We’re back again with my fun “25 Bakes of Christmas” series, and I cannot wait for you to try this one! My NEW Chocolate Peanut Butter Christmas Trees are inspired by the favorite Reese’s Holiday Peanut Butter Trees treats. With a soft peanut butter center (just like Reeses) and chocolate shell, they have quickly became a new favorite here at our house! These are SO DANG GOOD, you guys.

Do they taste like the real thing?

Dude, these basically are the real thing. They taste just like, if even better than, the classic peanut butter cup we all know and love. Good news is, with my Chocolate Peanut Butter Christmas Trees, you have more of that gorgeous peanut butter chocolate taste to enjoy. Why? Well, these are huge :). More PB Chocolate to go around with a bigger tree shape. You an always make a smaller, more bite-sized, version. Just use a smaller cookie cutter!

How to make chocolate peanut butter trees

First, you start with the filling.

Ingredients for peanut butter cup filling:

  • Unsalted butter – make sure it’s not too firm, but not melted. So leave it out at room temp for about 10 minutes so that the mixer will have a better chance of blending the butter into the peanut butter.
  • Sugar – Granulated Sugar
  • Peanut butter – I used Skippy brand for it’s sweetness and creaminess.
  • Salt – you only need about a half teaspoon.
  • Vanilla – I love a good quality vanilla or Mexican vanilla.
  • Powdered sugar – no need to sift, just turn the mixer on low speed and add it in a little at a time to avoid the powdered sugar flying everywhere. If you know, you know 😉
  • Chocolate Melts – I used this Ghirardelli version and it’s SUPER tasty.

Mix everything together and you’ll get a dough that looks like this (above)! I learned that the easiest way to roll it out is to lay down a sheet of parchment paper on the counter, add on the dough, add on another sheet of parchment on top, then roll it out with the rolling pin on top of the top parchment sheet. That way nothing gets stuck, and the dough rolls out without adding in any flour (which would make the taste different in this particular recipe for sure).

Tree cookie cutter

I’ve really enjoyed using this tree cutter from this set for my Tree Shaped Stained Glass Window Cookies, but the same shape also worked beautifully for these yummy trees, too!

Temperature is key

Although these require zero baking, the temperature of the trees is important throughout this whole process. Make sure to keep the filling as cold as possible so they can hold their shape. So after rolling the dough out, it will need to chill before cutting the tree shapes out. After placing the trees onto a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, you’ll need to freeze them again! Yep! That’s right!

Why all the freezing? The filling is soft and will be much easier to handle when frozen/chilled.

How to coat them in chocolate

I was way too excited about the dipping process to take photos (wished I had!!!), but the process is pretty fun, so you’ll see why I got a little distracted!

I heated up the Ghirardelli Chocolate Melts in a large bowl, then worked in small batches (removed 2-3 trees from the freezer at a time to work with) by submerging the peanut butter shaped dough trees into the chocolate. Use a fork to lift it out, tap it off a few times, then quickly place the chocolate coated trees onto a parchment paper sheet to dry.

CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

The drizzle isn’t on the OG Reese’s trees, but I thought they added a nice touch! All you do is add the remaining chocolate (from the tree’s little chocolate bath) into a piping bag, plastic baggie, or squeeze bottle and drizzle on a little bit of the chocolate in a zig zag pattern on top. Let it harden, and you have yourself the tastiest little chocolate peanut butter Christmas trees!

Isn’t that filing just dreamy? It’s the exact same taste and texture as our beloved peanut butter cups, only better and bigger!

Here’s a video of the process:

I can’t wait to see all your peanut butter cup trees! Make sure to tag me, @bakingwithblondie on Instagram, Tiktok, or Youtube so I can join in on all the fun.

Happy Baking!

xo,

Mandy

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Christmas Trees

5 from 2 votes
Inspired by the popular Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter Trees, these delicious treats have it all – a soft peanut butter center on the inside and a deliciously rich chocolate shell and drizzle on the outside.
Servings: 20 trees (depending on size of cookie cutter)
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Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, left out at room temperature for about 10 minutes to slightly soften
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups creamy peanut butter, I used Skippy cream PB
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 6 cups Ghirardelli Melting Chocolate

Equipment

  • Christmas tree shaped cookie cutter
  • Parchment Paper
  • Rolling Pin
  • Cookie Sheets

Instructions
 

  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter, sugar, and peanut butter until it's light and fluffy.
  • Add in the salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar and mix in on low speed for about 30 seconds, then whip it up on high speed for 30 seconds to combine the ingredients into a dough-like texture.
  • Lay out a sheet of parchment paper on the counter, dump out the dough onto the parchment paper, then add another sheet of parchment on top. Roll out the dough into about 1/2 or 1/4 inch thick (depends on your preference) sheet.
  • Lift the dough (between the parchment paper) onto a cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes until firm. Lift up the top layer of parchment, place another sheet of parchment paper onto a different cookie sheet, then use a tree-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the tree shapes. Place the tree shapes onto the prepared cookie sheet.
    Combine the scraps into another sheet of peanut butter dough and place it into the freezer again to firm up before cutting again (so repeating the process with the remaining pieces, etc).
  • Place the sheet of tree-shaped peanut butter dough into the freezer for 30 minutes to nearly frozen.
  • Heat the chocolate melts in the microwave for 1 minute, stir, heat for 30 seconds, then stir again until smooth.
  • Working in batches of 2-3 trees (leaving the rest in the freezer), submerge the frozen peanut butter tree dough in the chocolate, then carefully lift them with a fork (tapping gently to remove any excess chocolate). Place the chocolate tree onto a sheet of parchment paper. Let the chocolate firm. Repeat (in batches) with the remaining peanut butter trees).
  • Add about a half cup of the melted chocolate to a squeeze bottle, drip bottle, piping bag, or plastic baggie, and then drizzle on the chocolate onto the chocolate trees.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.