Chocolate Star Cookies are probably one of my favorite traditional Christmas treats! This recipe has been in my family for years, and it’s perfect for Christmas cookie swaps, gifting, or get-togethers.

(This recipe post was originally posted here on the blog in 2011, but I’ve updated it with new photos and improved the recipe instructions a bit.)

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Chocolate Star Cookies

Before I left home to get married, I copied down all the recipes that held special memories for me.

Not surprisingly, many of the recipes were desserts (one exception to that would be this Bierocks recipe)!

But this favorite recipe for chocolate star cookies always makes me happy when I see it.

I still remember how special it was when my mom would make these at Christmastime. I don’t ever remember eating chocolate star candies at any other time of the year, so that made these cookies seem extra special.

We usually use unbleached all purpose flour in this recipe, but when I made them recently, we ran out of unbleached and used whole wheat pastry flour instead. (I grind my own, but you can find pre-ground whole wheat pastry flour here.)

We thought the cookies (the ones pictured) spread out a bit more than they do with white flour, but they were still really good!

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup flour (I usually use unbleached flour)
1/2 tsp salt (This is my favorite salt.)
1/2 cup shortening or butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 unbeaten egg
2 TBSP milk
1 tsp vanilla (Make your own vanilla extract.)
1 bag of chocolate star candies

Instructions:

Mix dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
Cream together the butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat well.
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ones, and beat until smooth.
Shape into golf-ball-sized balls. Roll in white sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 8 minutes.
Remove from oven. Press a chocolate star firmly into each cookie. Return to oven and bake 4 minutes more.
I let mine cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool. his made about 45-50 cookies (the amount depends on the size of your dough balls—smaller ones make more).

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Star Cookies

This recipe is one I remember from childhood, and now I love making these for my children! These are perfect for Christmas cookie swaps, gifting, or get-togethers!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Servings: cookies

Author: Joy Kincaid

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour I used unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening I used butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 unbeaten egg
2 TBSP milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag of chocolate star candies

Instructions

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
Cream together the shortening/butter, peanut butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat well.
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ones, and beat until smooth.
Shape into golf-ball-sized balls. Roll in white sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 8 minutes. If they seem to be cooking too fast (getting too dark) try lowering your oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Remove from oven. Press a chocolate star firmly into each cookie. Return to oven and bake 4 minutes more.
I let mine cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool. This made about 45-50 cookies. The amount of cookies it makes depends on the size of your dough balls (smaller ones make more).