If you've had the chance to witness Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt in action or glanced at his remarkable stats, it's clear that he's an exceptionally impressive football player. But beyond the football field, Watt leads a rather uncomplicated life. He takes vacations with his wife, Dani, and their footballing family, which includes former Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. and former Steelers fullback Derek. Grilling steaks and burgers is one of his joys, and he even takes on the task of cleaning his own pool, as seen in a 2023 video where he took a rather unexpected dip. Even his diet is straightforward; he's been having the same oatmeal breakfast every day for years and orders a classic double deluxe burger with added ketchup and cheese curds at Culver's. He even admits to being "pretty boring" with his pregame meal of chicken and rice. However, when it comes to dessert, Watt's taste is anything but ordinary.

TJ Watt's Favorite Dessert

We all know that the Watt brothers have a penchant for an Old El Paso Cinnamon Toast Crunch taco shell filled with churro-seasoned ice cream, which you can now make yourself thanks to the kit available on Walmart.com starting December 1. But that's not the only dessert that T.J. indulges in. When it comes to a sweet treat, he goes all out with a recipe that combines two desserts into one - his wife Dani's Carrot Cake Banana Bread with White Chocolate Chips. Dani, who is expecting their first child with the future Hall of Famer, shared this easy quick bread recipe in the "Cooking with the Starrs" cookbook. Created by Bart Starr's family foundation, the Starr Children's Fund, this book features 32 recipes from the Starr family and other famous footballing families in the NFL, including T.J.'s brother Derek's wife, Gabriella, and Travis and Jason Kelce's mom, Donna. The cookbook is available for purchase for $30 via the Packers' Pro Shop, and a portion of the proceeds will go towards pediatric cancer research.Dani's recipe is a delightful banana bread mashup that incorporates warm spices, shredded carrots, and decadent white chocolate chips. While it contains a few healthier ingredients like coconut sugar, oats (which T.J. loves), and optional protein powder to suit his diet, you can easily replace them with traditional baking ingredients. Here's how to make the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt's favorite dessert.

Ingredients:

2-3 ripe mashed bananas1/3 cup coconut sugar1/4 cup maple syrup1/2 cup milk of choice1 egg (or flax egg)1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour3/4 cup gluten-free oats2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon nutmeg3/4 cup organic shredded carrots, lightly packed1/2 to 1 cup white chocolate chips (I use white chocolate baking chips)4-6 scoops unflavored collagen peptides (optional)1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 cup milk (optional)Walnuts or pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Coat a loaf pan, 9×9 baking dish, or muffin tin with oil.In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed banana, coconut sugar, maple syrup, milk, egg, and vanilla.Add in oat flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix thoroughly.Fold in carrots, white chocolate chips, and any other desired ingredients.Pour the mixture into the baking dish or muffin tin of your choice.Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until cooked through (check with a toothpick).Let the bread cool for 15 minutes and then enjoy it hot. You can also store it in the fridge in an airtight container overnight and enjoy it cold.This recipe was developed by Dani Watt and shared with us courtesy of "Cooking with the Starrs."