Skrewball Lasagna recipe takes a classic dessert lasgana with a grown-up make-over. A rich and decadent whiskey dessert featuring a graham cracker crust, a fluffy peanut butter flavored filling, a layer of smooth spiked chocolate, and whipped cream on top.
No Bake Peanut Butter Lasagna
Our easy Skrewball Peanut Butter Lasagna recipe makes it fun to chew your booze by merging my Chocolate Peanut Butter Lasagna and Peanut Butter Ice Box Cake with a bit of booze.
This simple peanut butter chocolate lasagna is not your classic Italian main dish meal – it swaps the savory ingredients for sweet stackable layers of cookie crumbs and creamy fillings to form a delicious alcohol-infused dessert.
A Reese’s peanut butter lasagna recipe lets you consume your cocktail and peanut butter chocolate dessert all in one bite (like my Skrewball Whiskey Balls), but it’s strictly for adults only because none of the alcohol is baked off your spiked slice.
What Is A Dessert Lasagna
A Dessert Lasagna is a simple, no-bake, make-ahead treat. Most recipes call for a crushed cookie crust covered with layers of pudding, another flavor-packed filling, whipped cream mixed with cream cheese, and topped with something fun, like marshmallows, chocolate chips, candy, or colorful sprinkles.
A layered dessert (aka icebox cake) is best chilled over hours so the cookies have time to soak up the moisture from the cream, and the layers merge into a tender cake-like texture.
In reality, a cookie lasagna 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 Chocolate Peanut Butter Layered Desserts Recipes
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses simple ingredients.
- So delicious, you may just skip supper and dine on this decadent lasagna for dinner!
- Fuss-free, make-ahead cool and creamy treat
- Peanut butter cheesecake and chocolate meet the bold notes of bourbon.
- Perfect no-bake dessert for holiday parties, adult-only celebrations, and potlucks, easily made in a baking pan so it’s portable.
Skrewball Lasagna Ingredients
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese: Use brick-style, full-fat cream cheese. The lower fat and whipped varieties won’t set up properly or provide enough richness.
- Creamy peanut butter: I used Peter Pan brand, but feel free to use your favorite.
- Powdered sugar
- Whipped topping or Cool Whip: You can make your own Homemade Whipped Cream using heavy whipping cream and some powdered sugar.
- Instant chocolate pudding: I used Jell-O brand but you can use your favorite.
- Whole milk
- Skrewball peanut butter whiskey
- Mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Create Your Crust: Make your crust using crushed vanilla wafers, shortbread cookies, or Digestive Biscuits instead of graham crackers. If you’d like a chocolate base layer, make your lasagna crust with chocolate graham crackers or Oreo cookies. You can even make a peanut butter sandwich cookie crust with Nutter Butter cookies.
- Pick Your Pudding: You can substitute instant dark chocolate pudding or chocolate fudge pudding mix for the regular instant chocolate pudding mix.
- Decorate Your Dessert: I sprinkled the top of this lasagna with pieces of mini peanut butter cups, but you can also use Reese’s Pieces, crushed peanut butter cookies, or chopped peanuts. Add a drizzle of melted peanut butter or chocolate on top for extra decadence!
How to Make Skrewball Lasagna
- Create The Crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until it forms the texture of wet sand. Press the mixture into the bottom of the dish and set in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. (Image 1)
- Make The Cream Cheese Mixture: Beat together the cream cheese, peanut butter, and powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy. Fold in the whipped topping.
- Cover The Crust: Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust (Image 2). Return to the freezer.
- Prepare The Pudding: Whisk together the pudding, milk, and Skrewball whiskey until smooth, and the pudding starts to thicken. Fold in remaining whipped topping and chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Assemble: Spread the chocolate pudding over the cream cheese layer (Image 3) and cover with whipped topping. Garnish with the mini Reese’s cups (Image 4) and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or up to overnight.
- Slice And Serve: Cut into 12 slices and serve. Enjoy!
Tips For Making Skrewball Lasagna
- Make sure to use whole milk for the chocolate pudding layer. It thickens up the best with the added alcohol in the mixture.
- Lactose-free, skim milk, and dairy alternatives do not thicken the instant pudding well.
- Be sure to use a commercial brand of creamy peanut butter (such as Peter Pan, JIF, or Skippy) for best results. The natural peanut butters have too much excess oils in them and do not work well when mixed with cream cheese.
- Be sure that your cream cheese is softened completely to room temperature so that it mixes into a smooth and creamy consistency with the peanut butter.
- This dessert needs to chill for at least 6 hours so the pudding mixture can set and the graham crackers can absorb the fluffy filling 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.
- The alcohol in this recipe does not burn off, so you must ensure that it is properly labeled for adult consumption.
How to Store Skrewball Lasagna
- To Store: This Skrewball lasagna is best served cold. It can be stored in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze this Skrewball lasagna tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 months. Be sure to thaw completely in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
How To Soften Cream Cheese
To soften the brick of cream cheese, simply remove the package from the foil and place it on a microwave-safe plate. Heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until softened. You can also leave them on the kitchen counter for 1 to 2 hours to soften to room temperature. Don’t leave cream cheese at room temperature for longer than 2 hours or it could start to grow bacteria that could lead to food-borne illness.
More Easy Dessert Lasagnas Recipes
More Great Dessert Recipes
- Hot Chocolate Poke Cake
- Lava Cake
- Turtle Lasagna Dessert
- Papa John’s Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
- Raspberry Crumble Cookies
- Lemon Blueberry Trifle
- Oreo Lasagna
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Skrewball Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 8 ounces block of cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter Peter Pan brand
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 16 ounces whipped topping thawed, divided into 6 ounces, 2 ounces, and 8 ounces (Cool Whip brand)
- 7.8 ounces (2 3.9-ounce) boxes of instant chocolate pudding (Jell-O brand)
- 2¾ cups whole milk very cold
- ¼ cup Skrewball peanut butter-flavored whiskey
- 7.6 ounces bag of mini Reese’s peanut butter cups cut in half (these come already unwrapped in the bag)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter until the crumbs come together like the texture of wet sand. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Be sure to pack the crust tightly and into an even layer. Place the crust into the freezer for 5-10 minutes to firm up while you prepare the remaining layers.1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, creamy peanut butter, and sifted powdered sugar, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and fluffy.8 ounces block of cream cheese, ½ cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup powdered sugar
- Fold 6 ounces (¾ of an 8-ounce tub, reserving the remaining 2 ounces for the chocolate pudding layer) of the thawed whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture until fully combined and no streaks of whipped topping remain.16 ounces whipped topping
- Remove the crust from the freezer, and using an offset spatula, spread the cream cheese mixture into an even layer over the graham cracker crust layer. Return the dish to the freezer to firm up while you prepare the chocolate pudding layer.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the instant chocolate pudding, whole milk, and Skrewball whiskey until smooth, and the pudding starts to thicken. Fold in 2 ounces (the remaining ¼ of an 8-ounce tub from the cream cheese layer) of thawed whipped topping into the chocolate pudding mixture until no white streaks remain. Place the bowl of chocolate pudding into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm up. Once firm, remove the 9×13 dish from the freezer and spread the chocolate pudding evenly over the cream cheese layer.7.8 ounces (2 3.9-ounce) boxes of instant chocolate pudding, 2¾ cups whole milk, ¼ cup Skrewball peanut butter-flavored whiskey, 16 ounces whipped topping
- Lastly, using an offset spatula, gently spread the remaining 8 ounces of thawed whipped topping over the chocolate pudding layer, being very careful not to mix the layers.16 ounces whipped topping
- Garnish the top of the Skrewball lasagna with the mini Reese’s cups that have been cut in half.7.6 ounces bag of mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
- Refrigerate the Skrewball lasagna for at least 6 hours, or up to overnight, to allow all the layers to firm up well before slicing and serving.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: This Skrewball lasagna is best served cold. It can be stored in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze this Skrewball lasagna tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 months. Be sure to thaw completely in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
- Make sure to use whole milk for the chocolate pudding layer. It thickens up the best with the added alcohol in the mixture.
- Lactose-free, skim milk, and dairy alternatives do not thicken the instant pudding well at all.
- Be sure to use a commercial brand of creamy peanut butter (such as Peter Pan, JIF, or Skippy) for best results. The natural peanut butters have too much excess oils in them and do not work well when mixed with cream cheese.
- Be sure that your cream cheese is softened completely to room temperature so that it mixes into a smooth and creamy consistency with the peanut butter.
- This dessert needs to chill for at least 6 hours so the pudding mixture can set and the graham crackers can absorb the fluffy filling 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.
- The alcohol in this recipe does not burn off, so you must ensure that it is properly labeled for adult consumption.
What’s an alternative to whiskey?
Hi Laurel, I would check out one of our other Dessert Lasagnas that doesn’t include any whiskey. See them all here: https://princesspinkygirlcom.bigscoots-staging.com/no-bake-dessert-lasagna/