Peanut Butter and Chocolate Star Cookies are a twist on the popular peanut butter blossoms, but they come with a different type of candy. Instead of the usual Hershey’s Kiss in the center, these cookies feature a milk chocolate star. They’re perfect for the holidays and mix peanut butter and chocolate in a way that everyone, kids and adults, will love.
The flavor of these Peanut Butter and Chocolate Star Cookies is unbeatable. They’ve got that familiar comfort of holiday cookies with a new candy topping that adds a special touch. They’re chewy and soft and absolutely delicious!
While you’re exploring delicious holiday cookie options, you might also want to try other recipes on our site. The Gingerbread Kiss Cookies and Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are equally fantastic choices for your holiday baking this year!
Three Top Reasons to Love This Recipe
- Simple to Make: With clear instructions and common ingredients, anyone can whip up these cookies.
- A Festive Choice: They fit right into the holiday theme, making them a favorite during Christmas celebrations.
- Storage Flexibility: These cookies offer varied storing options, allowing you to enjoy them fresh or at a later date. I provide you with freezing instructions too.
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Key Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: This is the main component for the cookie structure. A pro-tip: avoid packing your flour too tightly when measuring to get the right cookie consistency.
- Baking soda: This ingredient allows the cookies to rise.
- Salt: Essential in almost all baked goods, it balances the sweetness and enhances flavor.
- Unsalted Butter: It’s critical for flavor and texture. Ensure it’s at room temperature for easy mixing.
- Granulated & Brown Sugar: These two sugars give the cookies structure, moisture, and a rich depth of flavor.
- Peanut Butter: Adds flavor and creaminess. Creamy peanut butter works best for these cookies.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds an extra layer of flavor.
- Brach’s Milk Chocolate Stars: They provide a fun twist and make the cookies stand out, both in flavor and appearance.
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
How to Make Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Prepare the Dry Ingredients: Begin by taking a mixing bowl and adding your all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk them together lightly to ensure they’re well combined. Once done, set this bowl aside for later use.
- Cream the Butter and Sugars: Using either a hand or stand mixer, cream your room-temperature butter for about a minute until it’s smooth. Now, add in both the granulated and brown sugars. Continue to mix for another minute until the mixture is fluffy and light in color.
- Add Wet Ingredients: At this stage, introduce the egg, peanut butter, and vanilla extract to the mix. Ensure that your egg is at room temperature to achieve a smooth consistency. Beat these ingredients until they’re well incorporated.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Now, slowly add the previously set aside dry ingredient mix to the wet mixture. It’s crucial to mix until just combined, ensuring not to overmix. Overmixing can lead to hard cookies.
- Chill the Dough: After combining, cover your dough with plastic wrap. This dough then needs to be chilled in the fridge. You can either leave it for 30 minutes if you’re short on time or let it sit overnight for best results.
- Baking Prep: As you near the end of your chilling time, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). While it’s heating, line two baking sheets with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This will prevent the cookies from sticking and help them bake uniformly.
- Shape the Cookies: Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Use your cookie scoop or weigh out 20 grams of dough to get even-sized cookies. Roll these portions into balls and coat them in granulated sugar, ensuring they’re well-covered. Space these dough balls about 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets.
- Bake: Place your cookies into the preheated oven and let them bake for 10 minutes. You’ll notice they puff up and develop a slightly cracked appearance on top.
- Add the Chocolate Stars: Once baked, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool for about 5-10 minutes. It’s essential to wait a bit before adding the chocolate stars to prevent them from melting too much. However, don’t let the cookies cool completely as the stars might not adhere properly. Gently press a chocolate star into the center of each cookie.
- Cooling: After adding the chocolate stars, transfer your cookies to a cooling rack. If it’s particularly warm, you can place the cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes to prevent the chocolate from melting further.
Recipe Tips
- Ensure your oven is hot by preheating it.
- Cooling your dough makes a difference. It helps in producing a better cookie texture, so don’t skip that step!
- After adding the dry ingredients, mix only until it’s blended to get soft cookies. You don’t want to overmix the mixture and start developing gluten.
- Time the addition of the chocolate star to avoid melting it.
Storing & Freezing Tips
At Room Temperature: Use an airtight container and they will stay fresh for 5-7 days.
Freezing: Prepping ahead? Freeze the dough before baking. Just remember to coat it in sugar before baking.
Freezing Unbaked Cookies:
- Portion & Prep: Use your small cookie scoop to portion out dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place dough balls ensuring they don’t touch.
- Freeze: For 1-2 hours until firm.
- Store: Transfer dough balls to zip-top freezer bags. Label with the cookie type and date. Store up to 3 months.
- Bake from Frozen: Roll in granulated sugar, place on baking sheet, and bake as per original instructions, adding 2-3 minutes to baking time.
Freezing Baked Cookies:
- Cool: Ensure cookies, especially chocolate stars, are completely cooled.
- Freeze: Lay cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once solid, transfer to zip-top bags or airtight containers.
- Label & Store: Mark with cookie type and date. Keep up to 3 months.
- Serve: Let sit at room temperature for a short time before serving.
Other Chocolates That Can Be Used
- Hershey’s Miniatures: These bite-sized versions of the classic Hershey’s bars can offer a mix of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, Krackel, and Mr. Goodbar.
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares: With various flavors like caramel, raspberry, and mint, they can add a unique twist to your cookies.
- ROLO® Caramel Chocolates: These caramel-filled chocolates can melt into a soft, gooey center on your cookies.
- Milky Way Simply Caramel Bites: These give a combination of caramel and chocolate.
- Dove Chocolate Promises: Silky smooth chocolate pieces that come in various flavors, including dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and caramel.
- Junior Mints: A chocolate-covered creamy mint, which would offer a refreshing touch to the cookie.
- Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups: Perfect for an extra dose of peanut butter and chocolate!
Star Cookies Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use chunky peanut butter if you prefer some nutty texture in your cookies. But keep in mind that chunky peanut butter is not a common choice for peanut butter blossoms and you’ll get a different texture.
Flat cookies can result from several factors: your butter may have been too soft or melted, the dough wasn’t chilled long enough, or there might have been too much sugar. Ensure you follow the measurements and steps closely for the best results.
You can experiment with different chocolates. Just keep in mind the size and consistency of the chocolate. You want something that won’t melt away entirely but will soften slightly in the middle of the cookie.
The cookies will continue to set as they cool. If they have puffed up and show slight cracks on top, they are done. Overbaking might make them too hard once cooled.
These cookies do expand a bit during baking. It’s recommended to place them about 1.5 inches apart on your baking sheet to ensure they don’t merge together while baking.
For more fantastic cookie recipes suitable for the holiday season, check out our Christmas cookie category. And if you’re looking to try other variations, our Gingerbread Kiss Cookies and Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are just the ticket!
I hope you enjoy baking and tasting these Peanut Butter and Chocolate Star Cookies as much as I enjoyed sharing the recipe with you. Once you’ve given them a try, don’t forget to rate and review them to let others know how they turned out. If you want to save this recipe for later, be sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board. Happy holidays, and may your days be filled with warmth, joy, and, of course, delicious cookies!
Peanut Butter Star Blossoms
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer
- Plastic wrap
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups 180g all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup 113g unsalted butter 1 stick, at room temp
- ¼ cup 50g granulated sugar
- ½ cup 100g brown sugar
- 1 large egg at room temp
- ½ cup 140g creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 32 Brach’s Milk Chocolate Stars
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt), set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter for 1 minute. Add the sugars and beat for 1 minute. Scrape off the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the egg, peanut butter, and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Line baking 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Divide the cookie dough into 1 tablespoon dough balls (use a small cookie scoop, or scales). Gently roll ball in granulated sugar to coat from all sides, and arrange on the baking sheets 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes the cookies will puff up and have cracked tops, remove from the oven and cool for 5-10 minutes (if you add the chocolates right away they will melt, so it’s recommend that you cool the cookies a little first, but not for too long as you don’t want them to set completely).
- Press a chocolate candy in the center of each cookie, and remove it onto a cooling rack. If it’s very warm where you are working, then you can place the cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes – this will prevent the chocolate from melting.
Notes
- Storing: Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5-7 days.
- Freezing: If you wish to freeze, do so with the dough before baking and prior to rolling in sugar. Each portion should be about 1 tablespoon or 20 grams.
- Alternative Chocolates: Feel free to experiment with different chocolate candies like Hershey’s kisses. Ensure the size is suitable for the cookie center.
- Dough Consistency: If the dough is too sticky, chilling it longer can help. If it’s too dry, a splash of milk can help bring it to the right consistency.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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