Peanut Butter Buttons

Cup Peanut Butter Chips
Cup Smooth Peanut Butter (Not Natural)
1 Cup Unsalted Butter, At Room Temperature
Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
Cup Sugar
1 Large Egg
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Flour
Red Licorice Strings (Optional)

1. Heat the oven to 375F.  Microwave the peanut putter chips at medium heat for 1 minute.  Stir the chips.  If they’re still not melted, microwave them for another minute, then stir them until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the melted chips, peanut butter, butter, and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. Blend in the egg, vanilla extract, and salt.  Gradually beat in the flour on low speed until a firm dough forms.
3. Working with half the batch at a time, roll out the dough to a -inch thickness on a flour-dusted surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin.  Cut out cookies with a 3-inch round biscuit cutter and transfer them to ungreased baking sheets.  Reroll the dough scraps for additional cookies.
4. Press the bottom of a small drinking glass into the center of each cookie to create a circular indentation.  Then use the end of a drinking straw to cut four buttonholes in each cookie (twisting the straw a quarter turn each time will lift the dough from the hole).
5. Bake the cookies until set and slightly golden on the bottom, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Let them cool on the sheets for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire racks to cool completely.  Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
6. For a fun finishing touch, lace licorice string through the holes of each cookie.  Starting from the back, thread a piece of licorice through the holes, crisscrossing it in front of the cookie.  Trim the ends to about inch long, leaving them loose at the back.

Recipe Credit: Mom Central