These soft, thick, and chewy Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies are loaded with peanut butter flavor, chunks of white chocolate chips, and sprinkled with a little holiday cheer making the perfect treat for any holiday occasion.
There’s nothing like a warm cookie and a glass of milk during the Christmas season. There are so many options and varieties to make everyone happy! Bring in the cheer with some other delicious recipe cookies like these Christmas Pinwheel Cookies , Chocolate Thumbprint Turtle Cookies , or these Oatmeal Rolled Sugar Cookies .
Have you ever been to a Christmas cookie exchange party? I love them! Everybody brings a few dozen of their favorite holiday cookie and then you trade so you can go home with an assortment each time. You can even do judging and prizes for the most popular cookies, if you want.
The white chocolate peanut butter cookies would be an EXCELLENT cookie exchange party choice as they are 1. super simple to make, but 2. have that attention-grabbing quality of being dipped in white chocolate with a few festive sprinkles.
And of course the most important factor is that peanut butter white chocolate chip cookies are just as delicious to eat as they are to look at! The heavenly combination of white chocolate and peanut butter is heavily underrated. The sweet white chocolate chips are a perfect match for the nutty, roasted flavor of peanut butter and the thick, puffy texture is just the BEST.
These are a great idea to take to a holiday party or just enjoy with your own family while watching a Christmas movie. Any peanut butter lover will enjoy this tasty sweet treat!
Ingredient Notes
- Peanut butter : I tested this recipe with regular creamy peanut butter and chunky peanut butter, but not natural peanut butter (the kind that separates a bit in the cupboard). So if you are having troubles and using natural peanut butter, that could be the culprit.
- White chocolate chips : My favorite brand of white chocolate chips is definitely Ghiradelli. They are so creamy and have the best flavor. You’ll need some for both adding to the cookie dough itself, but also for melting and dipping. You can always use white chocolate melting wafers or even almond bark for dipping if that’s easier for you than melting white chocolate chips.
- Sprinkles : These are totally optional but they make these peanut butter white chocolate chip cookies super fun and festive! Sprinkles are a quick and easy way to achieve a holiday look just by switching out colors for the season. Use pink, red & white for Valentine’s Day or pastel colors for Easter!
How to Make This Recipe
- Combine peanut butter and butter. Mix peanut butter and softened butter until combined.
- Add sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the egg and beat to combine.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt , then mix again, pulsing until combined and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. We measured the flour using the scoop and level approach, which is how we always measure for cookies.
- Add the white chocolate. Stir in ¾ cups of white chocolate chips.
- Place cookie dough on baking sheet. Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop balls of the cookie dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them a couple inches apart so they can spread a bit without touching each other.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until set around the edges. Cool completely.
- Prepare the melted white chocolate. Melt the remaining 1 cup of white chocolate chips in the microwave using short bursts of heat until smooth. Many microwaves have a “melt” setting for chocolate that moderates the power, but I recommend only doing 20 second bursts of heat at a time and stirring between each burst. You could also use the Ghiradelli white chocolate melting wafers instead of white chocolate chips for even easier melting.
- Decorate and enjoy! Dip half of each cookie into the melted white chocolate, then lay the cookies onto clean parchment paper and sprinkle with your favorite holiday sprinkles before the chocolate has a chance to set up. Let the chocolate firm up before transferring the cookies to a serving plate or boxing them up to gift to neighbors or friends.
Yes! You can roll the dough into balls and place in a ziplock bag and either store in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze them for up to 2 months. You don’t even have to thaw the cookies before baking. Instead, bake them straight from frozen and just add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
If you struggle melting white chocolate, first make sure you are using good quality chocolate, not store brand chips which don’t always melt as well. Also, white chocolate has a tendency to seize if it gets too hot or if water gets into it, so make sure not to microwave the chocolate for a full minute before stirring and continue to stir even if it doesn’t look like the chips are melting at first. 15 to 20 second bursts of heat is all you want to use.
Recipe Tips
- Storage: Cookies can be kept in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Once the white chocolate is completely set, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Peanut butter lovers version: If you can’t get enough peanut butter, consider swapping out the white chocolate chips in these peanut butter cookies for the same amount of Reese’s peanut butter chips for even more of a peanut butter experience.
- Milk or dark chocolate variation: You can always change out the white chocolate chips if you aren’t a huge white chocolate fan and use milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips instead.
- Change up the sprinkles! These are great cookies for Christmas, but they can actually be used for a variety of occasions. Just switch up the decorations and add in fall sprinkles for Thanksgiving, birthday sprinkles for a birthday party, or green for St. Patrick’s Day. Have fun and make them your own!
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
- Toffee Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft & Chewy M&M Cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms
- Pecan Maple Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients123
- ▢ 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (180g)
- ▢ 1/2 cup salted butter softened (114g)
- ▢ 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- ▢ 1 large egg
- ▢ 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (235g)
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 3/4 cup white chocolate chips plus more for melting
- ▢ Holiday sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix peanut butter and softened butter until combined. ¾ cup creamy peanut butter, ½ cup salted butter
- Add sugar and mix until smooth. 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- Add the egg and beat to combine. 1 large egg
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt, then mix again, pulsing until combined and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Stir in ¾ cups of white chocolate chips. ¾ cup white chocolate chips
- Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheets, spacing them apart a couple inches so they can spread.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until set around the edges. Cool completely.
- Melt the remaining 1 cup of white chocolate chips in the microwave using short bursts of heat until smooth.
- Dip half of each cookie into the melted white chocolate, then sprinkle with your favorite holiday sprinkles. Place on another baking sheet lined with parchment paper until the chocolate has set. Enjoy! Holiday sprinkles
Notes
- Storage: Cookies can be kept in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Once the white chocolate is completely set, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Measure correctly: The flour is measured using the scoop and level approach based off of a standard weight of 141 grams per cup. I have a post on how to properly measure baking ingredients that might help if you want more info on how and why we measure flour the way we do.
- Variation: You can always change out the white chocolate chips if you aren’t a huge white chocolate fan and use milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips instead. Or if you are crazy for peanut butter, try using your favorite peanut butter chips (Reese’s are the best!) for an out-of-this-world peanut butter overload cookie experience.
Nutrition
Chocolate Thumbprint Turtle Cookies have a rich cocoa cookie base that is rolled in chopped pecans and filled with soft caramel. Drizzle with a little melted chocolate for a tasty, nutty treat that’s perfect for your next cookie exchange, holiday party or simply just because!
I’m obsessed with turtle desserts. It’s that combination of caramel, chocolate, and nutty sweet pecan crunch that gets me every time.
These decadent cookies never fail to impress and are the chocolate, caramel, pecan counterpart to the classic Jam Thumbprint Cookies . If you have also love desserts loaded with chocolate, caramel, and nuts, be sure to try my Easy Caramel Pecan Brownies , Carmelitas , or Chocolate Salted Caramel Whoopie Pies !
My mom used to make the easiest ever ice cream pie with a graham cracker crust, vanilla ice cream, then drizzles of chocolate magic shell, caramel, and chopped pecans. It’s so easy that it feels like cheating but I keep meaning to post it on here because it’s perfect for dinner parties since you make it in advance and it looks so impressive.
These chocolate thumbprint turtle cookies have the same classic turtle flavor combination of deep, chocolatey chocolate with rich, gooey caramel, and crunchy pecans in a cookie form that is always the store of a cookie plate or cookie exchange.
And they are really fun and easy to make!
What are Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies?
These chewy turtle cookies are a delicious take on a fun and traditional turtle candy . While you don’t have to shape the cookies into tiny turtles, the flavor components are all there. The caramel, nutty crunch and chocolate all help this turtle cookie recipe to shine.
How to make Chocolate Thumbprint Turtle Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla.
- Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt until combined. Chill the dough for 1 hour in the fridge.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until it’s frothy. Prepare another shallow bowl with chopped pecans.
- Divide your dough into 20 evenly-sized pieces and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the frothy egg whites, then into the chopped pecans, pressing the nuts to cover the cookie dough really well. Place on the prepared baking sheet and press a finger or the back of a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon into the center of each ball to form an indentation.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, just until set. Be careful not to overbake.
- While cookies are still hot, using the measuring spoon to press the indentation again so there is a good space for the caramel to go.
- Combine the caramel and water in a microwave-safe bowl and melt them by heating in 20-30 second intervals and stirring in between about 1-2 minutes total. Pour melted caramel into the depression in each cookie.
- Melt the semisweet chocolate with shortening in another microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring between each burst of heat, just until melted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the melted chocolate to a ziploc bag and make a small snip off one corner. Drizzle the chocolate over the cookies, then let set before serving.
How Do You Store Chocolate Thumbprint Turtle Cookies?
After the cookies have completely set, you can place them inside an airtight container at room temperature for storage. You can also place them in the fridge if you’d like to enjoy them chilled as well, but be warned that the caramel will firm up significantly.
It’s pretty soft caramel, so I don’t think anyone would break a tooth on it, but it would all come off the cookie with your first bite, giving you a chewy mouthful of caramel and cookie.
If you plan on stacking them to get them to fit inside a container, you may want to use a small sheet of wax paper between the layers to prevent the cookies from sticking to each other.
Can You Freeze Chocolate Thumbprint Turtle Cookies?
Yes, you can these turtle cookies! Freezing them not only helps to keep you from eating an entire batch in one sitting but it can also prolong the shelf-life as keeping them in the freezer will keep them fresh for up to 2 months.
This is also a great tip for when you plan on making these impressive holiday cookies and want to get the cookies done in advance.
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
- Toffee Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Dulce De Leche Stuffed Cookies
- Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Oatmeal Rolled Sugar Cookies
- Fudgy Chewy Chocolate Brownie Cookies
- Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Chocolate Thumbprint Turtle Cookies
Ingredients123
Cookies
- ▢ 1/2 cup salted butter
- ▢ 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg separated
- ▢ 2 Tablespoons milk
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1 cup pecans finely chopped
Caramel
- ▢ 3/4 cup Kraft Caramel Bites or 16 unwrapped caramel squares
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon water
Chocolate Drizzle
- ▢ 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chopped
- ▢ 1 teaspoon shortening
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat butter and sugar until light, about 2-3 minutes. ½ cup salted butter, 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. 1 large egg, 2 Tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stir in flour, cocoa powder, and salt until combined. Chill dough for 1 hour in the fridge. 1 cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Whisk egg white in a bowl until frothy. Prepare another shallow bowl with chopped pecans.
- Divide dough into 20 evenly-sized pieces and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the frothy egg whites, then in the chopped pecans, pressing the nuts in to cover the cookie dough really well. Place on prepared baking sheet and press a finger or the back of a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon into the center of each ball to form an indentation. 1 cup pecans
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, just until set. Be careful not to overbake.
- While cookies are still hot, using the measuring spoon to press the indentation again so there is a good space for the caramel to go.
- Combine the caramel and water in microwave-safe bowl and melt by heating in 20-30 second intervals and stirring in between, about 1-2 minutes total. Pour melted caramel into the depression in each cookie. ¾ cup Kraft Caramel Bites or 16 unwrapped caramel squares, ½ teaspoon water
- Melt semisweet chocolate with shortening in another microwave-safe bowl in 20 second intervals, stirring between each burst of heat, just until melted, about 1-2 minutes. ½ cup semisweet chocolate, 1 teaspoon shortening
- Transfer the melted chocolate to a ziplock bag and make a small snip off one corner. Drizzle the chocolate over the cookies, then let set before serving.
Notes
- Once the chocolate drizzle has set, you can freeze these cookies for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. Just thaw completely on the counter before serving.
Nutrition
White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (180g)
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened (114g)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (235g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips plus more for melting
- Holiday sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix peanut butter and softened butter until combined. 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 1/2 cup salted butter
- Add sugar and mix until smooth. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- Add the egg and beat to combine. 1 large egg
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt, then mix again, pulsing until combined and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Stir in 3/4 cups of white chocolate chips. 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
- Use a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheets, spacing them apart a couple inches so they can spread.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until set around the edges. Cool completely.
- Melt the remaining 1 cup of white chocolate chips in the microwave using short bursts of heat until smooth.
- Dip half of each cookie into the melted white chocolate, then sprinkle with your favorite holiday sprinkles. Place on another baking sheet lined with parchment paper until the chocolate has set. Enjoy! Holiday sprinkles
Notes
- Storage: Cookies can be kept in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Once the white chocolate is completely set, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Measure correctly: The flour is measured using the scoop and level approach based off of a standard weight of 141 grams per cup. I have a post on how to properly measure baking ingredients that might help if you want more info on how and why we measure flour the way we do.
- Variation: You can always change out the white chocolate chips if you aren’t a huge white chocolate fan and use milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips instead. Or if you are crazy for peanut butter, try using your favorite peanut butter chips (Reese’s are the best!) for an out-of-this-world peanut butter overload cookie experience.
Nutrition
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