These Easy Peanut Butter Christmas Sugar Cookies are tender, buttery, and packed with creamy peanut butter flavor. The dough rolls beautifully after a short chill, making it perfect for cutting into Christmas trees, stars, snowflakes, and other holiday shapes before baking at 350°F for 8–11 minutes.
Each cookie has lightly golden edges and a soft center that firms as it cools. Decorate the completely cooled cookies with confectioners’ sugar icing, melted chocolate, royal icing, holiday sprinkles, or colored sanding sugar for a festive cookie tray everyone will enjoy.
Jump to RecipeWhy You’ll Love This Recipe
These cookies bring together two beloved holiday traditions: classic sugar-cookie cutouts and rich peanut butter cookies. The butter contributes a delicate, tender bite, while creamy peanut butter adds a warm roasted flavor that makes every shape taste special.
The dough is simple to mix and forgiving to work with once chilled. You can use festive cookie cutters for a decorated platter, or shape portions into balls and flatten them with a fork when you want a quicker, more casual cookie.
Unlike a very crisp cutout, these cookies should remain soft in the center. Pulling them from the oven when the centers still look slightly underdone is the best way to preserve that tender texture after cooling.
If you enjoy simple peanut butter baking, you may also like these easy peanut butter cookies for a shorter ingredient list and a wonderfully homey finish.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The recipe starts with softened unsalted butter and regular creamy peanut butter. Soft butter blends smoothly with the sugars, while conventional creamy peanut butter gives the dough a consistent texture without the separation sometimes found in natural varieties.
- Butter and peanut butter: These create the rich, tender foundation of the cookie.
- Granulated and brown sugars: Granulated sugar supports a lightly crisp edge, while brown sugar adds moisture and a deeper caramel note.
- Eggs and vanilla: Eggs bind the dough, and vanilla rounds out the peanut butter flavor.
- Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt: This combination creates a soft dough with enough structure for rolling and cutting.
- Decorations: Icing, melted chocolate, royal icing, sprinkles, and sanding sugar let you customize each batch.
Measure the flour carefully, preferably by spooning it into a measuring cup and leveling the top. Too much flour can make the dough stiff and the finished cookies less tender.
For another buttery holiday option with a classic cookie-tin feel, take a look at this Danish butter cookie recipe.
How to Make It Step-by-Step
Step 1: Add the softened butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat for about 2–3 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape the bowl, until the mixture looks light, smooth, and creamy.
Step 2: Beat in the eggs one at a time, allowing the first egg to blend in before adding the second. Mix in the vanilla extract, which adds a gentle aromatic note without overpowering the peanut butter.
Step 3: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Adding these ingredients separately helps distribute the leaveners and salt throughout the dough.
Step 4: Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture. Stop as soon as no obvious streaks of flour remain, since overmixing can make the cookies tougher than intended.
Step 5: Divide the soft dough into two equal portions and flatten each one into a disk. Wrap both disks and refrigerate them for 30–60 minutes so the butter firms and the dough becomes easier to roll.
Step 6: Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.
Step 7: Cut the rolled dough with Christmas cookie cutters, keeping the cuts close together to reduce scraps. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets, and gather and reroll the scraps gently when needed.
Step 8: Bake each tray for 8–11 minutes, watching for set edges and a very light golden color. The centers should still appear slightly soft, not wet or shiny, when the tray comes from the oven.
Step 9: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. This short rest allows the cookies to firm enough for transfer without continuing to bake excessively on the hot pan.
Step 10: Once completely cool, decorate with confectioners’ sugar icing, melted chocolate, or royal icing. Finish with holiday sprinkles or colored sanding sugar, then allow wet decorations to set before stacking.
Decorating Ideas for Christmas
White icing gives these peanut butter cookies a snowy holiday appearance, while red and green sanding sugar adds color with almost no extra effort. For a polished look, outline tree or star shapes with royal icing and fill the centers with a thinner layer of icing.
Melted chocolate is especially delicious with peanut butter. Drizzle it over the cookies, dip one edge into chocolate, or add a few chocolate lines before sprinkling on crushed candy or festive sugar.
For a family baking project, divide the decorations into small bowls and let everyone create a few personalized cookies. Keep the designs simple enough that the peanut butter flavor and tender texture remain the stars.
For another holiday batch with a chocolate-studded texture, try these chewy Christmas chocolate chip cookies alongside this recipe.
Pro Tips for Soft, Well-Shaped Cookies
- Soften butter correctly: Let butter soften at room temperature until it is pliable but not melted or greasy.
- Choose regular creamy peanut butter: Natural peanut butter can separate, which may make the dough greasy or crumbly.
- Keep the dough chilled: Peanut butter makes the dough soft, and chilling helps the cut shapes hold their edges and reduces spreading.
- Roll evenly: Aim for approximately 1/4-inch thickness so smaller and larger cookies bake at a similar rate.
- Avoid overbaking: Remove the cookies when the edges are set and the centers still look slightly soft.
- Cool before decorating: Warm cookies can cause icing to melt, slide, or soak into the surface.
If the dough begins to feel sticky while you work, return it to the refrigerator briefly rather than adding a large amount of extra flour. A lightly floured surface and rolling pin are usually enough to prevent sticking.
Try to bake cookies of similar size on the same tray. Smaller shapes may finish sooner than large ones, so check the first tray carefully and use the color of the edges as your guide.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
Store fully decorated cookies in an airtight container once the icing has set. Place parchment between layers if the decorations are delicate, and keep the container at room temperature for the best texture.
You can prepare the dough ahead of time by wrapping the two disks tightly and refrigerating them during the 30–60 minute chilling period or until you are ready to roll. Let very firm dough sit briefly at room temperature until it is workable, but do not allow it to become warm and sticky.
Baked cookies are ideal for holiday cookie exchanges, lunchbox treats, dessert platters, and edible gifts. Pack them in a sturdy tin with parchment or decorative liners to help protect the cutout shapes.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these cookies with hot cocoa, coffee, black tea, or a cold glass of milk. The subtle saltiness of the peanut butter makes them particularly satisfying beside sweet drinks and creamy holiday beverages.
For a dessert tray, arrange the cookies with chocolate treats and buttery cookies in contrasting shapes. A batch of peanut butter fudge brownies can add a rich, fudgy centerpiece beside the lighter, decorated cookies.
These cookies also look lovely in small cellophane bags tied with red ribbon. Add a handwritten note with the cookie name and a peanut allergy reminder when sharing them at gatherings.
If you prefer a cookie with chocolate chips rather than a cutout shape, these chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies make a delicious companion recipe.
Easy Peanut Butter Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Beat the softened butter, creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, and packed light brown sugar together for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix until evenly incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture, mixing only until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough into two portions and flatten each portion into a disk. Wrap the disks and refrigerate for 30–60 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll one chilled dough disk on a lightly floured surface to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.
- Cut the dough with Christmas cookie cutters and transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets. Leave a little space between cookies so the edges bake evenly.
- Bake for 8–11 minutes, until the edges are set and very lightly golden. The centers should still look slightly soft because the cookies continue to firm while cooling.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Cool completely before adding icing, chocolate, or sprinkles.
Notes
Final Thoughts
These Easy Peanut Butter Christmas Sugar Cookies are a cheerful addition to any holiday baking day. The dough combines familiar pantry ingredients, the short chill makes shaping manageable, and the soft centers deliver the comforting texture everyone hopes for in a Christmas cookie.
Remember the three most important details: use regular creamy peanut butter, chill the dough before rolling, and remove the cookies when the centers still look slightly soft. Once the cookies cool completely, decorate them with your favorite festive colors and enjoy sharing a batch that tastes as wonderful as it looks.