Mini Peanut Butter Cup Wreath Cookies

Directions

• 1. Heat oven to 350°F.
• 2. Beat butter and sugar in medium bowl until fluffy. Add peanut butter, beating until smooth. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. (If necessary, refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle.) Roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls; place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. (Cookies spread while baking.)
• 3. Bake 13 to 14 minutes or until cookie is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool several minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
• 4. Prepare ROYAL ICING. Tint about 2 tablespoons icing deep pink or red with red food color; place in heavy duty (freezer) resealable food storage bag. Use green food color to tint the remaining icing desired shade of green; place in pastry bag with leaf tip.
• 5. For each wreath cookie, use green icing to "glue" about 8 mini peanut butter cups with narrow surface up along outside edge of cookie. Starting from the center of cookie pipe icing between each peanut butter cup to outside edge of cookie forming the green wreath. Place additional mini peanut butter cup in center of wreath.
• 6. Cut off tip of food storage bag about 1/8th inch from one corner. Squeeze dots of red icing onto wreath to form the berries. Decorate with additional decorative candies and sugars, if desired. Makes about 20 cookie wreaths.*
• ROYAL ICING: Stir together 4-1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup warm water and 2 tablespoons pasteurized dried egg whites (meringue powder). Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until spreadable. Add additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if too thick. Divide icing into small bowls for each color desired and tint with food colorings. Transfer icing to pastry bags with desired tip. Cover icings and tips of pastry bags with damp paper towels to keep icing from drying out. (Some icing garnishes may need a firmer icing to hold their shape. Stir in small amounts of powdered sugar to get the desired consistency.) 2 cups icing.
• *This amount will make about 7 peanut butter cup wreaths. You will need about two more bags to complete all the cookies in this manner. If desired, the remaining cookie wreaths can be decorated with only the frosting and small decorative candies.