I love peanut butter cookies, and this holiday season I wanted to give a classic peanut butter cookie recipe a festive twist. After baking the cookies in 1-inch squares, I arranged them into peanut butter pine cone cookies. The finished treats look like snowy pine cones when dusted with powdered sugar, making them perfect for winter gatherings. I first saw pine cone-shaped cookies on Pinterest and adapted the idea to my favorite peanut butter cookies. The result was even better than I expected—rustic, charming, and easy to assemble.
These snowy pine cone cookies make a beautiful addition to any holiday dessert table and can even serve as a centerpiece. No special cookie cutter is required—just a knife to cut the dough into squares. Once the cookies are baked, arranging them around the base to form a pine cone shape only takes a few tries to get the feel for it. Because the individual cookies are simply adhered with a peanut butter mixture, you can move them around and adjust the shape until you’re satisfied. I kept my first attempt, but you can style yours more meticulously if you prefer.
This recipe is also very versatile: SKIPPY® peanut butter comes in a variety of flavors you can use to change the taste profile. Using different peanut butter spreads lets you experiment—next time I plan to try the dark chocolate flavor for a richer variation.
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup SKIPPY® Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- Base
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for garnish
- 7 thick pretzel sticks
- Cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy using a stand mixer or electric mixer.
- Add the peanut butter and mix on low until combined.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture while mixing on low speed.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake the squares for about 12 minutes, until golden and set.
- Cool the cookies on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, mix 1 cup peanut butter with 1 cup powdered sugar to form a thick, spreadable paste.
- Take a pretzel stick and form a handful of the peanut butter-sugar mixture around the bottom to create a wider base and taper toward the top, shaping it like a cone.
- Attach the baked cookie squares to the pretzel base using the peanut butter paste, starting at the bottom and overlapping in circular rows until you reach the top.
- Dust the assembled pine cones with powdered sugar to resemble snow and refrigerate until firm and ready to serve.
These peanut butter pine cone cookies are festive, easy to customize with different flavors of peanut butter, and a fun project for holiday baking. Enjoy making them with your favorite peanut butter and decorating to your taste.