Description
Delicious and festive Peanut Butter Christmas Cookies featuring a soft, chewy texture dipped in melted chocolate and decorated with holiday sprinkles. Perfect for holiday gatherings and gift-giving.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour sifted
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Dipping & Decoration
- 2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoon coconut or vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 375°F to ensure even baking of your cookies.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sifted all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until well blended.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the unsalted butter, creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and continue mixing until the batter is light and fluffy, incorporating air for a tender cookie.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Scoop Dough: Using a medium cookie scoop, portion out the dough and drop each ball onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Shape Cookies: Use a fork to gently press down on each cookie dough ball in a crisscross pattern with two presses per cookie, maintaining a round shape.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Remove and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely, approximately 30 minutes.
- Melt Chocolate: In a small mixing bowl, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave starting with 1 minute, then stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted and smooth.
- Add Oil to Chocolate: Stir the coconut or vegetable oil into the melted chocolate until fully incorporated and smooth for easy dipping.
- Dip Cookies: Dip each cooled cookie halfway into the melted chocolate, then place them on parchment paper and immediately sprinkle with holiday sprinkles for a festive touch.
- Set Chocolate: Allow the chocolate-dipped cookies to set by leaving them at room temperature for 1 hour until the chocolate hardens.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days to maintain freshness.
- Salted butter can be used instead of unsalted butter; omit the ½ teaspoon kosher salt if using salted butter.
- These cookies freeze well in an airtight container for up to 3 months, perfect for making ahead or gifting.
- Melting wafers can be substituted for chocolate chips if preferred.
- For added sweetness, you can roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before baking, though the chocolate dip usually adds sufficient sweetness.
- Try variations such as topping with crushed peanuts, using festive mini M&Ms instead of sprinkles, or sprinkling with sea salt for a sweet-salty combination.
- Use milk or dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet for different flavor profiles.
- Swap out sprinkles for themed decorations to adapt the cookies for various holidays beyond Christmas.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
