Peanut Butter Buttons: Kid-Friendly Holiday Treats

With the holidays approaching, I usually feel tempted to take the easy route and bake a classic cookie (sometimes even from a package) for our family Christmas party.  I rarely have the time to expand my recipe book and year after year, everyone seems to bring the same selection of desserts- tasty but predictable.

But this year, I finally found a great recipe that will be sure to catch everyone’s attention. This easy and delicious peanut butter cookie recipe offers a great way to get your kids involved in holiday baking, too.

In addition to regular peanut butter, the peanut butter chips in this recipe create smoother dough that helps replicate real buttons. To mimic the shape of a button, each cookie gets an imprint of a small cup or any round shape- a perfect task for kids to tackle.

After baking the cookies for a short time and letting them cool, employ the help of the kids again to tie on the finishing touches. Red licorice strings wrap through the middle holes adding a sweet burst of color.

This recipe produces unique cookies with a personal homemade touch. While their debut on the dessert table will likely spark conversation, don’t expect them to last long!

Peanut Butter Buttons
Recipe from FamilyFun
Yield: about 32 cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• Red licorice strings (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375°. Microwave the peanut butter chips at medium heat for 1 minute. Stir the chips. If they’re still not melted, microwave them for another minute, then stir them until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the melted chips, peanut butter, butter, and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. Blend in the egg, vanilla extract, and salt. Gradually beat in the flour on low speed until a firm dough forms.
3. Working with half the batch at a time, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness on a flour-dusted surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin. Cut out cookies with a 3-inch round biscuit cutter and transfer them to ungreased baking sheets. Reroll the dough scraps for additional cookies.
4. Press the bottom of a small drinking glass into the center of each cookie to create a circular indentation. Then use the end of a drinking straw to cut four buttonholes in each cookie (twisting the straw a quarter turn each time will lift the dough from the hole).
5. Bake the cookies until set and slightly golden on the bottom, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let them cool on the sheets for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
6. For a fun finishing touch, lace licorice string through the holes in each cookie. Starting from the back, thread a piece of licorice through the holes, crisscrossing it in front of the cookie. Trim the ends to about 1/2 inch long, leaving them loose at the back.

Mom Central