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Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Meltaway Cookies

Soft chocolate-dipped peanut butter meltaway cookies, as the name implies, will melt in your mouth! Packed with chocolate chips, these light peanut butter shortbread cookies are a guaranteed hit.

If you’re a big fan of shortbread recipes, try these 3-ingredient shortbread cookies, this butter pecan shortbread, and these pecan sandies, too!

Chocolate-dipped peanut butter meltaway cookies stacked on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

You’ll never hear me say that I’ve had my fill of chocolate and peanut butter. No, that flavor combination will always be near and dear to my heart. And my stomach. These chocolate-dipped peanut butter meltaway cookies are a delicious way to enjoy that perfect pair!

Why You’ll Love These Meltaway Cookies

Delicate and delicious, these peanut butter shortbread cookies are a long-time favorite for me. Here’s why I think you’ll enjoy them, too!

  • The best soft and crumbly texture. These chocolate and peanut butter cookies are light, and a bit crumbly, but not overwhelmingly sweet.
  • Double the chocolate. With chocolate chips on the inside and melted semisweet chocolate on the outside, these meltaway cookies are the perfect way to satisfy those sugar cravings!
  • Easy to make. The cookie dough in this recipe mixes together really quickly, and a cookie scoop makes portioning a breeze. The only thing to slow you down is the refrigerator time for the dough!
Ingredients for peanut butter meltaway cookies.

What You’ll Need

Obviously you’ll need peanut butter and chocolate to make these cookies, but here are the rest of the ingredients that you’ll need to round up. (If you’re looking for exact amounts, check out the recipe card below.)

  • All-purpose flour – The best way to measure flour is to use a food scale, but you can use the spoon and sweep method as well.
  • Corn starch – This makes the cookies extra chewy and tender.
  • Confectioners’ sugar – Be sure to sift! I don’t tell you to do that often, so you know I mean it. 😉
  • Unsalted butter – Salted butter also works in a pinch if you don’t have unsalted.
  • Peanut butter – I prefer crunchy peanut butter in these cookies. As always, I recommend regular peanut butter versus natural varieties.
  • Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract is the way to go since it offers the strongest flavor.
  • Mini chocolate chips – The mini size works best in these little cookies.
  • Semisweet chocolate – You could also melt dark chocolate, or another chocolate of your choice.
Chocolate-dipped peanut butter meltaways on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

How to Make Peanut Butter Meltaway Cookies

Meltaway cookies come together in just a few simple steps. Let’s get into the details!

  • Line your baking sheets. Use parchment paper or silicone liners to line the baking sheets.
  • Combine the dry ingredients and sugar. Whisk together the flour, corn starch, and confectioners’ sugar.
  • Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, and vanilla on medium speed of a hand or stand mixer until the mixture is smooth.
  • Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed. When the dough begins to thicken, increase the mixer’s speed to medium and mix until combined.
  • Add the chocolate chips. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
  • Chill the dough. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for an hour. When the hour is almost up, heat the oven to 350°F.
  • Portion the dough. Form the dough into 1-inch balls, using about a tablespoon of dough for each cookie. Place them on the prepared pans, leaving about an inch and a half between the cookies.
  • Bake the cookies. One pan at a time, bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. The bottom edges should be just beginning to brown. Take care not to over-bake.
  • Cool the cookies. Place the pans on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely.
  • Melt the chocolate. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat it in the microwave at half-power in 30-second increments until the chocolate melts when stirred.
  • Dip the cookies. Dip each cookie about halfway in the melted chocolate. Place the cookies on waxed paper or a silicone mat to allow the chocolate to set. If the chocolate gets too thick, rewarm it briefly in the microwave.
Overhead view of chocolate-dipped peanut butter meltaway cookies on a parchment-lined baking pan.

Tips for Success

I’ve got just a few more tips and tricks on meltaway cookies to share with you before you begin baking!

  • Chill the dough. Your cookies will hold their shape better if you give the cookie dough some time in the refrigerator. If you refrigerate the dough longer than an hour, you may need to leave it at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until it handles more easily.
  • Use a cookie scoop. Portioning the dough with a cookie scoop ensures that your cookies are all the same size. That means they’ll bake more evenly (and they’ll be prettier, too).
  • Don’t over-bake. The bottom edges of the cookies should just be beginning to brown. You can carefully and gently use a small spatula or a knife to lift a cookie to check for browning. Remember that carryover heat means that they’ll still bake a bit after they’re removed from the oven.
  • Go slowly melting the chocolate. Going too quickly can cause the chocolate to seize. Stir it after every 30-second interval in the microwave until it melts when stirred.

How to Store These Cookies

Store the cookies tightly covered at room temperature. They should keep for up to 4 days. If your kitchen is warm, the chocolate may start to melt. In that case, refrigerating is fine as long as they are tightly covered.

More Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Can’t get enough of that dreamy chocolate-peanut-butter combination? Check out some of these other easy cookie recipes!

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Meltaway Cookies

Yield 48
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes

Delicate, delicious Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Meltaway Cookies are wonderfully soft and so tasty! They're the best chocolate peanut butter cookies around!

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Meltaway Cookies stacked on a parchment-lined baking sheet

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (56g) corn starch
  • 3/4 cup (82g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup (127g) chunky peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (89g) mini chocolate chips
  • 4 ounces (113g) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, and confectioners' sugar. Set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  4. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture. Once the dough begins thicken, increase the mixer's speed to medium to mix thoroughly.
  5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  6. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
  7. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  8. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 & 1/2 inches apart on the prepared pans.
  9. Bake, one pan at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottom edges are starting to brown. Do not over-bake. Cool the cookies on the pan on a wire rack.
  10. After the cookies have cooled completely, place the semisweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat at half-power in 30-second increments, until the chocolate melts when stirred.
  11. Dip each cooled cookie halfway into the chocolate, shake off any excess, and place the cookies on waxed paper or silicone liners to set. Carefully re-warm the chocolate if it gets too thick.

Notes

  • You can refrigerate the finished cookies for about an hour to help the chocolate set. This especially helps if your kitchen is warm.
  • Recipe adapted from Peggy Trowbridge.
  • Yield: Makes about 48 cookies.
  • To store: Store the cookies tightly covered at room temperature. They should keep for up to 4 days. If your kitchen is warm, the chocolate may start to melt. In that case, refrigerating is fine as long as they are tightly covered.

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    4 Comments on “Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Meltaway Cookies”

  1. Hi! Ty for sharing! Approximately how many cookies can I yield from this recipe? 

  2. do you sift the confectioners Sugar before or after measuring ?
    thank you.

    • Hi, Jean. If you’re measuring by weight, then it doesn’t matter. Otherwise, it’s after measuring here, as it’s stated as “confectioners’ powder, sifted” and not “sifted confectioners’ sugar”.

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