Description
Peanut Butter Penguins are charming, no-bake treats made by coating Nutter Butter cookies in a rich chocolate-peanut butter mixture and decorating them with candy for a fun and festive look. Perfect for holiday parties or kid-friendly snacks, these penguins combine creamy peanut butter, dark chocolate, and colorful Reese’s pieces to create an adorable and delicious dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Mixture
- 12 ounce bag dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp salted butter
Penguin Assembly
- 16 ounce package Nutter Butter cookies (32 cookies)
- 32 Mini Nilla Wafers
- 64 brown Reese’s pieces
- 48 orange Reese's pieces, halved
- 64 Candy eyes
Instructions
- Prepare the chocolate mixture: Combine the dark chocolate chips, creamy peanut butter, and salted butter in a medium-sized, 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 the cookies: Dip each Nutter Butter cookie into the chocolate mixture until fully covered. Use a fork to lift it out and gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the coated cookie on a wire rack or parchment paper-lined cutting board to set.
- Assemble the penguin's stomach: Press a mini Nilla wafer into the center of the bottom half of each dipped cookie to form the penguin’s stomach.
- Add the face features: Attach two candy eyes to the top half of the cookie and place half of an orange Reese’s piece, cut side down, in between the eyes to create the nose.
- Create the feet: Position two orange Reese’s piece halves, cut side down, horizontally just below the Nilla wafer to represent the penguin’s feet.
- Attach the wings: Place two brown Reese’s pieces, one on either side just below the cookie’s indent, as wings.
- Repeat: Continue assembling all 32 penguins using the same process.
- Chill: Place the decorated penguins in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight to allow the chocolate to set.
- Serve: Enjoy chilled or at room temperature. Note that room temperature may cause slight chocolate smearing but the penguins remain delicious.
Notes
- Store the penguins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week to maintain firmness and freshness.
- For longer storage, freeze the penguins for up to six months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Prepare the Reese’s pieces by sorting and halving the orange ones before starting to make the assembly process smoother.
- Have all mini Nilla wafers and candy eyes ready and opened before decorating for efficiency.
- Be careful not to overheat the chocolate mixture to prevent burning; the peanut butter and butter will help make the mixture forgiving but heating gently is best.
- Using a wire rack for cooling allows excess chocolate to drip off cleanly for neat presentation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 penguin
- Calories: 200 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
