Santa’s Peanut Butter Cookies

Santa’s Peanut Butter Cookies, topped with white chocolate chips and peanut butter M&M’s candy. Fun and festive holiday cookies!

If you want to treat Santa Clause to some really delicious peanut butter cookies, try this recipe – it’s very easy!

Christmas is such a busy time for us adults, the last thing I want to do is spend too much time thinking about what kind of cookies to make for Santa. 🙂   So, I came up with this easy recipe that involves the minimum number of ingredients and produces really delicious cookies.  I did not want to make the same stuff I make every year, so I went for a more festive look and adorned cookies with peanut butter M&M’s and some white chocolate chips:

Prepare the dough according to the recipe instructions below.  Then, roll about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough into a ball, rolling each ball between your hands.  Space cookie balls 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet.  Use about 4 white chocolate chips and 3-4 peanut butter M&Ms per cookie – press them into the cookie dough balls, flattening the cookies just like this:

Bake for about 12 minutes.   Let the cookies cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring them to plate to cool completely.

Now you have perfect cookies for Santa plate:

Theres is something else I did different this year. I made 2 batches of this same recipe with 2 different types of flour. I used regular all-purpose flour that we use in the US, and I also used European organic flour (Molino Grassi Usda Organic Italian Soft Wheat Flour) that I purchased on Amazon. I know that European flour is quite different from the American flour, but in this particular recipe, both types of flour worked just fine.  Both types of flour produced beautiful Santa Claus cookies:

If you want easy recipes for other kinds of Christmas cookies, check out some of my favorites:

Almond shortbread cookies with Amaretto

Chocolate dipped pecan shortbread cookies

Almond crescent Christmas cookies

 

I hope you enjoy this easy recipe, and don’t forget to leave the milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas eve!

Santa’s Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (not melted – just let the butter from refrigerator sit on the counter for about an hour or so)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted or aerated
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup red and green peanut butter M&Ms

Makes 12 cookies

Important note about properly measuring flour using measuring cups:
The proper way to measure flour using measuring cups is to aerate it first. This is done either by sifting flour, or aerating it by fluffing it up and whisking it well, then spooning it into the measuring cup, then carefully removing any excess flour with a knife. If you just stick that measuring cup in the bag of flour and scoop some out, you will get a lot more flour than what the recipe calls for. Do aerate the flour, or you will end up with dry dough!

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add an egg and vanilla, and continue beating until creamy.

3) In a separate bowl, combine together flour and baking powder and mix.

4) Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, using an electric mixer on low speed.
Prepare baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Roll about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough into a ball, rolling each ball between your hands.

5) Place cookie balls 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Press white chocolate chips and the M&Ms into the cookie dough balls, about 4 white chocolate chips and 3-4 peanut butter M&Ms per cookie, somewhat flattening the cookies.

6) Bake for about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring the cookies to rack or plate to cool completely.

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