Max Nutter Butters

With a few pantry sweets, candies and a steady hand, you can turn Nutter Butter sandwich cookies into Max, the Grinch’s loyal pup and sidekick created by Dr. Seuss. A swipe of melted white baking chocolate serves as a sweet “glue,” pretzel halves stick out like jaunty horns, soft caramels transform into ears, candy eyes look back at you and single Red Hots serve as a bright red nose.

Make these Max Nutter Butters at home when you want a no-bake holiday project that doubles as dessert. The parts set up quickly, so invite assembly-line helpers to scale the treats easily for a cookie platter. This Grinch-inspired recipe turns one box of cookies and a handful of candies into a tray of instantly recognizable, grin-inducing Maxes.

Max Nutter Butter Ingredients

• Nutter Butter cookies: These sandwich cookies form the face and foundation for each treat, giving you a flat surface for attaching decorations. Their peanut butter flavor complements the caramel and white chocolate for a sweet-salty profile.
• Pretzels: Halved pretzels become playful horns on top of each cookie, adding height and a recognizable silhouette. The salty crunch provides contrast to all the sugary components.
• White baking chocolate: Melted white chocolate acts as an edible “glue,” firmly attaching the horns, ears, eyes and noses to the cookies as they cool and set. It also adds creamy vanilla sweetness and a glossy finish that makes the decorations look polished.
• Candy eyes: Candy eyes add instant expression, so each cookie reads as the Max character at a glance. Their flat backs adhere neatly to the melted chocolate for a secure, tidy hold.
• Red Hots: A single Red Hot becomes the bold red nose that visually ties each cookie’s face together. The candy’s cinnamon warmth adds a spicy counterpoint to the sweetness of the caramel, cookie and chocolate too.
• Caramels: Soft caramels can be molded into ear shapes that keep their form once the chocolate sets. The chew and buttery flavor bring a satisfying contrast to the crisp cookie and snappy chocolate.

Directions

Step 1: Attach a pretzel horn, and shape and attach the caramel ears

To assemble a Max, use melted chocolate to attach a pretzel half to the top point of one cookie, so the pretzel is pointing out like a horn. Mold the caramel halves into ear shapes and attach them with white chocolate.

Step 2: Add eyes and a nose, then repeat with the remaining ingredients

Attach two eyes and one Red Hot nose with white chocolate. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to finish making the rest of the cookies.

Max Nutter Butter Variations

• Coat, then decorate: Dip the cookies in melted dark or milk chocolate, let the excess drip off, and add the horns, ears, eyes and noses while the coating is still tacky for fully enrobed treats.
• Trade the nose: To vary the color and flavor, use mini chocolate candies, peanut M&M’s or jelly beans in place of the Red Hots.
• Add sparkle: Brush on sanding sugar or edible glitter while the chocolate is wet to give the faces shimmer and texture.

How to Store Max Nutter Butters

Let the chocolate set completely, then store the decorated cookies in an airtight food storage container at room temperature. Keep them in a single layer or separate stacked layers with parchment to protect the candy eyes, noses and caramel ears from smudging.

How long do Max Nutter Butters last?

For the best texture and appearance, enjoy Max Nutter Butters within three to four days. Keep the container away from heat and humidity for freshness.

Max Nutter Butter Tips

What else can you serve with Max Nutter Butters?

Round out a Grinch-y spread by pairing these with a Grinch charcuterie board, Grinch guacamole and Grinch pound cake. Add a few classic Christmas cookies and set out peppermint hot chocolate to keep the party merry.

What’s the easiest way to shape the caramel halves into ears without the caramels sticking to my hands?

The easiest way to shape the caramels for Max Nutter Butters is to roll each caramel half between clean, slightly greased fingers for 10 to 20 seconds to soften, then mold them on parchment with lightly greased fingers. Press the shaped ears onto a dab of melted chocolate so they hold once set.

How do I keep the pretzel horns from sliding or popping off the Max Nutter Butters?

To keep the pretzel horns in place on the Max Nutter Butters, anchor an intact side in a pea-sized dot of melted chocolate at the cookie’s top point and hold it for 10 to 20 seconds. Set the cookies on a cool sheet pan and chill for five minutes so the chocolate hardens before adding the eyes and noses.