Indulge in the perfect Valentine’s Day sweet treat with these irresistibly soft and chewy peanut butter cookies!
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Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
If you love peanut butter, then you’re in for a treat! (Pun intended.)
A delicious twist on the classic peanut butter blossom recipe, these quick and simple peanut butter cookies, adorned with a gooey Reese’s chocolate and peanut butter heart, make the perfect sweet treat for Valentine’s Day.
This recipe is not only simple but also kid-friendly, making it a breeze to whip up with your kids or grandkids for a fun Valentine’s Day dessert.
This recipe makes around 24 cookies. And because it’s nearly impossible to eat just one, I highly suggest making a double batch. That way, you can share some with friends and still have a few extras left for yourself!
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (and a bit extra for rolling the dough in)
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 24 Reese’s peanut butter cup white chocolate hearts
*Note: If you can’t find white chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter hearts, feel free to use regular milk chocolate hearts or cups as a substitute.
Instructions for Homemade Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
Start by preheating the oven to 375℉ and lining a few cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Next, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the shortening and peanut butter, beating them together until well blended. Add 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and the brown sugar to the peanut butter mixture, and beat until it becomes fluffy.
Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat well. Then stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the rest of the ingredients and mix until just combined.
Next, grab a small cookie scoop or teaspoon to shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Then, gently roll each ball in a bowl of granulated sugar and place the cookies on a baking sheet, making sure to space them out evenly.
Bake your peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies for 8-10 minutes or until they are a light golden brown. Then remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the pan for about 3-5 minutes.
Next, carefully press a white chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter heart in the middle of each one of the Valentine’s Day cookies. As you press the chocolate into the tops of the cookies, they will get cracks around the edges. When you’re done, quickly take them off the cookie sheet and transfer them to a wire baking rack to finish cooling.
A Sweet Treat for Valentine’s Day
Pair these peanut butter heart cookies with my free Valentine’s Day printable for a sweet treat that’s perfect to share with classmates, neighbors, school teachers, or family and friends!
Just place a few of the peanut butter cookies in a plastic treat bag and tie on the printable treat tag with some craft twine.
Frequently Asked Questions About These Cookies
Q: Can you make the peanut butter cookie dough ahead of time?
A: Absolutely! This peanut butter cookie dough is great for prepping ahead of Valentine’s Day. Simply place all the dough in a sealed container and freeze it. When you’re ready to bake, thaw the dough overnight in the fridge before forming it into balls and baking.
Alternatively, you can shape the cookie dough into balls and freeze them. Just remember to use parchment paper between layers of dough to prevent the cookies from sticking. When you’re ready to bake, let the frozen cookie dough sit at room temperature for a bit before popping them in the oven.
Q: Do I have to use white chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts?
A: No. If you can’t find white chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter hearts, feel free to use regular milk chocolate hearts or cups as a substitute. Or, like traditional peanut butter blossom cookies, if you can’t find any Reese’s Chocolate and Peanut Butter hearts, you can use traditional Hershey’s kisses in a pinch.
Q: How do you store leftover peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies?
A: You can keep your peanut butter cookies fresh by storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for three days or in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Q: Can you freeze them?
A: I’ll be honest – leftovers are a rare sighting in our house, but just in case you have some self-control, feel free to freeze any extra cookies. You can store them into a freezer-safe container, wrap them up snugly in plastic to fend off freezer burn, and layer in some parchment paper between the stacks. They’ll keep for up to two months!
Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
I hope you enjoyed this fun and simple Valentine’s Day recipe. And, as always, you can also find all of my best recipes [HERE].
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Recipe for Reese’s Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
Jalapeno Popper Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded (plus some extra to make the football laces)
- 3 fresh jalapenos deseeded and finely diced; divided
- ¼ cup green onion chopped (optional)
- 8-10 slices of cooked bacon crumbled; divided
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon season salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup pecans finely chopped
Instructions
- Cook your bacon until it is crispy. Once cooked, drain off any excess grease, let cool, then crumble and set aside.
- Combine the softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and shredded Monterey jack cheese.
- Stir in the chopped green onions, minced garlic, season salt, ground cumin, Worcestershire sauce, half of the diced jalapenos, and half of the cooked and crumbled bacon.
- Place a large piece of plastic wrap on your counter and dump out the cream cheese cheese ball mixture. Wrap the mixture and carefully formit inot th shape of a football. Chill and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the other half of the diced jalapenos, crumbled bacon, and chopped pecans.
- Pour the mixture on the bottom of a serving tray. Remove the plastic wrap from your football cheese ball and place it on top of the coating. Press the mixture onto your jalapeño popper cheese ball, completely coating the outside.
- Cut long, thin slices of Monterey Jack cheese and palce them on top of your cheese ball to resemble football laces.
- Serve with chips, crackers, crostini, pita bread, or fresh veggies.
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Peanut butter is my favorite! I have pinned this delicious recipe.
Chocolate and peanut butter is one of my favorite combinations too. Yum!
These sounds so good. And look so pretty, too.
Thank you, Renae. These are always a hit in our house!
Pinned! Look amazing!
They are delish! Thank you 😘
Oh my gosh my mouth was watering reading this! They look so yummy!
Thank you so much, Ana. They are delish!
These look absolutely amazing! Peanut butter cookies are my favorite!
Thank you, Kim. They are some of my favorites too. And topped with my favorite candy, they are dangerously good!
These look delicious! I cannot wait to make them.
Thank you so much. I think I can eat a whole dozen by myself.😂 If you can’t find the hearts you can just sub some mini peanut butter cups in their place. Soooo yummy! Hope you enjoy!
Peanut blossoms are one of my family’s favorite cookies! Love how these look with the Reeces white chocolate hearts. My father-in-law used to work at the Reeces plant so their products have a special place in our heart.
Oh, how fun! What a special memory. They are one of my favorite candies…added to one of my favorite cookies.😘 I could eat them all by myself!
These sound delicious Jen. I’ll share on link on my Sat. Dirt road Adventures.
Rachel
Thank you so much, Rachel! I appreciate it. I hope others enjoy them as much as my family does!
Oh goodness these look amazing! I love the addition of the white chocolate! So smart:)
Thank you, Kelly. The peanut butter cups totally take these cookies over the top. They disappeared very quickly!
These look amazing! I’ll have to make them because I love everything peanut butter and they are so cute.
Thank you, Shawna. Reese’s peanut butter cups are my favorite candy. The little hearts make these cookies extra enticing. Hard to eat just one.😉
Dang! I’ve never seen those Reese’s hearts before! I’m keeping my eyes open on my next grocery visit! Your recipe sounds amazing, Jen! So glad you shared your Reese’s Butter Cookies on the blog, too! Pinned!
Yes! I love the white chocolate ones, but if you can’t find the hearts plain old mini Reese’s peanut butter cups will do. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does!