Description
Peanut Butter Penguins are an adorable and delicious holiday treat featuring Nutter Butter cookies dipped in a rich dark chocolate and peanut butter mixture, decorated with Nilla wafers, Reese's pieces, and candy eyes to resemble cute penguins. These no-bake treats are perfect for parties or festive snacks and require chilling to set for a perfect finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Mixture
- 12 ounce bag dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp salted butter
Decorations
- 16 ounce package Nutter Butter cookies
- 32 Mini Nilla Wafers
- 64 brown Reese’s pieces
- 48 orange Reese's pieces halved
- 64 Candy eyes
Instructions
- Prepare Chocolate Mixture: Combine the dark chocolate chips, creamy peanut butter, and salted butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir well. Continue heating in 10-15 second increments, stirring between each, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.
- Dip Cookies: Dip each Nutter Butter cookie entirely into the chocolate mixture, then remove with a fork and gently shake off excess chocolate. Place the coated cookie on a wire rack or parchment paper-lined cutting board.
- Add Stomach: Attach a mini Nilla wafer to the center bottom half of the cookie to create the penguin’s stomach.
- Decorate Face: Place two candy eyes on the top half of the cookie, and add half of an orange Reese’s piece cut side down in the center beneath the eyes for the nose.
- Attach Feet: Position two orange Reese’s piece halves horizontally below the mini Nilla wafer to resemble penguin feet.
- Add Wings: Press one brown Reese’s piece on each side of the cookie just below the indent to form wings.
- Repeat: Repeat the dipping and decorating for all 32 cookies to make 32 penguins.
- Chill: Place the decorated penguins in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight to allow the chocolate to set fully.
- Serve: Serve chilled or at room temperature, noting that at room temperature the chocolate may become slightly soft and smudge but will remain delicious.
Notes
- Store finished penguins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- They can also be frozen for up to six months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
- Prepare all Reese’s pieces by separating colors and halving the orange pieces before decorating to streamline the process.
- Open candy eyes and pour out mini Nilla wafers ahead of time for efficiency.
- Avoid overheating the chocolate mixture to prevent burning or separation, although the peanut butter and butter help regulate temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 penguin
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
