The 3-Ingredient Dessert I’ve Been Making Since Childhood (It’s Still My Favorite)

Growing up, my sister and I treated our kitchen like an inventor’s workshop. We loved experimenting with fun ingredient combinations, especially if they involved sugar. One of our favorite creations was something we called “zebra droppings”—why we called them that, I have zero clue. Despite their unseemly name, these treats proved absolutely delicious and require almost no effort. You just take a spoonful of peanut butter, top it with melted chocolate, and freeze until the chocolate hardens.

We’re now in our 30s, and my sister is a professional baking blogger with a best-selling cookbook full of show-stopping desserts (aptly named Sweet Tooth!) and I’m a recipe developer who creates dozens of complex recipes each month. And yet, one of my favorite treats to make when I need a little something sweet is still the humble zebra dropping.

It’s a magical combination of peanut butter and chocolate with a crunchy shell that yields to a creamy, rich center. It’s basically a homemade peanut butter cup, but ten times easier than using a muffin tin since you eat it directly out of the spoon. They’re the perfect no-bake dessert to store in your fridge when you need an afternoon pick-me-up or post-dinner treat. Kids will love these, too!

The Key Ingredients

While I love natural peanut butter made with just peanuts and salt, I’m sad to report that it won’t work well in this recipe. It’s important to use a thicker, no-stir peanut butter that won’t drip out of the spoon. But feel free to use creamy or crunchy peanut butter, no-stir almond butter, or a thick seed butter if you have a nut allergy.

For the chocolate drizzle, you have a few options. Semisweet chocolate chips are a pantry staple for me, which is why they’re my favorite to use in this recipe. But you can use a chopped chocolate bar instead, and bittersweet, dark, or even white chocolate will all work. If you’re using chocolate chips, you’ll need to add a small amount of coconut oil so the chocolate melts into a drippy consistency that can be easily poured over the peanut butter.

As a final touch, I love adding a little flaky sea salt on top to bring out the flavors of the chocolate and peanut butter, but you can totally leave it off. Other fun topping ideas include chopped nuts and crumbled freeze-dried strawberries.

How To Make My 3-Ingredient Chocolate-Peanut Butter Spoons

To make four spoons, you’ll need: 

• 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons creamy or crunchy no-stir salted peanut butter
•  Flaky salt, for topping, optional

Line a small plate with parchment paper or foil and get out 4 small metal spoons.

Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate is fully melted.

Use one of the spoons to scoop out about a tablespoon of peanut butter and place the spoon on the lined plate. Repeat with the other three spoons. 

Drizzle the melted chocolate onto each spoon to fully cover the peanut butter. If desired, top with a sprinkle of flaky salt. Freeze to harden the chocolate, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy right away or store the spoons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.