Festive Christmas Tree Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Here are my Christmas tree peanut butter blossom cookies, with a simple peanut butter dough rolled in sugar, topped with a chocolate kiss, and decorated to look like little festive trees.

These cookies have become a holiday tradition in our house. The kids love helping me press the chocolate kisses into the warm cookies and adding the sprinkles. They’re just as fun to make as they are to eat!

What Kind of Peanut Butter Should I Use?

For these cookies, you’ll want to stick with regular creamy peanut butter – the kind you find in jars at the grocery store like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter, the kind where the oil separates on top, doesn’t work as well here because it can make your cookies too oily and cause them to spread too much while baking. Crunchy peanut butter will also work if you like a little extra texture in your cookies, but creamy gives you that classic smooth peanut butter blossom taste. Just make sure you’re using a sweetened peanut butter rather than the unsweetened natural varieties, as the sugar content helps with the cookie’s texture and flavor.

Options for Substitutions

These festive cookies are pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps:

• Shortening: If you don’t have shortening, you can use all butter instead – just increase the butter to a total of 11 tablespoons. Your cookies will spread a bit more and have a slightly different texture, but they’ll still taste great.
• Peanut butter: Stick with regular creamy peanut butter for this recipe – natural or chunky varieties can throw off the texture. If you have a peanut allergy, try using sunflower seed butter or almond butter as a substitute.
• Light brown sugar: Dark brown sugar works fine here, though it’ll give a slightly deeper molasses flavor. In a pinch, you can use 1 cup white sugar plus 1 tablespoon molasses.
• Almond bark: White chocolate chips or candy melts work just as well for drizzling. Just melt them the same way you would the almond bark.
• Milk chocolate kisses: Feel free to use dark chocolate or striped kisses for variety, but don’t skip the kisses entirely – they’re what makes these cookies recognizable as blossoms.
• Nonpareils and candy stars: Get creative with your decorations! Use any small sprinkles, edible glitter, or tiny candies you have on hand to dress up your cookie trees.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake with peanut butter blossom cookies is pressing the chocolate kisses in too early or too late – wait until the cookies come out of the oven and press them in immediately while they’re still hot, so the kisses stick properly without the cookies cracking.

Skipping the step of rolling the dough balls in sugar before baking will leave you with flat, plain-looking cookies that lack that signature sparkly exterior, so don’t skip this simple but important step.

Overbaking these cookies is easy to do since they don’t look done when they’re actually ready – pull them from the oven when the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly underbaked, as they’ll continue cooking on the hot pan.

When melting the almond bark for decorating, use low heat and stir constantly to prevent it from seizing up or becoming grainy, and work quickly with the nonpareils since the coating sets fast.

What to Serve With Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies?

These cookies are perfect on their own, but they’re even better with a cold glass of milk for dunking – especially when the chocolate kiss is still slightly warm and melty. I love setting them out on a platter with other Christmas cookies like sugar cookies, gingerbread, or chocolate chip for a fun holiday cookie spread. They also make a great addition to a hot cocoa bar, where guests can enjoy them alongside their favorite warm drink. If you’re packing them up as gifts, pair them with some homemade fudge or peppermint bark in a festive tin for a thoughtful holiday treat.

Storage Instructions

Store: These festive cookies stay soft and delicious when kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Just make sure they’re completely cooled and the almond bark has set before stacking them, or you might end up with a sticky mess!

Freeze: You can freeze these cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between the layers. They thaw quickly at room temperature in about 30 minutes, which makes them perfect for baking ahead during the busy holiday season.

Make Ahead: The cookie dough can be made a day or two in advance and kept covered in the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling into balls so it’s easier to work with. You can also bake the cookies without the decorations and add the almond bark drizzle and toppings closer to when you plan to serve them.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 2900-3200
• Protein: 38-45 g
• Fat: 160-175 g
• Carbohydrates: 350-380 g

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 0.5 cup peanut butter
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur flour)
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 tbsp butter, softened (room temperature)
• 0.33 cup sugar (for rolling)
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.75 tsp salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 24 milk chocolate kisses (unwrapped)
• 0.33 cup solid shortening
• 1 large egg

For the decoration:

• colorful nonpareils
• 2 oz almond bark (melted)
• small candy stars

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients and Baking Equipment

• 24 milk chocolate kisses (unwrapped)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC).

Grease a baking sheet and set aside.

Unwrap the milk chocolate kisses so they’re ready to use.

I always get my ingredients measured out first to make baking go smoother.

Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur flour)
• 0.75 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp baking powder

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder until thoroughly combined.

Set aside for later use.

Step 3: Make and Combine Dough

• 5 tbsp butter, softened (room temperature)
• 0.33 cup solid shortening
• 0.5 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• Flour mixture from Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, solid shortening, and peanut butter until smooth and creamy.

Add in the packed brown sugar and continue beating until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Blend in the egg and vanilla extract until uniform.

Gradually add the flour mixture from Step 2 and mix on low speed until just combined.

Scrape down the sides again and blend for 30 more seconds for an even dough.

Step 4: Shape and Bake the Cookies

• Dough from Step 3
• 0.33 cup sugar (for rolling)
• 24 milk chocolate kisses (unwrapped)

Shape the dough into small 1-inch balls.

Roll each ball in granulated sugar, then arrange them on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the bottoms are light golden brown.

Remove from the oven, and while still warm, press a milk chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie so the edges crack lightly.

Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

I like to roll the dough balls generously in sugar to add extra crunch!

Step 5: Decorate the Cookies

• 2 oz almond bark (melted)
• colorful nonpareils
• small candy stars
• Cookies with kisses from Step 4

Melt the almond bark in a small dish using 30-second microwave intervals until smooth.

Pour melted bark into a small plastic sandwich bag, being careful as it may be hot.

Snip off a tiny corner of the bag and pipe the melted bark in thin strands around each milk chocolate kiss to resemble strings of lights.

Immediately sprinkle colorful nonpareils onto the bark stripes.

Finally, use a small dab of melted bark to attach a candy star on the top of each kiss.

Allow decorations to set and harden before serving.