Tips and Tricks
How do you keep peanut butter cookies soft and chewy? Having a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar results in a softer and chewier cookie. There is no white sugar in this recipe because I wanted the cookies soft. I also like to pull my cookies at about 10 minutes of cooking at 350 F, when they are just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. A combination of both of these techniques make these super soft cookies even after they’ve cooled.
What do you mean by room temperature butter? Room temperature butter means that you should easily be able to press on it but it shouldn’t melted. You want it room temperature so that it is easier to cream with the sugar at the beginning.
How many cookies does this peanut butter cookie recipe make? I made each cookie about 1.5 ounces, so it makes about 20 cookies. It will depend on how big you want to make your cookies.
Method
How do you know when these cookies are done? The cookies will start to turn golden brown around the edges but still be soft on top at about 10 minutes in a 350 F oven. If you’re worried you can always make the dough and bake off a tester cookie to see how long you should cook them so you don’t waste a tray if you over bake them.
When do you add the powdered sugar and chocolate chips to the snowman cookies? I have experimented by adding the decorations both before and after baking the cookies. The verdict is that they come out MUCH better if you decorate right after they’ve come out of the oven. I gently sift powdered sugar over the cookie and add two chocolate chips for the eyes, five for the mouth and finish with an orange Reese’s pieces on it’s side for the nose.
How do you make snowman peanut butter cookies?
Make the Dough
Start by creaming the sugar and room temperature butter with either a hand mixer or stand mixer in a large mixing bowl until it is the consistency of wet sand. Add in creamy peanut butter, egg and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Add in all purpose flour, salt and baking soda. Mix until just combined and then allow to rest in the fridge, covered for 30-45 minutes.
Bake the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Once the cookie dough has rested, portion out 1.5 ounce portions and roll into a ball. Slightly flatten to a pancake shape. Place up to six cookies on a standard baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Decorate Cookies
After they come out of the oven, immediately dust lightly with powdered sugar. Add in two chocolate chips for the eyes and five for the mouth to each cooked cookie. Finish with an orange Reese’s Piece on it’s side to make a nose.
Cooling and Storage
Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove from the baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to five days
Ingredients
What size chocolate chips do you use to decorate the snowman cookies? I’ve experimented with small, regular and larger morsel chocolate chips. The best ones to use are the regular sized milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips. The morsel large chocolate chips are a bit too big but work in a pinch. Do NOT use the mini chocolate chips, they are way too small.
What type of peanut butter do you use? I use a creamy spread peanut butter that has minimal ingredients. I have NOT use natural peanut butter of just peanuts but I’d be worried that it would separate or have consistency issues.
Storage
How do you store snowman peanut butter cookies? Store cooked and decorated peanut butter cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to five days. You can store leftover uncooked dough in the fridge for up to three days.
Can you freeze the peanut butter dough raw? Yes! After you mix the dough, portion out the cookie dough into 1.5 ounce portions and place on a parchment lined baking sheet ½ inch apart. Once you’ve portioned them all out, cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until frozen solid. Remove from the freezer and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Bake from frozen by adding 1-2 minutes of cook time or letting cookie dough thaw in the fridge.
Can you make this dough in advance? Yes! You can make this dough up to three days in advance and store it in the fridge covered.
You May Also Like
Snowman Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookies
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (1 stick + 2 tablespoons)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Snowman Decorations
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ cup standard size chocolate chips dark or milk chocolate
- 20 orange Reese’s Pieces
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl using either a hand mixer or stand mixer on low, cream together room temperature butter and sugar until the consistency of wet sand.
- Add in peanut butter, eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly with mixer.
- Next add in flour, salt and baking soda and mix until just combined. Allow to rest for 30-45 minutes in the refrigerator, covered.
- While the cookie dough is resting, preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Portion out 1.5 ounces of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Slightly flatten like a pancake until the cookie is about 2.5 inches across. Continue until 6 cookies are on the baking sheet. Be sure to leave about 1 ½ inches between cookies.
- Bake for 10 minutes until slightly golden brown around the edges but still soft on top. Remove from the oven.
- Immediately after removing from the oven, using a sifter or fine mesh sieve, lightly dust powdered sugar over each cookie. Dust just enough to lightly cover the surface.
- Use 2 chocolate chips and place the eyes on the top half of the cookie but placing the tip into the cookie, leaving the flat side up. Next place the chocolate chip for the center of the mouth on the bottom half of the cookie, again with the flat side up. Add 2 chocolate chips to each side to form a smile, with the flat side up.
- Finally, add an orange Reese’s Pieces placed on it’s side for the nose in the center of the cookie.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes total and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat steps 5-10 until all cookie dough is baked and decorated.
Notes and Accommodations
- Make the dough up to three days in advance and store in the fridge before baking.
- This recipe makes about 20 1.5 ounce cookies.
- Use standard sized chocolate chips, large is okay in a pinch. Mini is too small
- Decorate cookies after baking for best results.
- Light or dark brown sugar will work just fine.
- I’ve never used an all natural peanut butter for this recipe, I’m not sure what the consistency will do to the cookie dough.
- You can totally use any orange candy for the nose but I like Reese’s Pieces and I know they have a lot of orange pieces.
