Peanut Butter Star Cookies might seem like an odd title for a blog post, but that’s because I have a fondness for star-shaped cookies. If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m a huge fan of peanut butter — hence the name of my blog. Plus, they’re easier to make than you would think! I’m just going to say it — these cookies and peanut butter icing are AMAZING. I don’t even have a sweet tooth and I could eat them all day if someone didn’t stop me.
CHOCOLATE STAR COOKIES
Chocolate Star Cookies are delicious peanut butter cookies that are soft and chewy on the inside with a little crisp on the outside. They are topped with a milk chocolate star that gets melty and gooey in the oven.
You can dunk these peanut butter cookies in milk or eat them as is. They are a great sweet treat or dessert!
CHOCOLATE STAR
Do not go to the baking aisle trying to find the chocolate stars with the chocolate chips. You will find them over in the candy aisle of your grocery store. Somewhere near the chocolate covered peanuts and gummy worms!
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE STAR COOKIES
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, cream 1 stick of softened butter, ½ cup creamy peanut butter, ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar together until it is fluffy and combined.
Add in 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and continue to mix for another 30 seconds.
In a separate bowl sift together 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon baking soda.
Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture, a little at a time, until it is completely combined. NOTE: make sure to not over mix the dough at this point or you will have tough little hockey puck cookies.
Place about ⅓ cup white sugar in a small bowl.
Roll the cookie dough into small balls, a little smaller than a golf ball (it will be a heaping tablespoon of dough). Roll the dough in the sugar and then place on a parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. Pull the cookies out of the oven and lightly press a chocolate star into the center of each cookie. Place back in the oven for 2 ½ minutes.
Let the peanut butter chocolate star cookies cool and it’s time for a cookie treat!!
STORING COOKIES
If you don’t eat all 24 cookies in one sitting, then you will need to store the cookies. You will need an airtight container with a lid. You can leave the cookies in the airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 5 days.
PEANUT BUTTER-CHOCOLATE COOKIES
40 min Prep
50 min Total
36 Servings
These peanut butter cookies are special for the holidays or anytime. Their secret is the chocolate candy that melts into the top.
Ingredient List
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Granulated sugar
- 3 dozen milk chocolate stars or candy-coated chocolate-covered peanuts
Preparation
- Heat oven to 375°F. Stir together 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, shortening and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately press 1 chocolate star firmly in each cookie; cool on wire rack.
Tips
- Have just crunchy peanut butter on hand? Go ahead and use it for a peanuttier, slightly bumpier cookie.
- In a hurry? Use one pouch of Betty Crocker® peanut butter cookie mix instead. Immediately after baking cookies, be sure to top them with chocolate candies.
Recipe Data
48Toggle More Information
Servings
15min
Prep
55min
Total
Servings and Ingredients
Ingredients
Serves 48Select All
| Quantity | Ingredient | Add |
|---|---|---|
| Add Hy-Vee peanut butter | ¾ c. Hy-Vee peanut butter | |
| Add Hy-Vee vegetable shortening | ½ c. Hy-Vee vegetable shortening | |
| Add Hy-Vee brown sugar, packed | 1 ¼ c. Hy-Vee brown sugar, packed | |
| Add Hy-Vee skim milk | 3 tbsp. Hy-Vee skim milk | |
| Add Hy-Vee vanilla extract | 1 tbsp. Hy-Vee vanilla extract | |
| Add Hy-Vee large egg | 1 Hy-Vee large egg | |
| Add Hy-Vee all-purpose flour | 1 ¾ c. Hy-Vee all-purpose flour | |
| Add Hy-Vee salt | ¾ tsp. Hy-Vee salt | |
| Add Hy-Vee baking soda | ¾ tsp. Hy-Vee baking soda | |
| Add Hy-Vee granulated sugar | ¼ c. Hy-Vee granulated sugar | |
| Add Hy-Vee chocolate stars | 48 Hy-Vee chocolate stars |
Things To Grab
- 2 large bowls
- Electric mixer
- Large baking sheets
Directions
- Step1Preheat oven 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, vegetable shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until creamy; beat in egg.
- Step2In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Step3Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 9 to 10 minutes. Immediately press one chocolate star in center of each cookie. Allow cookies to cool 2 minutes before removing from pan; cool completely before storing.
Nutrition facts
Servings
100 Calories per serving
PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE STAR COOKIES
Homemade peanut butter chocolate star cookies are soft peanut butter cookies topped with a milk chocolate star that melts in your mouth. This recipe is a twist on the classic peanut butter blossoms, yet made with a soft, chewy peanut butter cookie and a chocolate star in place of a kiss for a festive, fun look!
Hands-down, is there anything better than peanut butter and chocolate paired together? I mean just look at Molly Beth Bars, or Peanut Butter Brownie Skillet, or Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream Cake… and of course these Peanut Butter Chocolate Star Cookies.
These cookies are unreal… with the soft, slightly chewy peanut butter cookie base and the melted milk chocolate star on top…the combination is out of this world! They are easy to make, and while chilling the dough is recommended, they still come together quickly and you can’t beat that!
ARE THESE COOKIES PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS?
Short answer: no, they’re not.
Long(er) answer: they’re similar. But they are not the same, and if you’re a tried and true peanut butter blossom lover and you don’t think you even need a similar recipe, I urge you to reconsider. These are basically soft and chewy peanut butter blossoms.
This version is made with my (ok, I give full credit to my mom) classic peanut butter cookie recipe. That means it’s a soft and chewy and super peanut-buttery cookie…they are simply irresistible.
Instead of rolling the dough in sugar, baking the cookies, and then placing the chocolate kiss in at the end like the typical peanut butter blossoms, these beauties bake with the chocolate stars already on them, which results in a soft, warm peanut butter cookie with a beautiful melted chocolate center.
We’ve discussed the warm melted chocolate in cookies already and it’s HEAVEN. Needless to say, I highly recommend eating them warm for this reason.
INGREDIENTS FOR PEANUT BUTTER STAR COOKIES
These cookies are made with the usual cookie ingredients, with the exception of those wonderful chocolate stars. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Egg
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Chocolate Stars
WHAT ARE CHOCOLATE STARS?
And the chocolate stars.
Are you familiar with Brach’s Chocolate Stars? They’re fun star-shaped “dollops” of chocolate that are a little flatter than kisses, which, in my opinion, makes them perfect for these cookies because the warm melty chocolate covers more ground AND the center melts more evenly.
WHERE TO FIND CHOCOLATE STARS
It’s easiest to find chocolate stars in the bulk candy section of a general grocery store. You’re guaranteed to find them there, and then you can get exactly what you need.
I’ve found it’s harder to find the specific bags of Brach’s chocolate stars, but I have seen them in higher-end grocery stores (if you’re in MN – Lunds & Byerly’s has the actual Brach’s bags). Whole Foods does not have them in their little bulk candy section or in bags.
Before you count your store out, don’t forget to check the bulk candy area!
HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE COOKIES
These cookies are so easy to make, all you need is a mixer – stand or hand, it doesn’t matter. It’s easiest to mix with a mixer to make sure the butter and sugars are properly creamed together. Speaking of…
First, cream together room temperature butter and sugars until light in color and completely combined. Then, add in the egg until combined.
Next, mix in the dry ingredients. It’s best if you mix them beforehand to make sure they’re properly combined, but you know… I totally get just adding the dry ingredients and going along your merry way.
Once the dough is combined, I do recommend chilling the dough. It helps the dough set up a little. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the chill.
Form the dough into about 1 inch balls, which is a little smaller than a #40 cookie scoop. Roll the dough between your hands to create a smooth cookie if you desire, but it’s not necessary. Space them about 2 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Press a chocolate star on top of each peanut butter cookie dough ball, pressing gently down about halfway.
Bake the cookies until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown. It’s important to not overbake the cookies so they stay nice and soft. The cookie is soft with crisp edges and it’s just a wonderful texture combination!
Transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before storage…and by that, I mean for easy consumption. Trust me, you’re not going to want to pass on these cookies while they’re warm (something I may have mentioned already?!).
STORING THE COOKIES
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. I am a sucker for warm cookies, and because the melted chocolate and peanut butter combo are one of my favs, I’m known to reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying them again.
If you are reheating them, take care to do so in small intervals in the microwave – about 5 seconds or so – because the chocolate does have a tendency to burn if microwaved for too long.
FREEZING THE COOKIES
Can you freeze peanut butter cookies? Yes! You can freeze the dough balls with the chocolate stars in them before baking, or you can bake the cookies and then freeze.
If baking the cookies and then freezing, let them cool completely before wrapping them carefully in plastic wrap and placing them in an airtight container. They will last in the freezer for about 3 months. Thaw at room temperature to enjoy!