Prepare for chilling
Line a jelly roll pan or half‑sheet pan with parchment paper and set it aside. This helps with easy lifting later.

Make the peanut butter mixture
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the melted (and cooled) butter, creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the mixture becomes firm and pliable — like dough.

Press and chill
Transfer the peanut butter mixture to the prepared pan. Use a spatula or your hands (covered with plastic wrap) to press it evenly into a roughly ½‑inch thick layer. Smooth the top so it’s even. Place the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes. This helps firm up the base so you can cut out shapes neatly.

Cut out Christmas trees
After the initial freeze, carefully lift the parchment paper to remove the firm peanut butter layer from the pan. Place a fresh sheet of parchment paper back onto the pan. Using a small Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut out shapes from the chilled peanut butter layer — aim for roughly ½‑inch thick. Transfer the cutouts to a new parchment‑lined sheet pan.

Reuse scraps
Scoop up the leftover peanut butter mixture, press it again to ½‑inch thickness, and cut out additional trees until you’ve used as much as possible. Freeze the shaped trees for another 25–30 minutes so they firm up completely.

Prepare the chocolate coating
In a heatproof bowl, combine the semi‑sweet (or semi + milk) chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of shortening. Microwave in 30‑second intervals, stirring after each session until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. The shortening helps the chocolate coat evenly and prevents it from developing a dull or streaky finish.

Coat the peanut butter trees
Remove a few chilled peanut butter cutouts from the freezer at a time. Using a fork, dip each tree into the melted chocolate, coating it completely. Tap the fork gently to let excess chocolate drip off, then place the coated tree back onto the parchment‑lined tray. Work in batches to avoid melting the peanut butter center from handling.

Let the chocolate set
Allow the chocolate coating to harden at room temperature or place the tray in the refrigerator to speed up the process.

Optional drizzle for decoration
For a festive touch, prepare a drizzle: melt the milk chocolate and white chocolate chips (half teaspoon shortening per ½ cup of chips) in separate bowls using the microwave in 30‑second bursts until smooth. Transfer each melted chocolate into a small piping bag or a plastic sandwich bag. Snip a tiny corner off the bag and drizzle zigzag patterns over the chocolate‑coated trees. Let the drizzle set for about 5 minutes.

Serve or store
Once the chocolate is fully set, your Chocolate Peanut Butter Christmas Trees are ready to enjoy or store away for later.