I know tomorrow is Thanksgiving, but it seems like just about everyone has the holidays on their minds. Including me! Yes, I’m looking forward to a low-key Thanksgiving with plenty of food, but come Friday, I’ll be ready to deck the halls and start my Christmas baking!

The Most Popular Christmas Cookie…

This peanut butter Christmas cookie is a staple in the O’Halloran/Finn household during the holiday season. We’ve been making these at our annual Cookie Day for decades now and it’s usually the most popular cookie, with many people piling lots of these high on their plates to take home! And I can see why…

Chocolate, peanut butter, frosting, and sugar are all wrapped into one bite-sized morsel. Yeah, it doesn’t get much better than this.

We decorate these peanut butter Christmas cookies to look like little holiday baskets. Do you see it? The red flowers in the chocolate basket (supposed to be a poinsettia), and the green basket handle! The red and green frosting definitely add some Christmas cheer to these delicious cookies, but you could always use other colors for another holiday or event.

Our Peanut Butter Christmas Cookie Recipe

This cookie recipe is great if you have some helpers in the kitchen. There are plenty of jobs to divvy up, and working together makes it go by much faster. So it’s ideal for a Cookie Day experience!

You can start by having someone unwrap the small Reese’s peanut butter cups and cut them in half, while another helper works on mixing up the dough.

Peanut Butter Christmas Cookie

Casey

These simple peanut butter cookies are a sweet treat! Perfect for a cookie exchange or a family Christmas cookie party.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 2/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar for dough rolling step
• 60 bite-sized Reese's halved
• red & green frosting

Instructions

 

• In a large mixing bowl beat brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until combined.
• Add eggs, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and baking soda; add to egg mixture and beat well.
• Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in the 1/2 cup sugar and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets (we like to use parchment paper!).
• Bake in 350-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Let cool for 8-10 minutes and then press half of a peanut butter cup, cut side down, into each cookie, about 1/2 inch from bottom edges (cookies will crack a little…that's okay!).
• Decorate with frosting to look like baskets!

Keyword Christmas Cookie, Peanut Butter Cookies

Rolling The Dough Balls

Then, rolling the balls of dough is fun for those who just want to sit back and chat while working away. You form little one-inch balls, roll them in sugar, and plop them onto a baking sheet. We prefer to use parchment paper when we bake.

Place the cookies about 1-2 inches apart and then pop them in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until they’re lightly browned.

The Decorating

When these cookies come out of the oven, you’ll want them to rest for another 8 to 10 minutes before you put the chocolate on. Any sooner, and you’ll have a melty mess. Any later and the chocolate won’t stick to the cookie. So make sure you get them in at the best time!

Once everything is fully cooled, we start decorating! I’m not the best at this part. We usually invite any creative or artistic friends to go to work creating the little holiday baskets with the frosting. First the green handle…

Then, add the red flowers to the basket. We usually buy a few different frosting tips, so the frosting is easier to work with.

If you’re not great at this step (join the club!), don’t worry! They will still taste delicious, even if they aren’t the prettiest holiday baskets in the world!

Bring On The Holiday Baking!

If you’re looking for a cookie to add to your baking repertoire, this is the one to try! Not only are they delicious, but they’re fun to make and they definitely get you in the holiday spirit. It’s a good cookie recipe to make during the first official weekend of the holiday season!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! I’ll be popping on here with Black Friday sales in two days. Then, on Monday, my mom is taking over the blog to talk all about our annual Cookie Day tradition, along with tips to start your own!

Casey