Christmas Peanut Butter Cookies
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A super quick and easy Christmas Cookie recipe just for the peanut butter fans, these Christmas Peanut Butter Cookies are decadent, rich and perfectly balanced. Not too cakey, not too chewy – not too sweet, not too salty. Just peanut butter perfection all tied up with a holly bow.
Christmas Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
How adorable are these Christmas Peanut Butter Cookies? I always love the look of an old-fashioned figgy pudding in picture books or old movies, so I was so excited to find these little holly-inspired candies to decorate our cookies with!
(If those end up being sold out – I also found these cute holly sprinkles and this silicone mold to make your own candy holly decorations.)
This method of decorating the peanut butter cookies is super simple and quick – making it a perfect addition to your cookie exchanges or having the kids help make them.
Not to mention, these are the BEST Peanut Butter Cookies – traditional, old-fashioned peanut butter cookies with a rich, buttery and nutty flavor and a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
I always get rave reviews whenever I share these with friends, because a good peanut butter cookie seems to be hard to find these days!
If you are in a real time crunch and don’t want to make your peanut butter cookies from scratch, I also have a peanut butter cake mix cookie recipe that can help you shave a bit of time off of your baking session.
Tips for Baking the BEST Peanut Butter Cookies:
- Use a smooth, salted peanut butter – crunchy peanut butter is typically too thick and will result in a crumbly, dry cookie
- If using natural peanut butter, make sure to mix the peanut butter really well as it can result in a runny cookie (and can also be a lot more delicate/crumbly)
- Don’t overmix the cooke dough; mix until the dry ingredients are just combined to avoid dry, tough cookies
- The cookies are done baking just when the edges of the cookie start to change color – avoid over-baking as that results in a dry cookie.
- Allow the cookies to sit on the baking tray for about 5 minutes after baking, as trying to transfer them to a cooling rack or container too quickly may result in them breaking.
- The exact amount of peanut butter that you need in your dough will vary depending on your brand of peanut butter; use between 3/4 cup to 1 cup of peanut butter to achieve a thick but not crumbly dough
Why do peanut butter cookies have that cross-hatch pattern? Because peanut butter cookies are denser than some other varieties of cookies, they need a bit of help to ensure that they spread out for even baking.
Back in 1936, Ruth Wakefield’s Toll House Tried and True cookbook introduced the method of flattening the peanut butter cookies with the tines of a fork – and it’s become the go-to method for most bakers, plus it is a clear and obvious indication that the cookie is in fact a peanut butter cookie (since this method seems to be exclusively used for peanut butter cookies).
However, if you want to try something different, a cookie stamp would also help flatten the dough before baking and would give it a unique design. (Or, you use the bottom of a glass or jar to flatten the cookies!)
How to store peanut butter cookies: Your peanut butter cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week, or they can be frozen for up to three months using your favorite freezer containers. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)
Can I freeze peanut butter cookie dough? Our recipe for peanut butter cookie dough can be made 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge, then brought to room temperature about 30 minutes before baking, or the dough can also be frozen 3 months.
You can freeze the dough as a block of dough, or pre-portion into tablespoon-sized amounts.
More Perfect Peanut Butter Desserts:
Ingredients for Christmas Peanut Butter Cookies
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter, softened at room temperature
- Peanut butter, as needed*
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- White candy melts
- Christmas Sprinkles, as needed
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: the amount of peanut butter you will need for this recipe will vary depending on your brand of PB – add up to a cup of PB to achieve a thick but not crumbly dough
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Electric Mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium-sized mixing bowl
- Cookie Sheet <– you will want two so you can bake one tray while the other is cooling
- Parchment paper
- Cookie scoop
How to Make Christmas Peanut Butter Cookies
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and peanut butter thoroughly.
Add the sugars and beat for 2 minutes, until creamy and light.
Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat for 30 seconds, then slowly incorporate the flour mixture until just incorporated.
Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough on a lined cookie sheet.
Use a fork to press down on the cookies, flattening them and making a classic criss-cross pattern.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden and set.
Cool on the cookie sheet for about 30 minutes.
Melt candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl for 25 seconds. Stir and reheat as needed.
Dip each cookie individually in the melted candy melts, covering up to one half of each cookie.
Place cookie back on the cookie sheets and decorate with Christmas sprinkles as desired.
Allow candy melts to set before storing or serving.
Makes approximately 24-28 cookies.
Pin this Easy Christmas Cookie recipe for the peanut butter fans in your life:
Grab your free printable recipe card for our Christmas Peanut Butter Cookies recipe:
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Christmas Peanut Butter Cookies
How adorable are these Christmas Peanut Butter Cookies? The BEST Peanut Butter Cookies - traditional, old-fashioned peanut butter cookies with a rich, buttery and nutty flavor and a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup to 1 cup peanut butter, as needed*
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup white candy melts
- Christmas Sprinkles, as needed
Instructions
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
26Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 182Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 181mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 3g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your friends and family love these easy peanut butter cookies as much as mine did!
For more scrumptious cookies, check out our full cookie recipe collection here:
For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here:
Can I use this recipe for people on a diet? Will replacing regular sugar with sugar substitute affect its taste?
This made me rethink some of my assumptions. Really valuable post.