Viral TikTok Desserts Rosanna Pansino Tested So You Don’t Have To: 13 Actually Worth Making

Viral TikTok desserts come and go fast, so it helps when a professional baker tries them first. Rosanna Pansino, the creator behind the long-running Nerdy Nummies baking show on YouTube, filmed a taste test of the most viewed TikTok dessert trends and shared her honest reactions with her audience. Some treats surprised her, a few divided opinion, and several turned out to be easy enough for any home kitchen. We gathered the trends from her video, added a couple of bonus favorites from the same feeds, and wrote simple home versions for each one. You will find crispy croissant waffles, a two-ingredient cheesecake, chewy nougat squares, airy chocolate sponge cake and a five-minute mug brownie. Every recipe uses ordinary ingredients, and none of them needs a deep fryer. Pick one for the weekend or work your way through the whole list..

Rosanna Pansino Puts Viral TikTok Desserts to the Test

Rosanna Pansino was born in Seattle in 1985 and started her YouTube channel in 2010. Her Nerdy Nummies series became one of the best known baking shows online, her first cookbook became a New York Times best seller, and she later hosted the baking competition Baketopia. In her video I Tried The MOST VIEWED TikTok Dessert Trends!, which has passed two million views, she bakes her way through the viral TikTok desserts everyone keeps sharing and tells viewers which ones deserve the hype..

You will need: croffles, a cookie cheesecake, pistachios, stuffed chocolate chip cookies, fresh strawberries and a large wooden board.

How to make it: 1. Make two or three of the recipes below a day ahead. 2. Cut them into small pieces so everyone can taste. 3. Arrange them on the board with berries and nuts in the gaps. 4. Serve at room temperature and let guests vote for a favorite.

Croffles: Croissant Dough Pressed in a Waffle Iron

Croffles were among the viral TikTok desserts on Rosanna’s list, and it is easy to see why they took off. Croissant dough goes into a hot waffle iron and comes out with crisp, caramelized ridges and soft, flaky layers inside. Rolling the dough in sugar first gives the edges a light crunch that tastes a little like a palmier. Croffles work for breakfast with fruit or as dessert with a scoop of ice cream, and a tube of refrigerated dough makes them a ten-minute project.

You will need: 1 tube refrigerated croissant dough, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, butter for the iron, powdered sugar, and berries or ice cream to serve.

How to make it: 1. Heat a waffle iron and brush it lightly with butter. 2. Unroll the dough and roll each triangle into a loose crescent. 3. Press both sides into the sugar. 4. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until deep golden and crisp. 5. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Two-Ingredient Cookie Cheesecake

This is one of the simplest viral TikTok desserts, and it sounds too simple to work. Crisp spiced cookies are layered into thick Greek yogurt and left in the fridge overnight, and the cookies soften into something close to a cake crust while the yogurt firms up like a light cheesecake filling. Rosanna tried the version made with caramelized spiced biscuits, which is the combination that spread across TikTok. It is tangy, not too sweet and needs no oven, so it is a handy make-ahead dessert for warm days.

You will need: 2 cups thick plain Greek yogurt, about 20 caramelized spiced biscuits, and optional honey and berries for topping.

How to make it: 1. Line a small loaf pan with plastic wrap. 2. Spread a layer of yogurt, then a layer of biscuits. 3. Repeat until you finish with yogurt. 4. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. 5. Lift out, slice and top with honey or berries.

Butter-Dipped Soft Serve, the Most Talked About of the Viral TikTok Desserts

This is the trend most people meet with a double take. Vanilla soft serve is dipped into melted, lightly browned butter that sets into a thin shell, much like the chocolate dip at an ice cream stand. Fans say it tastes like warm butter cookies over cold ice cream, while others find it too rich after a few bites. If you are curious, a small cone and a pinch of flaky salt is the best way to try it without committing to a whole sundae.

You will need: Vanilla soft serve or very cold ice cream, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, a pinch of flaky salt and waffle cones.

How to make it: 1. Brown the butter gently, then stir in the coconut oil. 2. Cool until just warm and pour into a narrow cup. 3. Fill the cones and freeze 10 minutes. 4. Dip the tops quickly and let the shell set. 5. Sprinkle with salt and eat right away.

Snowflake Crisp Nougat Squares

Snowflake crisp is a chewy candy from Asian bakeries that has joined the viral TikTok desserts everyone is making. Melted marshmallows and butter bind crunchy biscuits, pistachios and freeze-dried strawberries into one slab, and a coat of milk powder gives it a snowy finish. The version in Rosanna’s test leans on pistachios and pink strawberry pieces, which makes every square look as good as it tastes. It keeps for days in an airtight tin, so it is a smart choice for gifting.

You will need: 3 tablespoons butter, 7 ounces mini marshmallows, 1/3 cup milk powder plus extra for dusting, 2 cups small plain biscuits, 1/2 cup pistachios and 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries.

How to make it: 1. Melt the butter and marshmallows over low heat. 2. Stir in the milk powder until smooth. 3. Fold in the biscuits, nuts and fruit. 4. Press into a lined square pan. 5. Cool, cut into squares and toss in milk powder.

Pistachio Kataifi Chewy Cookies

The pistachio and toasted kataifi filling made famous by viral chocolate bars has moved into cookies too. Rosanna tested a soft, chewy cookie wrapped around that crunchy green center, and the contrast between stretchy dough and crisp shredded pastry is the whole point. Toasting the kataifi in butter until golden is the step not to skip, because without it the filling turns soft instead of crackly. The photo shows the kataifi and pistachio pairing that goes inside each cookie.

You will need: 1 cup kataifi (shredded phyllo), 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 cup pistachio cream, 1 batch soft chocolate cookie dough and cocoa powder for dusting.

How to make it: 1. Toast the kataifi in butter until golden, then cool. 2. Mix it with the pistachio cream. 3. Freeze small spoonfuls for 20 minutes. 4. Wrap each in cookie dough and seal well. 5. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 11 minutes and dust with cocoa.

S’mores Stuffed Cookies Earn Their Place Among Viral TikTok Desserts

Thick, bakery style stuffed cookies are everywhere on TikTok, and the s’mores version made Rosanna’s list. A chocolate chip dough with graham cracker crumbs wraps around a marshmallow and a square of chocolate, so the center turns gooey in the oven. Chilling the dough balls is what keeps them tall instead of flat. Let them rest for five minutes before breaking one open, or the filling will run everywhere and you will lose that dramatic stretch.

You will need: 1 batch chocolate chip cookie dough, 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers, 8 large marshmallows and 8 squares of milk chocolate.

How to make it: 1. Mix the graham crumbs into the dough. 2. Flatten a large scoop, add a marshmallow and a chocolate square, and seal. 3. Chill 30 minutes. 4. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes. 5. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.

Chocolate Castella Cake

Castella is a Japanese sponge cake known for its fine, springy crumb, and the chocolate version is one of the viral TikTok desserts Rosanna put to the test. The trick is whipping the eggs long enough to hold a ribbon, then folding in flour and cocoa very gently so the air stays in. When it is sliced, the cake should bounce back when pressed. Wrapping it while still warm keeps the top moist, and it needs no frosting at all, just a cold glass of milk.

You will need: 5 eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons warm milk, 1/2 cup bread flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons oil.

How to make it: 1. Whisk eggs, sugar and honey over warm water until warm. 2. Beat 8 to 10 minutes until thick and pale. 3. Sift in flour and cocoa and fold gently. 4. Fold in milk and oil. 5. Bake in a lined pan at 320°F for about 45 minutes and cool wrapped.

Cream-Filled Brioche Buns, Baked Not Fried

One of the clips in the video was a Japanese cream sando made from fried milk bread stuffed with whipped cream. Our home version of these viral TikTok desserts keeps the cream and skips the fryer. Soft brioche rolls are warmed until golden, split down the middle and filled with a generous swoop of lightly sweetened cream, much like an Italian maritozzo. A dusting of powdered sugar finishes them, and they are best eaten the day they are filled.

You will need: 6 soft brioche rolls, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and extra powdered sugar for dusting.

How to make it: 1. Warm the rolls in the oven for 3 minutes, then cool. 2. Whip the cream with sugar and vanilla to firm peaks. 3. Slice each roll deeply without cutting through. 4. Fill generously and smooth with a knife. 5. Dust and chill until serving.

Baked Chocolate Donuts, an Easy Twist on Viral TikTok Desserts

A fried chocolate donut was also on Rosanna’s list, and it is a treat many people would rather not deep fry at home. A donut pan solves that. The batter bakes in about ten minutes, and a quick dip in chocolate glaze gives the same glossy finish that makes the fried version so tempting on camera. These are soft and cakey rather than chewy, and they are ready in under 30 minutes from start to finish.

You will need: 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons cream.

How to make it: 1. Whisk the dry ingredients. 2. Stir in the egg, milk and butter. 3. Pipe into a greased donut pan. 4. Bake at 350°F for 9 to 10 minutes. 5. Melt the chips with the cream and dip each cooled donut.

Chocolate Hazelnut Stuffed Pancakes

Stuffed pancakes are a breakfast trend that doubles as dessert, and they were among the viral TikTok desserts in Rosanna’s taste test. Spoonfuls of chocolate hazelnut spread are frozen into flat discs, then tucked between two layers of batter on the griddle, so every pancake has a molten center. Freezing the filling first is the key, because it stops the spread from leaking out before the batter sets. A tall stack with strawberries makes a fun weekend brunch.

You will need: 1 batch pancake batter, 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, butter for the pan and strawberries to serve.

How to make it: 1. Drop tablespoon discs of spread on parchment and freeze 30 minutes. 2. Pour a little batter into a buttered pan. 3. Add a frozen disc and cover with more batter. 4. Flip when bubbles form. 5. Serve warm with fruit.

Microwave Mug Brownie, the Quickest of the Viral TikTok Desserts

This bonus pick was not in Rosanna’s video, but it is one of the most shared single-serve recipes on TikTok and fits right in. Flour, cocoa, sugar, oil and milk are stirred together in a mug and microwaved for about a minute, and the result is a warm, fudgy brownie for one. Stop cooking while the center still looks slightly damp. It firms up as it rests, and overcooking is what makes mug cakes rubbery.

You will need: 1/4 cup flour, 2 tablespoons cocoa, 3 tablespoons sugar, a pinch of salt, 3 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon chocolate chips.

How to make it: 1. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large mug. 2. Stir in the milk and oil until smooth. 3. Add the chocolate chips on top. 4. Microwave 60 to 70 seconds. 5. Rest 1 minute and serve with ice cream.

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Rolls in One Pan

Another bonus from the same feeds, pull-apart cinnamon rolls are the comfort bake that never really leaves TikTok. The rolls are packed tightly into a round pan so they rise into each other and tear apart in soft, sticky pieces. Pour a little warm cream over them before baking and they turn extra tender. If you love tearing into sweet bread like this, our monkey bread recipes are made for slow weekend mornings too.

You will need: 1 batch sweet roll dough, 1/2 cup soft butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/3 cup warm cream and cream cheese icing.

How to make it: 1. Roll the dough into a rectangle and spread with butter. 2. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, roll up and cut 9 pieces. 3. Pack into a round pan and let rise. 4. Pour the cream over and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. 5. Ice while warm.