These three ingredient "ritz cookies" add a little bit of family fun to the holidays! Kids can help assemble and dip them. Buttery crackers get filled with peanut butter and dipped in melted chocolate!
Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies:
I have fond memories of making these ritz cookies with my sister when we were teenagers. They're surprisingly delicious for minimal effort and just 3 ingredients!
Most people use peanut butter as the filling (myself included!), but you can also use cookie butter, Nutella, or your favorite spread!
These chocolate dipped "cookies" are perfect for the holidays. You can add festive sprinkles in any color!
Key Ingredients:
- Ritz crackers - I prefer Ritz brand so I wait for them to go on sale or buy them at Costco. You can use an off-brand if you like. The buttery, crisp crackers are perfect with sweet fillings!
- Peanut butter - My favorite and the most classic filling. I used Peter Pan creamy peanut butter. You can also use cookie butter, Nutella, granola butter, or almond butter.
- Melting wafers - I highly recommend Ghirardelli's melting wafers! You don't have to temper the chocolate for it to set up and harden. You can use milk, dark, or white chocolate!
- Toppings (optional) - Sprinkles, chopped nuts, crushed cookies, mini chocolate chips, and mallow bits are all great options!
How to Make Ritz Cookies:
Ritz cookies are SO easy and fun to make!
1. Fill the crackers
- Fill the crackers to make "sandwiches".
- You can use a butter knife, small offset spatula, or piping bag to spread the filling onto the crackers.
- I used a small offset spatula to spread 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of peanut butter on each cracker.
- You only need to spread filling on half the crackers! The rest are the "tops" of the sandwiches.
2. Melt the chocolate
- Melt the chocolate according to the package's directions.
- Ghirardelli melting wafers make it SO easy because you don't need to temper the chocolate.
- The chocolate should be melted and smooth, but not hot. If you overheat the chocolate, it can burn and get clumpy.
3. Dip & decorate the "cookies"
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper for easy removal. It prevents the chocolate from sticking to the pan.
- Place one of the sandwiches into the chocolate and use a fork to gently push it under the chocolate.
- Nestle the same fork under the sandwich and lift it out of the chocolate.
- Gently shake the fork so the excess chocolate drips off the cookie.
- Carefully place the chocolate dipped cookie onto the sheet pan and add sprinkles!
- Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
Filling Ideas:
Peanut butter is the most popular filling, but it's not the only one you can use!
Feel free to try different fillings and find your favorite. Nutella, cookie butter, almond butter, granola butter, and thick caramel spread are all delicious options!
Topping Ideas:
The sky is the limit for toppings! Anything small and crunchy tastes great on these little cookies. Here's a few ideas to get you started:
- Sprinkles - Jimmies, nonpareils, sanding sugar, sequins, etc.
- Crushed nuts - Honey roasted peanuts, candied pecans, sliced almonds, etc.
- Candy - Mini M&M's, crushed peppermints (with Nutella filling!), mallow bits, etc.
- Minced dried fruit - Dried cranberries, apricots, or cherries
- Mini chocolate chips
- Crushed cookies
Do I have to use melting wafers?
You don't have to use melting wafers, but it makes life so much easier. Chocolate needs to be tempered to set up properly. Un-tempered chocolate melts easily and doesn't snap like it should. Melting wafers don't need to be tempered and set up quickly!
Ghirardelli's melting wafers taste delicious, so you don't have to sacrifice taste for convenience!
Storage & Freezing:
- Store chocolate dipped cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Peanut butter ritz cookies are freezer-friendly too! Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Must-Try Cookie Recipes:
- Instant Oatmeal Cookies
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Coconut Pecan Cookies
- Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
- 19 Festive Peppermint Dessert Recipes
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Chocolate Dipped Ritz "Cookies"
Equipment
- Microwave-safe bowl
Ingredients
- 30 Ritz crackers
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter or Nutella, cookie butter, or any sweet spread!
- 10 ounce bag of Ghirardelli chocolate melting wafers I used dark chocolate, see note
Toppings of choice:
- sprinkles
- chopped nuts
- mini chocolate chips
- crushed cookies
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to spread 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of peanut butter on half of the crackers.
- Place the remaining crackers on top of the peanut butter filled crackers to make "sandwiches". Set them aside.
- Transfer the melting wafers to a deep microwave-safe bowl. Follow the package's directions to melt the chocolate. I melted it in 30-second increments, stirring in between. Don't overheat the chocolate.
- Place a ritz sandwich into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to gently push the sandwich under the chocolate.
- Use the same fork and nestle it under the sandwich, then lift it out of the chocolate. It should be completely covered in chocolate.
- Give the fork a gentle shake and let the excess chocolate drip off the cookie. This is important or the cookies won't look good.
- Carefully transfer the chocolate dipped "cookie" to the parchment paper and top with sprinkles.
- Repeat with the remaining ritz sandwiches. Let the cookies set up, then store in an airtight container.
Leftover chocolate:
- Pour any leftover chocolate onto a piece of parchment paper. Once it hardens, break it up, and put it back in the wafer bag.
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