These Chocolate Peanut Butter Acorn Cookies nestle rich Hershey’s Kisses atop chewy peanut butter cookies to create tasty little acorns. They’re a cinch to make and perfect for gifting!

Overhead view of acorn cookies and hot chocolate on rustic tray

It’s rare to find a holiday treat that pivots effortlessly from Thanksgiving to Christmas, but these Chocolate Peanut Butter Acorn Cookies fit the bill. The harvest-y feel makes them the perfect one-bite sweet for those who are too stuffed for a slice of pie on Thanksgiving, but they’re equally suited for piling onto a platter of Christmas cookies. They’re gorgeous nestled next to Linzer Cookies and Christmas Pinwheel Cookies.

And did I mention that classic combination of chewy peanut butter cookie and rich chocolate Kisses? Because there’s that too!

If you’re looking for a holiday cookie to tuck into tins and boxes to give to friends, family, and neighbors, these are perfect for that, too. They’re one part candy, one part cookie, and two parts irresistible—so, basically, you can’t go wrong.

Two muffin wrappers filled with acorn cookies, on tray with hot chocolate mug

What You’ll Need

Compared to a lot of other Christmas cookie recipes, the ingredient list for these cookies is short and sweet! 

  • Smooth peanut butter – Use leftover peanut butter to make Homemade Butterfingers to include with your holiday treats!
  • Sugar
  • Vanilla
  • Egg – Let the egg sit on the countertop while you gather ingredients and unwrap the Kisses so it comes to room temperature.
  • Flour
  • Mini chocolate chips
  • Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses – The plain milk chocolate ones work best for the traditional acorn look, but you can switch things up and use Hugs if you’d like.

How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Acorn Cookies

Acorn cookies are a great project to do with kids. You might want to buy some extra Kisses to account for the ones that will inevitably end up eaten in the process, though! Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the cookie dough. Use a hand mixer to beat together the peanut butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat again to ensure that all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Form the cookies. Use a ½ teaspoon to scoop the dough and roll it into small balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and press them gently to create a dome shape. 

Bake. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Melt the chocolate chips. While the cookies are cooling, melt ¼ cup of the mini chocolate chips by heating in the microwave for 15 seconds intervals; heat for 15 seconds, stir, then heat again until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Assemble. Dip a mini chocolate chip into the melted chocolate. Press it onto the top of a peanut butter cookie. Then, dip the flat bottom of a Kiss into the melted chocolate and press it onto the bottom of the peanut butter cookie. Drizzle the extra chocolate on top of the finished acorn cookies if desired, then let the chocolate harden completely before packaging or storing.

Tray of acorn cookies and hot chocolate on tabletop scattered with ornaments, cookies, and ribbon

Tips for Success

Here are some hints and tips to help you make perfect little acorn cookies!

  • Dipping the mini chocolate chips. Using your fingers to dip the mini chocolate chips can be a challenge if you don’t have steady hands, so you can use chopsticks, a small pair of tongs, or tweezers to make it easier. (I recommend buying a pair of dedicated tweezers for the kitchen—they come in handy when working on small details like this!)
  • Cooling the cookies. Because these cookies are on the small side, they might fall through the grates on some types of cooling racks. If you think this might be the case with yours, you can transfer the cookies to a wooden cutting board to cool; it’s not ideal, but getting the cookies off of the metal baking sheet and onto a cooler surface will stop them from continuing to bake.
  • Storing the cookies. To keep the mini chocolate chips from falling off, store the cookies on their sides.

How to Store

Store your acorn cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. 

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

Yes, you can make these cookies in advance and store them in the freezer, or freeze any that you haven’t eaten after a few days. Place the cookies in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze them for up to 2 months. Let them thaw at room temperature, then enjoy.

Tray with acorn cookies and mug of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream
Print
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Overhead view of acorn cookies and hot chocolate on rustic tray

Chocolate Peanut Butter Acorn Cookies

  • Author: Megan Keno
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 48 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Not only are these acorn cookies adorable, they also feature the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter for an irresistible treat!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3/4 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 Tbsp Flour
  • 1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips, divided
  • 48 Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses, unwrapped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, with a hand mixer, beat together the first five ingredients – peanut butter through flour. Scrape the bowl and mix again to ensure that the batter is mixed thoroughly.
  2. Using ½ teaspoon, scoop dough and roll into small balls. Press them gently onto a parchment lined baking sheet to create a dome shape. Bake 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.  Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack.
  3. While the cookies are cooling, melt ¼ cup of the mini chocolate chips in a microwave safe dish. Heat for 15 seconds intervals, stirring in between, until the chips are melted.
  4. To assemble cookies, gently dip each mini chocolate chip into the melted chocolate and press gently on top of the dome of the peanut butter cookie. Dip the flat bottom of each large chocolate kiss into the melted chocolate and press that to the flat side of the peanut butter cookie. Allow to cool completely.
  5. Drizzle the extra chocolate on top of the finished acorn cookies if desired.

Keywords: hershey kiss cookies, peanut butter kiss cookies, easy christmas cookies