Christmas just isn’t Christmas without these—they’re the most wonderful cookie of the year! What’s not to love about peanut butter and chocolate?! Made with simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 8-10 minutes
Serves: about 36

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened not melted
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
36 chocolate kiss candies or small candies

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl whip the butter, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Stir in egg and vanilla extract; just until incorporated. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, mix well.

I always bake 1 or 2 to see how they are going to react. *see notes below
Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper, nonstick baking mats or treat with cooking spray.
Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, I use a 1 inch scoop. Roll each ball into the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.
Place each ball 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared pans. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately press 1 chocolate candy in center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Christina’s notes:
Humidity plays a roll in these cookies so test a few out before baking a whole batch. If you find that they are spreading to much then cover the bowl of dough and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes or fridge for a few hours to chill. You can even make the balls ahead of time then chill them. If your finding that the chocolate candies are melting to fast, put them in the fridge until you are ready for them.
The cookie dough will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days before you plan to use it. You can also freeze the cookie dough for a longer period of time, up to 3 months.
You can use the many different kinds of colored sugars they have out now for the holidays or for a special occasion. I have even dyed the dough red and used a stripped kiss. You don’t even have to stop at using a kiss, use any mini chocolate candy. I love the mini Reese’s chocolate cups.
These cookies keep for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature, in the fridge for 3 weeks or you can freeze the cookies for up to one month.