If you are looking for quick and easy recipes for holiday sweets, this is one you’ll want to try out! There are  just 4 simple ingredients: white chocolate (or vanilla) baking chips, dark chocolate (or semi-sweet chocolate) chips, creamy peanut butter, and coconut oil (or shortening). I like using coconut oil instead of shortening myself.

Now I’m not much of a candy-maker, but these are so easy, anyone can make them! You don’t even have to decorate them–you can just pour the melted candy mixture into the mini baking cups and be done with it. But I decided to decorate mine and bought these Wilton supplies in the baking department of my local craft store.

You can probably find these items or similar items in a store near you. Or, you can make your own icing and decorate with that–I bought my icing to save a little time.

The important thing to remember with these is to keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to serve them…if they sit at room temperature for a length of time, they soften and are hard to eat!

I’ll give you the Peanut Butter Chocolate Meltaway recipe first and then tell you a little more about how I decorated them…

HOLIDAY PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE MELTAWAYS by NancyCreative, adapted from Taste of Home

Makes about 4 dozen

• 1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate (or vanilla) baking chips
• 1 cup (6 ounces) dark chocolate chips (or you can substitute semi-sweet)
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil (or you can use shortening)
• 4 to 5 dozen miniature baking liners or candy cups (it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra!)
• assorted decorations, frosting, icing, etc. (optional)

Combine first four ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir. Then return to microwave and cook an additional 30 seconds on high; remove and stir until mixture is smooth.

Separate and arrange empty mini baking liners or candy cups on a clean 10×15″ jelly roll pan. Pour melted chocolate mixture into the mini liners, filling until almost full (if you have a microwaveable mixing bowl with a narrow lip or spout, you can pour the mixture right from that. I didn’t have a lip on my bowl, so I poured the melted chocolate mixture into my liquid glass measuring cup and then poured the mixture into the mini baking liners with that, refilling my measuring cup several times). Place the sheet of filled mini liners into your refrigerator and chill until set. After they’re set (I let mine chill for about an hour), you can decorate them if you want. If you’re not eating these right away, keep stored in refrigerator until ready to serve.

TO DECORATE: You can make little star shapes with a tube of Wilton Decorating Icing, which is very quick and easy to do (make sure you get those plastic tips–sometimes they’re sold separately). Or do the same thing with your own frosting and decorating tools. You can also use small pre-made cookie decorations (I chose some candy canes)–just put some purchased or homemade icing on the back of the decorations (using purchased cookie icing makes this easy because the container has a small tip), then turn the little shape over and place on top of your Peanut Butter Meltaway (the icing works as a “glue” to stick the little shapes onto your candies).

So easy, cute, and festive!

Do you have a favorite candy recipe you like to make at the holidays?