the cake for up to 2 months. Allow the cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
More Ice Box Cake Recipes
Other Easy Cake Recipes
- Heaven On Earth Cake
- Punch Bowl Cake
- Twinkie Cake
- Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake
- Rainbow Sheet Cake
- S’mores Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
- Lemon Ricotta Cake
Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
Serves — 20
Peanut Butter Ice Box Cake is easy to make with layers of chocolate cookies, pudding, peanut butter, and tons of candy throughout!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Chill Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients
Chocolate Pudding Layer
- 19.1 ounces crushed chocolate sandwich cookies divided into 2¼ cups, 1½ cups and 1½ cups
- ⅓ cup salted sweet cream butter melted
- 7.8 ounce (2 3.9-ounce) boxes of instant chocolate pudding mix
- 2¾ cups whole milk
- 2 cups whipped topping thawed
- 5 cups Miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups unwrapped and halved (a 17.6-ounce and 10.5-ounce bag. Divided into 2 cups and 3 cups)
Peanut Butter Layer
- 8 ounce package of cream cheese softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter Your favorite brand. I used Reese’s brand
- 1½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 cups whipped topping thawed
- 7.25 ounce bottle of chocolate magic shell
Instructions
- Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set it aside.
- Add the 2¼ cups of crushed chocolate sandwich cookies to a medium size bowl. Pour the melted butter over the cookie crumbs. Stir to coat the cookie crumbs completely. Press into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Set it aside.
- Add the pudding mix and milk to a large mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer on low to beat the pudding mix and milk until it begins to thicken.
- Fold in 2 cups of thawed whipped topping.
- Spread ½ of the pudding mixture over the bottom layer of buttered cookie crumbs.
- Sprinkle 2 cups of the halved peanut butter cups.
- Sprinkle 1 ½ cups of crushed sandwich cookies on top of the layer of peanut butter cups.
- Add the softened cream cheese, creamy peanut butter, and powdered sugar to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer on medium-high speed and mix until smooth, about 1½-2 minutes.
- Fold in 2 cups of thawed whipped topping.
- Spread all of the cream cheese peanut butter mixture over the layer of crushed chocolate sandwich cookies.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1½ cups of crushed chocolate sandwich cookies on top of the peanut butter layer.
- Evenly spread the remaining chocolate pudding mixture over the crushed chocolate cookie layer.
- Drizzle the magic shell over the top of the pudding layer. Use an offset spatula or spoon to smooth the magic shell over the pudding.
- Sprinkle the remaining 3 cups of halved peanut butter cups over the chocolate pudding. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to overnight. Slice 3 slices x 5 slices.
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the cake for up to 2 months. Allow the cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
- Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature; otherwise, you will end up with lumps in your peanut butter cream cheese mixture.
- You can substitute crunchy peanut butter for creamy peanut butter if you prefer a crunchy alternative.
- You can substitute chopped full-size peanut butter cups for miniature peanut butter cups.
- Refrigerate the peanut butter cups for about 10 minutes to make them easier to cut.
- This cake needs to sit for at least 4 hours so the pudding mixture can set and the graham crackers can absorb the pudding/whipped topping and become soft.
- Chilling overnight will allow all the flavors to mingle and blend together even more!
- An offset spatula is a perfect tool for smoothing each layer into the pan.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 793kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 662mg | Potassium: 509mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 73g | Vitamin A: 352IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 5mg
Great recipes so far have tried several for Sunday’s. I will be looking for more!
Thank you!
all your recipes look amazing and I cannot wait to start making all of them!
looks delicious. Going to make it