Description
Delight in these festive Peanut Butter Christmas Cookies, perfect for holiday celebrations. Featuring a tender peanut butter dough baked to golden perfection, then dipped in smooth semi-sweet chocolate and topped with colorful holiday sprinkles, these cookies blend classic flavors with seasonal cheer.
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
Topping and Decoration
- 2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoon coconut or vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Sheet and Oven: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 375°F to ensure even baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until fully combined.
- Cream Butters and Sugars: In a large bowl or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter, creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Mix in the egg and vanilla extract, continuing to beat until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Portion Dough: Using a medium cookie scoop, drop dollops of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Shape Cookies: Gently press each dough ball down with a fork in a crisscross pattern by pressing twice per cookie, while maintaining their round shape.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes until golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely, approximately 30 minutes.
- Melt Chocolate: In a small bowl, microwave the semi-sweet chocolate chips for 1 minute. Stir well, then continue microwaving in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is fully melted and smooth.
- Add Oil to Chocolate: Stir the coconut or vegetable oil into the melted chocolate until combined and glossy.
- Dip Cookies: Dip each cooled cookie halfway into the melted chocolate, then place back on parchment paper.
- Add Sprinkles and Set: Immediately sprinkle the dipped portion with holiday sprinkles. Allow the chocolate to set for 1 hour at room temperature before serving or storing.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days to maintain freshness.
- You can substitute unsalted butter with salted butter, but omit the additional ½ teaspoon salt from the recipe.
- These cookies freeze well; store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Melting wafers can be used in place of chocolate chips for dipping.
- Optional: Roll cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before baking for extra sweetness, though the chocolate dip usually suffices.
- Try variations such as topping with crushed peanuts along with sprinkles for added texture and flavor.
- Swap holiday sprinkles for other seasonal themes like Valentine’s or Halloween for year-round enjoyment.
- Experiment with milk or dark chocolate for dipping to adjust sweetness and flavor depth.
- For a sweet and salty twist, sprinkle dipped cookies with a pinch of sea salt before chocolate sets.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
