Iced Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies
Peanut butter cookies are one of the ultimate comfort foods, and this iced variation allows peanut butter lovers to enjoy a traditional iced cookie ready for decorating!
If peanut butter cookies and iced sugar cookies had a baby, it would look like this: rich peanut buttery goodness in a perfectly shaped sugar-cookie style fashion, ready for simple glaze, loads of icing, or piles of sugar crystals – whatever your preference.
Ella Claire & Co. has again organized the troops for a spectacular Christmas cookie exchange. Hooray! And it was the perfect excuse to experiment a bit in my kitchen, something I wish I could find more time to do these days.
I asked Mr. Pax what kind of cookies he wanted, and he promptly requested old-fashioned peanut butter cookies. While my kids simultaneously begged for iced sugar cookies that they could help cut and decorate. Of course.
So, being the efficiency freak that I am, I decided to do both at once. 😉
Seriously, it’s like the perfect sugar cookie – easy to roll, cut, and ice – but with a smooth peanut butter flavor. Such a fun twist on the traditional options.
Tips and Tricks for Iced Peanut Butter Cookies
I may be partial, but I find this peanut butter cookie recipe and icing recipe to be delicious no matter how you style and decorate them. But here are a few notes and tips to help you achieve the yummiest, prettiest iced cookies:
Ingredients for iced peanut butter cookies
- I am allergic to wheat, so we cook with gf flour in this house… and I’m thrilled to say that the texture is still perfect, even gluten free!
- I recommend creamy peanut butter if you want your cookies to be smooth and uniform. I also use natural peanut butter, but you can use whatever kind you have on hand.
Rolling out your dough
- Just after mixing, roll out your dough between two sheets of parchment paper until is is approximately 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch thick. This will give you cookies that are firm on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside.
- Put the parchment paper package onto a large baking sheet and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
- Use sharp cookie cutters (I seem to have lost my round cutter, so I opted for a crystal wine glass instead because it was much sharper than a regular drinking glass… and it made such a difference in the clean edges!).
- Transfer each shape to a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet.
Preparing your Sugar Cookie Glaze
- Add more or less half and half, as needed, until the consistency is similar to honey. You want it to be thick but still slightly pourable.
- Use a fork to mix the half and half and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Once mixed, stir very slowly to help remove any bubbles from the glaze (these will mar the surface of your cookie).
- Then use the tines of the fork to pop any additional air bubbles.
How to Ice Cookies with a Glaze
Get a smooth icing look on sugar cookies the EASY way with this simple glaze!
- Make your glaze
See tips above for making it smooth!
- Dip your cookie
Hold the edges carefully, and dip the face of the cookie into the glaze. Wiggle it around a little to ensure that the entire face has been covered.
- Let excess glaze drip off
Lift the. cookie and hold it face down over the glaze until it stops dripping. You can even give it a gentle shake if you want.
- Flip the cookie over
Flip the cookie over quickly and set it down. Then give it a little wiggle so that the glaze can settle down to be smoother.
- Top as you please
They’re pretty just as they are, but I also love to sprinkle a little sugar on top. You can try colored sugar crystals or pipe additional icing… so many options!
As you can see, I had the most amazing helper on baking day. And we might just have enjoyed a few tastes of that yummy glaze together. 😉
But I digress… On to the recipe for these amazing iced peanut butter sugar cookies!
Iced Peanut Butter Cookies
If peanut butter cookies and iced sugar cookies had a baby, this would be it! Delicious, beautiful, and ready for decorating.
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
- 1/2 c butter softened
- 1/2 c peanut butter creamy
- 1/2 c granulated sugar
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp half and half or milk
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 c all-purpose flour or gluten free flour
Icing Recipe
- 2 tbsp half and half or milk, maybe more
- 1 c powdered sugar
Instructions
For the cookies
-
Combine all cookies ingredients in large mixing bowl. Mix well.
-
On parchment paper or a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 to 3/8 in ch thick.
-
Refrigerate dough for at least one hour.
-
Preheat oven to 350°. Cut dough into shapes with cookie cutters. Re-roll remainder, as needed, to use up the dough.
-
Place cut outs on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
For the icing
-
Mix glaze ingredients in a shallow bowl until smooth.
-
Dip cooled cookies face down in the glaze. Lift cookie and allow excess glaze to drip back into the bowl. Flip cookie quickly and allow glaze to settle and firm.
-
Either sprinkle with sugar immediately or allow glaze to harden for 30 minutes before serving or decorating with icing.
I hope you enjoy these delicious cookies! Be sure to pin them for later.
More holiday cookie recipes
Double Chocolate Junior Mint Cookies by Ella Claire & Co. | Snowball Cookies with Pecans by Live Laugh Rowe | Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies by Boxwood Avenue | Chocolate Covered Peppermint Cookies by Rooms for Rent.
Pie Cookies by Handmade Farmhouse | Linzer Cookies by Inspired by Charm | Pistachio Cardamom Butter Cookies by The Chronicles of Home | Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies by Anderson + Grant
Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies by Jenna Kate at Home | Iced Peanut Butter Cookies by Maison de Pax | Caramel Thumbprint Snickerdoodles by Summer Adams | Peanut Butter Cookie Cups by Town and Country Living
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies by French Country Cottage | Reindeer Cookies by Shabbyfufu | Chocolate Chip Cookies by Happy Happy Nester | Gluten/Dairy Free Spritz Christmas Cookies by Zevy Joy
Pecan Tassies by On Sutton Place | Snowball Cookies by Julie Blanner | Braided Sugar Cookie Stick by Tidbits | Sugar Cookie Trees by My 100 Year Old Home
Gooey Butter Christmas Cookies by Tidy Mom | Toasted Coconut Einkron Cookies by Farmhouse on Boone | Christmas Candy (M&M) Cookies by Nina Hendrick | White Chocolate Peppermint Oreos by My Sweet Savannah
Praline Snickerdoodles by So Much Better with Age
Yum!!!! These turned out so darling!!
Thank you, Chloe!
Thanks my grandchildren love cookies especially when they get some in their stocking.
Aww! I hope you enjoy making these. 🙂
These sound so yummy! My daughter is recently GF and we’ve struggled with finding a flour blend that works well for cookies. What kind do you recommend? Thanks! Anne
I hear you, Anne, it’s tough to find the right one! I’ve recently been using this one, and it was perfect for these cookies. I wasn’t as pleased with how it did with my Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies (they seemed drier than with normal flour), but most other recipes have been pretty comparable. I hope this helps!