There's something magical about Christmas peanut butter blossoms sitting on a holiday cookie tray. When I first made these decorated like little Christmas trees last December, Emily literally gasped when she saw them. These cookies combine the classic peanut butter blossom recipe we all know with a festive twist – decorating those chocolate kisses to look like miniature Christmas trees complete with lights and stars!
I've been making regular peanut butter blossoms for years (they're always the first to disappear at cookie exchanges), but this Christmas version takes them to a whole new level. The soft, chewy peanut butter cookie base pairs perfectly with milk chocolate kisses, and the white chocolate "lights" with colorful sprinkles make them look almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
If you're looking for more festive cookie ideas, you might also love these 4th of July Sugar Cookies – just swap the patriotic decorations for Christmas colors!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Holiday Peanut Butter Cookies
- Ingredients For Christmas Peanut Butter Blossoms
- How To Make Perfect Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
- Storage Tips For Your Christmas Cookies
- My Best Tips For Decorated Peanut Butter Cookies
- Variations For Holiday Peanut Butter Blossoms
- FAQs About Christmas Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Recipes You May Like
- Making These Cookies Special
- Christmas Peanut Butter Blossoms
Why You'll Love These Holiday Peanut Butter Cookies
- They're a conversation starter – Everyone asks how I made the Christmas tree design (it's way easier than it looks!)
- Perfect make-ahead option – The dough keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Kid-friendly decorating – Emily loves helping with the sprinkles and stars (though we go through way more sprinkles than necessary)
- Classic taste with festive flair – All the flavor of traditional peanut butter blossoms with holiday charm
- Great for cookie exchanges – These always get requests for the recipe
- No special equipment needed – Just a sandwich bag for piping the white chocolate
Ingredients For Christmas Peanut Butter Blossoms
For The Cookie Dough
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 5 tablespoons butter (softened)
- ⅓ cup solid shortening
- ½ cup peanut butter (creamy works best)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (packed, but not too tightly)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
For The Decorations
- 24 milk chocolate kisses (Hershey's work perfectly)
- 2 ounces almond bark (white chocolate)
- Colorful nonpareils (the tiny round sprinkles)
- Small candy stars (find these in the baking aisle)
How To Make Perfect Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Preparing The Dough
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. I always do this first because I've learned the hard way that waiting for the oven means your dough sits too long!
- Grease a baking sheet and set it aside. I use parchment paper these days – makes cleanup so much easier.
- Unwrap all those chocolate kisses and set them aside. Pro tip: Emily and I do this while watching a Christmas movie. It makes the task way less tedious!
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set this aside.
- Combine the butter, shortening, and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. This usually takes about 2 minutes with my hand mixer.
- Add the brown sugar and mix until smooth. Here's where you need to be careful – don't pack that brown sugar too much when measuring or your cookies will spread too flat. (I learned this after my first batch came out looking like pancakes.)
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then blend again. This step matters more than you'd think!
- Add the egg and vanilla and blend until everything looks uniform and smooth.
- Slowly add the flour mixture on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and blend for another 30 seconds. Don't overmix here – that's the secret to keeping these cookies soft!
Shaping And Baking
- Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. I use a small cookie scoop to keep them consistent, but rolling by hand works fine too.
- Roll each ball in granulated sugar. The sugar coating gives them that classic sparkly look and a slight crunch on the outside.
- Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. They don't spread a ton, but give them some breathing room.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until the bottoms are light golden brown. Watch them carefully – overbaking makes them dry instead of soft and chewy.
- Remove from the oven immediately and top each cookie with a chocolate kiss. Press down firmly so the cookie cracks slightly around the edges. This is the fun part!
- Let cookies sit on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorating Like Christmas Trees
- Melt the white almond bark in a small dish using 30-second intervals in the microwave. Stir between each interval until smooth.
- Transfer the melted bark into a plastic sandwich bag. Be careful – it can be pretty hot! Let it cool for a minute if needed.
- Cut a tiny corner off the bag. And I mean tiny! Start small – you can always make the hole bigger if needed.
- Pipe the melted bark around each chocolate kiss to create strands of Christmas lights. I start at the top and work my way down in a zigzag pattern.
- Immediately sprinkle the colorful nonpareils onto the white chocolate strands while they're still wet.
- Use a tiny bit of melted bark to stick a small candy star on top of each chocolate kiss. This makes them look like real Christmas trees!
- Wait until everything hardens completely before storing. I know it's tempting to stack them right away, but patience pays off here.
Storage Tips For Your Christmas Cookies
Store these Christmas peanut butter blossoms in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Make sure the decorations have completely hardened first, or you'll end up with a sticky mess (ask me how I know!).
The undecorated cookies actually freeze really well too. I bake a double batch, freeze half without the decorations, and then add the Christmas tree design closer to when I need them. Just thaw at room temperature and decorate as usual.
My Best Tips For Decorated Peanut Butter Cookies
Don't skip the shortening. I tried making these with all butter once, and they just didn't have the same texture. The combination of butter and shortening creates that perfect soft-yet-sturdy cookie.
Work quickly when adding the kisses. The cookies need to be hot enough that the chocolate slightly melts and sticks, but you also don't want them so hot that the kisses completely melt.
Practice your piping technique. The first few cookies might not look perfect, and that's okay! By the time you get to the end of the batch, you'll be piping those lights like a pro.
Use fresh peanut butter. Old or separated peanut butter can affect the texture of your cookies. I always give mine a good stir before measuring.
Keep the dough cold. If your kitchen is warm, pop the shaped balls in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking. This helps them keep their shape better.
Variations For Holiday Peanut Butter Blossoms
Want to switch things up? Try dark chocolate kisses instead of milk chocolate for a less sweet version. You could also use different colored candy melts for the "lights" – red and green would be festive, or go with all white for a snowy look.
Some people add mini chocolate chips to the dough itself. I haven't tried this personally, but my neighbor swears by it!
FAQs About Christmas Peanut Butter Blossoms
Yes, refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months before baking.
Avoid packing the brown sugar too tightly when measuring, and make sure your butter is softened but not melted.
Yes, you can use any unwrapped chocolate candy or kisses, though traditional milk chocolate kisses work best for the Christmas tree decoration.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, ensuring the white bark decorations have fully hardened first.
Recipes You May Like
- Lemon Blueberry Cookies – Another festive cookie perfect for holiday gatherings
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies – When you want homemade cookies without making dozens
- Cookie Monster Cookies – A fun colorful cookie that kids absolutely love
Making These Cookies Special
These Christmas peanut butter blossoms have become one of our holiday traditions. Emily and I make them together every December, and honestly? The decorating part is half the fun. Sure, some of the Christmas trees look a little wonky, and we definitely use way too many sprinkles, but that's what makes them special.
Last year, we made four dozen for a cookie exchange, and they were gone in minutes. Everyone wanted to know how we got the chocolate kisses to look like Christmas trees. When I explained it was just melted white chocolate and sprinkles, people couldn't believe how simple it was!
The best part is watching people's faces light up when they see these on a cookie tray. They're unexpected, festive, and they taste amazing. What more could you want from a Christmas cookie?
Give these a try this holiday season! They're easier than they look, and the results are absolutely worth it. Don't forget to save this recipe to Pinterest so you can find it when cookie baking season rolls around!
Christmas Peanut Butter Blossoms
Equipment
- Medium Bowl
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 5 tablespoons butter softened
- ⅓ cup solid shortening
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 24 milk chocolate kisses
- ⅓ cup sugar for rolling
Decoration
- 2 ounces almond bark
- Colorful nonpareils
- Small candy stars
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
- Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
- Unwrap chocolate kisses and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In large bowl mixing bowl, combine the butter, shortening, and peanut butter and beat until smooth.
- Add the brown sugar and mix until smooth.
- Scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl. Blend again.
- Add the egg and vanilla and blend until uniform.
- Slowly add the flour mixture and blend on low until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend another 30 seconds.
- Shape dough into small 1-inch balls.
- Roll balls in granulated sugar and place on the prepared cookie sheet at least 1-inch apart.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown on the bottom.
- Remove cookies from the oven.
- Immediately top each cookie with a milk chocolate candy kiss, pressing down firmly so the cookie lightly cracks around the edge.
- Allow the cookies to sit on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small dish, melt white bark in 30-second intervals until smooth.
- Transfer melted bark into a plastic sandwich bag. Be careful because it may be hot.
- Cut a very small corner of the bag off.
- Pipe the melted bark around each chocolate kiss to make the strands of lights.
- Sprinkle small sprinkles onto the strands.
- Using a very small amount of melted bark, stick a star on the top of each chocolate kiss.
- Wait until the chocolate kisses and white bark have hardened before storing in an airtight container.
