Make Ahead
Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies with Royal Icing
- Prep time 4 hours
- Cook time 15 minutes
- Serves 50-60 coockies
Author Notes
In Québec, everybody loves Pirates cookies, those famous peanut butter cookies made by the famous brand Mr. Christie. Well, it’s a return to childhood that I’m offering you with this recipe because these shortbreads taste exactly the same! Without the cream in the center, I agree, but homemade and beautifully decorated. Another slight difference is that I like to serve them while still a little soft, but it will be up to you to manage the cooking time according to the desired texture.
I like the dough you get with this recipe because it will hold its shape when baking, making it a good choice if you want to make cookie cutter cookies in different shapes. Snowflakes, buttons, ornaments, Santas, candy canes, stars... What will yours look like?
For a pretty decoration, more elaborate than simply sprinkled with icing sugar (which is also very good), the best option is royal icing, and I want to bring your attention to this element in the step-by-step recipe. To achieve such smooth and uniform icing, you will need two textures of icing, one firmer for tracing and another more liquid for flooding.
The most important thing about making Christmas cookies is having fun. Don't take this activity as a chore. And don't judge yourself if you don't achieve perfection.
Merry Christmas!
—Jonathan Michaud
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS FOR THE COOKIES AND DECORATIONS
-
1 cup
smooth peanut butter
-
12 tablespoons
soft unsalted butter
-
1 cup
light brown sugar
-
1/2 cup
maple syrup (+ 2 tablespoons)
-
2
eggs
-
4 cups
all-pupose flour
-
1/4 teaspoon
baking powder
-
1
royal icing recipe (see below)
-
icing sugar, mini sprinkles, mini red M&M's, crystalized sugar (for decorating)
- INGREDIENTS FOR ROYAL ICING
-
5 tablespoons
meringue powder
-
2/3 cup
water
-
1/2 teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
2 pounds
icing sugar
-
gel food coloring
-
lemon juice to thin the icing if needed
Directions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the peanut butter and soft butter until light and smooth. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and cream for 2-3 minutes. At low speed, add the eggs and continue beating them well. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder and add, 1 cup at a time, to the mixture. Mix well until a pliable dough forms. Divide the dough into two equal parts and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the dough becomes firm (at least 2 hours). The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance. While the dough is chilling, prepare the royal icing if desired. (see recipe below)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Preset 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Proceeding with one portion of dough at a time, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/4’’. Cut into different shapes with cookie cutters. Gather the scraps and roll out again to create more cookies. Each portion of dough should yield 25 cookies. Spread the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes before baking.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through cooking. Let cool completely on a rack before decorating. The biscuits can be stored 1 week before the decoration stage. Decorate the cookies and let dry completely before storing them. Decorated cookies will keep for more than 1 week in an airtight container.
- FOR THE ROYAL ICING : Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the meringue powder with the water and vanilla until fluffy and light. Add the confectioners' sugar gradually 1 cup at a time. Whisk until well incorporated and until semi-firm. This consistency will be ideal for creating designs and for tracing the outline of cookies.
- Divide the royal icing into as many bowls as desired colors. Color with food coloring(s) and reserve a completely white bowl if desired. Reserve a quarter of each colored icing by transferring it to a small pastry bag. Close tightly until use. Thin the remaining glazes with a few drops of lemon juice at a time until runny but not too runny. Transfer to other pastry bags. This consistency will be ideal for uniformly filling the traced areas of the biscuits. Close the pockets tightly until use. Note: to thicken an icing that is too runny, simply add more icing sugar. Thin it with small drops of water or lemon juice. The recipe is more than enough t decorate 30 to 40 cookies.
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