These buttery, delicate vanilla cookies are topped with a whipped peanut butter cream and then drizzled with a rich chocolate glaze.
Or, the hardest cookie to name, ever. My mom and I have been calling these the “peanut butter chocolate shortbread cookies” for as long as I can remember. The recipe card that I have, written by my mom, is titled “Chocolate/Peanut Butter Cream Cookies”. This is the third cookie in my collection of “Cookies Meghan must make every Christmas” (find the others HERE and HERE). I was trying to think of a straightforward, descriptive name for the blog, but it wasn’t happening. This cookie is kind of nameless, even though we have been making it since I was a child.
The reason it is so hard to name this cookie is that there is so much going on. First lets start with the cookie. It is a crisp, buttery vanilla cookie. Similar to a shortbread cookie, but not quite the same – more buttery, more crisp, less dense and crumbly. But it also is not a sugar cookie. It’s its own cookie, OK? Then we top it with this whipped peanut butter cream. Ok, it’s basically frosting.
But just look at that. I have mentioned before that I normally make my own nut butters, but I do make an exception and buy commercial peanut butter for holiday baking, mostly because of this cookie. I’m sure you COULD make this with homemade, natural peanut butter, but this is one place where I feel like store-bought works better. That may just be the nostalgia talking.
And then, because we know that peanut butter and chocolate are BFFs/soul mates and should never be apart, we drizzle the whole thing with a chocolate glaze.
Yassssss. I used a piping bag to make the drizzle pretty, but really you don’t have to do that if you don’t care about looks. It does make the chocolate easier to manage, though. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can just spoon the chocolate into a baggie and cut off the corner, or even use a fork to drizzle it (although, to be honest, that is the hardest way to do it).
Vanilla Shortbread Cookies with Peanut Butter and Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
For The Vanilla Cookie:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- granulated sugar for rolling cookies in
For The Peanut Butter Cream:
- 1/4 cup butter softened (1/2 stick)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
For The Chocolate Glaze:
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- For vanilla cookies, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix to incorporate. Slowly add flour and salt and mix until combined. Chill dough for at least an hour.
- To make the peanut butter cream, mix peanut butter, butter and brown sugar until smooth.
- For the chocolate glaze, heat chocolate chips and milk in microwave for 10-15 seconds, remove and stir until chocolate chips are melted (you may need to heat it for another 10 seconds). Although the chips may not look melted, they will usually melt quickly when stirred, from the residual heat. When smooth, add powdered sugar and stir until smooth again. Spoon into a piping bag.
- When ready to bake cookies, heat oven to 350°F
- Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then toss in granulated sugar. Using a glass with a flat bottom that is about 1 and a half inches in diameter, press the dough ball to flatten. Dip glass bottom into sugar between cookies to keep it from sticking.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until edges are golden. After removing from oven, allow to cool on baking sheets. Allow cookies to cool completely.
- When cookies are cool, spread a thin layer of peanut butter cream onto each cookie.
- Using the piping bag, drizzle chocolate glaze over cookies.
- Allow to sit for several hours before storing so that the chocolate glaze can firm up.
Notes
**It is important to cool cookies completely before frosting with peanut butter cream, or else the peanut butter cream will melt.
***Chocolate glaze will be wet when first applied, but it will firm up in a few hours.
****For the chocolate glaze, I'm sure you could also make it in a double broiler, but I always use the microwave. Just be sure not to let it heat in the microwave too long, to avoid burning the chocolate. It takes very little time to melt, usually 10-15 seconds.
Nutrition
You may have some peanut butter cream left over, and maybe some chocolate glaze too. So you could make some more cookies if you want. Or, you could alternate dipping your spoon into the peanut butter cream and the chocolate glaze. Not that I would do that/am doing it right now. I promise I will share a green smoothie recipe in January, OK?
So, real talk guys. HOW are you feeling about the changes to the pinterest app? I just saw it. I’m not sure if I love it or hate it. I usually take a little while to adjust to changes. I feel like they are messing with my boards, but also it is more accurate about what you are actively pinning now. So far it looks like just the app changed, not the website. But the app only changed like 30 minutes ago, so time will tell. Let me know how you feel about it (OR how you feel about my not very creative name for these cookies, or just how you feel about cookies in general) in the comments below!
Easy Peanut Noodles
Healthy Peanut Butter Energy Balls (Honey Bears)
Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
lisa | garlic & zest says
These cookies look amazing — and your photography is terrific! Was wondering if you use Tailwind — because I am starting a new tribe called CHRISTMAS COOKIES and I’d love for you to participate! If you’re interested, send me an e-mail and I’ll invite you! Thanks — these cookies are going on my MUST TRY list this year!
Meghan says
Thank you Lisa! I’ll email you about that!
Sarah says
Everyone, these are the best cookies of all time. Meghan, I really hope these *might* have bee the reason you asked for my address. ❤️
Meghan says
Well it *might* bee. 😉
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Meghan, I love these cookies!!! that Peanut Butter Cream looks so good and I love how you made these!! brilliant! and so pretty!
Meghan says
Thank you so much Alice!
Ashley says
One, these cookies sound amazingggg. So my style!! Two, I refuse to put the app on my phone so I haven’t noticed the changes 😉 haha
Meghan says
Oooh, that is smart Ashley! It is so easy to get on pinterest on my Phone and then magically lose 3 hours of my life 🙂 And thank you!
Melanie @ Melanie Cooks says
What cute little cookies – they look so delicate! And peanut butter with chocolate is such a delicious combo!
Meghan says
Thank you Melanie!
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion says
They must be delicious! Peanut butter + chocolate and shortbread cookies. Great combination of flavors!
Meghan says
Thank you Ilona, it is a no fail combo!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
Give me a bowl of that peanut butter cream! These cookies look so incredible!
Meghan says
YES, it is entirely possible to eat a bowl of that peanut butter cream. Not that I would know that! 🙂 Thank you Christin!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
First of all, I dig the name of these cookies… it’s perfectly descriptive! Second, these look bomb! Vanilla short bread with peanut butter and chocolate sounds amazing!!! Gimme! Third, not sure how I feel about the pinterest app, because I haven’t allowed my phone to upgrade to it. 😉 I’m not a fan of change, I’m waiting till someone tells me they LOVE it. So keep me posted! Cheers, doll!
Meghan says
Thank you Cheyanne! I’m pretty sure NO ONE likes the app changes, so try to hang on to the old one as long as possible! 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
Oh yes! I love shortbread!!! You’ve made them unbelievably irresistible!
Meghan says
Thank you Kathy!
Kelly says
These cookies are so so pretty! I love all the goodies you packed into them! I’m still trying to get used to the app changes too.
Meghan says
Thank you Kelly! Yes, the app will take some getting used to 🙂
E.A. says
Yummm…those cookies look SO elegant! I made them tonight but they feel shy about a photo-shoot! ?
Keep the recipes rolling! Loving it~~❤️
?????
Meghan says
You should! I would love to see them!
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
These might just be the perfect cookie — I mean…peanut butter cream??
Meghan says
Right, how could you go wrong with peanut butter cream? Thanks somuch Sue!
Vicky & Ruth- May I Have That Recipe says
I love these cookies they look delicious!!! I love anything with peanut butter 🙂 and i just want to sit down and eat a jar of the peanut butter cream. The chocolate glaze is the perfect drizzle on top!
Meghan says
Thank you so much Vicky and Ruth! It is impossible to resist the peanut butter cream, just fair warning 😉
Lauren Gaskill | Making Life Sweet says
LOVE these cookies dear! I know exactly what I’m going to make with the leftover peanut butter cream and chocolate glaze: Make a banana, peanut butter, chocolate sandwich!
Meghan says
Ahhhh, that is perfect Lauren! I have some in my fridge, brb. Thanks so much!
annie says
I can see why these are family classic for y’all! I MUST somehow make room in my holiday baking for these. I think your name for them is perfect, even though “cookies Meghan must make every Christmas” is also super cute. Darn with that silly SEO again!
Meghan says
Dang SEO! Well, at least if someone searches for this cookie they will find it, because I’m pretty sure there are no others on the internet. At least that I could find! Haha, thanks so much Annie!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
Honestly, I hadn’t noticed Pinterest changed..haha. Shows how oblivious I am. But let’s talk about these cookies and that peanut butter cream… oh mama! Give me one.
Meghan says
Thank you Nicole! If you check your pinterest app I bet you will notice it, the change on the app is pretty siginificant. At least on our own profile pages, but there isn’t really a change to the main feed.
Linda | The Baker Who Kerns says
I actually noticed that the pinterest website changed! Maybe the app changed a few weeks ago and I forgot, but the website is very interesting to navigate and I find myself pressing things I didn’t mean to go to. OH and sometimes I just can’t for the life of me figure out how to name my recipe, so I feel the struggle girl. I love the drizzle on these cookies! It’s always fun to see all the different chocolate patterns you get for each one.
Meghan says
Thanks Linda! I love how the glaze turned out too, I am usually not so artistic with it, but since they were getting a phtoshoot I put in a little more effort 🙂 The app just changed last night, at least for me – but you are right, I forgot the website changed a little too. The main change is in our own profile page, not the main feed. I kind of hate it.