A simple, sweet, and spicy treat to add to your Christmas cookie plate. These sweet and spicy peanut butter buds are gluten free and bring the heat!
Well it is officially the most wonderful time of the year! Are you totally wrapped up in all the holiday magic?? I have a few Christmas-y things on my to-do list for December including a visit to Christkindlmarket, ice skating at Maggie Daley Park, seeing the Zoo Lights, and eating my weight in cookies.
Sounds like the perfect December.
Last month, some friends and I held a virtual Friendsgiving and we had such a blast that we decided to do it again for Christmas; but this time with cookies :))) Enter: the BGB Holiday Cookie Exchange!
I’ll be sharing my new favorite cookie recipe; but make sure you scroll down to the bottom to see all the other recipes – there are some seriously good looking cookies!
A few years ago, a friend introduced me to the magic of her 4-ingredient gluten free peanut butter cookie.
peanut butter + sugar + egg + vanilla = gluten free heaven
Yes, the recipe is that easy and so delicious. Like, how in the world are these that good, delicious. Shhhh, don’t question, just bake.
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Now I am all for a good peanut butter cookie. I mean, who isn’t? But I also like to keep people on their toes and surprise them! Last year I made a savory rosemary shortbread cookie. It was such a welcomed changed to the super sugary options that we usually find this time of year.
The shortbread had pieces of fresh rosemary throughout the dough making it obvious that it was a savory cookie. So this year I’m going to be sneaky. I’m making my spicy cookies look like they are sweet so that when someone bites into them, the slow burn of the cayenne hits them right when they least expect it!
Is that mean or is that quite possibly the sneakiest trick of all time?! Maybe they’re just on Santa’s naughty list.
What is your favorite Christmas cookie? Make sure you scroll past the recipe to check out all the other BGB recipes!
If you make these Sweet and Spicy Peanut Butter Buds or any of my other recipes, post a picture on social media and use the hashtag #imhungrybynature for a chance to be featured!
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Sweet and Spicy Peanut Butter Buds
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 9 mins
- Total Time: 24 mins
- Yield: 36 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert, Cookie
- Method: Oven
Description
A simple, sweet, and spicy treat to add to your Christmas cookie plate. These sweet and spicy peanut butter buds are gluten free and bring the heat!
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter*
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 3 ounces dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.
- In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until combined. Place the bowl in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes – this will help the cookies keep their domed shape.
- Using a cookie scoop (mine was a 2 teaspoon scoop), scoop cookies and place them on your prepared sheet. Place the sheet in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
- Let cookies rest on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Once cooled, melt 3 ounces of dark chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. Drizzle cookies with melted chocolate and let the chocolate set.
Notes
*Do not use natural peanut butter for this recipe. You need something like Skippy or Jif.
Keywords: dessert, cookie, baking, peanut butter
BGB Holiday Cookie Exchange
Chocolate-Dipped Almond Butter Shortbread Cookies with Almond Butter Buttercream by plays well with butter
Vegan Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies by Healthy Helper
Superfood Overnight Thumbprint Cookies by Miss Allie’s Kitchen
Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cookies by Byte Sized Nutrition
Snickerdoodles with Dark Chocolate Drizzle by My Uncommon Everyday
Chocolate Kissed Gingerbread Cookies by Beauty in Christ
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LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. I love peanut butter, and the idea of adding cayenne was such a bold, fun move. 🙂 I totally realized something about my cookie photography too; thank you for sharing Ellie; this has been such a fun collab.
Thank YOU Emily! You need to try adding the spice next time you make peanut butter cookies – it takes them to a whole new level!
These sound right up my alley! I love a little spice to cut rich/sweet desserts 🙂
Thanks Ellen – me too 😉
Ellie – these look SO good!! And I’m all about EASY cookie recipes. That drizzle though – SWOON! I want to try your rosemary shortbread cookies too!
Thank you Chrissa!! And AMEN to the easy recipes. I hope you love them both!
Cannot wait to make these!!! Love the combo of sweet and spicy in a cookie! So unique.
I know you will LOVE them Kaila!
Ahhh the sweet and spicy is the BEST part! I’m just loving the chocolate drizzle, how they hold their shape – everything!
Thanks Allie – you’re so sweet! The chocolate drizzle is necessary to cut a little bit of the spice. And they hold their shape because I chilled the dough before and after I scooped them!
chocolate, peanut butter AND cayenne? pretty sure the only thing missing is me! HA! can’t wait to try these soon girl, these are all of my favorite things!
Ha! Totally. I hope you love them… I know spicy cookies aren’t everyone’s thing but I LOVE them!
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sweet and spicy!! how fun!
I have no idea how i missed out on this cookie exchange but i have some the buttery sugary hunger is REALLLLL
Haha seriously! This time of year always gets me… but the spice in these cookies is real and it will give you a serious kick!
Sweet and spicy is such an underrated combo. But I’ve got to admit, I’ve never tried it in a cookie before. These look fab! I love that you kept this recipe so simple too! Less time baking = more time spent consuming cookies. WINNING.
WINNING is right! If you like sweet and spicy, you will love these!!
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