Peanut Butter Blossoms, also called Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies, are soft, chewy, and a Holiday favorite! Soft peanut butter cookies topped with a sweet Hershey Kiss – the perfect combination for any dessert lover.
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Homemade Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms are easily one of the best Holiday cookies around because they are incredibly easy to make, include both chocolate AND peanut butter, and are both soft and chewy. They are a tried-and-true cookie that has been around for many generations.
Growing up, my mom would always make a few batches of these cookies to include on her Christmas trays. Once I married my hubby, these cookies quickly became his favorite and now my mom ends up making several batches for him to snack on and freeze to enjoy even after the Holidays.
What is a Peanut Butter Blossom?
The peanut butter blossom cookie originated in 1957 as an entry into the 1957 Pillsbury Bake-Off contest. The cookie was originally named Black-eyed Susan’s but was renamed by Pillsbury to the Peanut Butter Blossom cookie. Made with peanut butter cookie dough and topped with a Hershey Kiss chocolate candy. The cookie is considered a snack or dessert and is often served at events or during holidays in the United States.
What makes this recipe the best?
With so many recipes for Peanut Butter Blossoms on the Internet, you are probably wondering why THESE are the best. Well, here are just a few reasons:
- Simple- this recipe is pretty straightforward and easy to prepare. A great way to get kids into the kitchen
- Flavorful- combining both peanut butter and chocolate into one mouthwatering cookie
- Soft and Chewy- the ultimate texture in a cookie
- Freezer Friendly- perfect to make ahead of time and freeze until ready to enjoy
- No Chilling Required- some recipes require chilling, this recipe however does NOT, so they are ready in under 30 minutes
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what you need to make this classic Christmas cookie recipe. You can find the full printable recipe below.
- Flour- we use all-purpose flour as the base of these peanut butter cookies.
- Baking Soda- this helps the cookies rise.
- Salt- unsalted butter is best, adds flavor and activates the baking soda
- Butter- adds flavor and structure. Make sure you have room temperature butter before beginning.
- Creamy Peanut Butter- For best results, use processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy
- Sugar- adds just the right amount of sweetness
- Light Brown Sugar- this adds sweetness and the softness to the cookies
- Large Egg- binds everything together
- Vanilla- adds great flavor
- Hershey Kisses- this is the “blossom” of the cookie, a MUST
How to make Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms
Makes about 3 dozen per batch.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Sift together flour, soda, and salt in a medium bowl, set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar using a hand mixer or bowl of a stand mixer.
- Stir in egg and vanilla, beat well.
- Blend in the flour mixture gradually and mix thoroughly.
- Shape peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls using a rounded teaspoonful or cookie scoop.
- Roll balls through a bowl of sugar and place on baking sheets.
- Bake for a cook time of about 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven, place Hershey kiss in center of each cookie, pressing down firmly so that the cookie “cracks” around the edges.
- Return back to oven for an additional 2-4 minutes, until golden brown.
- Allow to cool a few minutes before placing on wire racks.
Recipe Variations
- Hershey Chocolate Kisses come in lots of different flavors, for a bit of variety, feel free to try dark chocolate, peppermint, cookies and creme, red velvet, or any other flavor you may come across.
- Use Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (mini) in place of the Hershey Kiss.
- Roll the dough balls into green and red sanding sugar for an added festive touch with these cookies.
Tips and FAQ’s
- Be sure the use room temperature ingredients. This will make for a better, smoother cookie dough and softer cookies.
- To add a bit of sparkle to each cookie, roll the dough through granulated sugar prior to baking.
- If you want to add more to the texture, feel free to use Chunky Peanut Butter.
- For a nut-free version, swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter.
- Why are my Peanut Butter Blossoms dry? The most likely reason for this is not measuring flour properly or over-baking. Make sure you either spoon and level (no scooping!) or use a kitchen scale to measure your flour.
- Can I freeze Peanut Butter Blossoms? Absolutely! Allow to cool completely and place in a freezer friendly container. They should be good for about 3 months.
Storing Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
- The peanut butter blossom recipe is a classic treat for cookie platters, cookie swaps, and more. Store peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, which will help the chocolate kiss stay nice and soft. They will keep for several days before they start to dry out. Place parchment paper between layers to avoid sticking.
- You can make the blossom cookie dough ahead of time and freeze it! Freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to three months. Defrost in the refrigerator, then roll into balls and bake according to the recipe. Or freeze cookie dough balls to avoid having to roll them once thawed.
- If you choose to freeze baked cookies, they will last for two months in an airtight container.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes to try
- Christmas M & M Cookie Bars– soft, gooey, and loaded with both chocolate chips AND M&M’s throughout!
- Chocolate Crinkle Candy Cane Blossoms- takes the classic Chocolate Crinkle Cookie and stuff it with a Candy Cane Peppermint Kiss.
- TOP Christmas Cookie Collection– a tried and true collection of all the BEST Holiday cookies
- Macaroon Kiss Cookies– combine flaky sweetened coconut flakes and cream cheese for a chewy cookie everyone will enjoy!
- Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies– loaded with all your favorite mix-ins like chocolate chips, M & M’s, pretzels, and even crushed potato chips. A soft, chewy, salty, and sweet cookie perfect for any Christmas cookie plate!
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Classic Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup flour *all-purpose
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter *unsalted
- ½ cup peanut butter *creamy
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 36 Hershey Kisses *unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Sift together flour, soda, and salt, set aside.
- In a different mixing bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
- Add in egg and vanilla, beat well.
- Blend in the dry ingredients gradually and mix thoroughly.
- Shape dough into balls using a rounded teaspoonful for each.
- Roll balls through a bowl of sugar and place on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven, place Hershey kiss in middle pressing down firmly so that the cookie “cracks” around the edges.
- Return back to oven for an additional 1-2 minutes, until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
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