Peanut Butter Blossoms
A classic Christmas cookie recipe, these Peanut Butter Blossoms are sweet, soft, and unbelievably easy to make. Crucial to any holiday cookie platter, they’re so delicious, you’ll find yourself making them all year long!
History of Peanut Butter Blossoms
A holiday essential, the creation of peanut butter blossom cookies was actually an accident. The story is that they were created by an Ohio resident by the name of Freda Smith. However, she originally set out to make a batch of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies only to discover that she was out of chocolate chips. Instead of tossing out the entire batch of dough, she grabbed a bag of Hershey’s kiss chocolate and plopped one piece on top of each cookie mound. The rest is history as the cookies immediately soured in popularity and even won second place in the 1957 Pillsbury bake-off!
Why These Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Are the Best
There’s more than one reason why everyone loves peanut butter blossoms. Apart from being utterly delicious, they’re also:
- Made with simple ingredients.
- Quick and easy to create.
- Soft, thick, and chewy.
- Loaded with rich flavor.
- Perfect to make ahead of time for parties, gifts, and more.
Ingredients You’ll Need
One of the best things about this peanut butter blossoms recipe is that it comes together with just a handful of simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Flour – We use all-purpose flour for the base of the dough. However, if needed, a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour can be used in its place.
- Butter – We highly recommend opting for unsalted butter to create a rich, buttery flavor without overwhelming the rest of the ingredients.
- Peanut Butter – This is crucial to creating the rich taste we all know and love. It’s best to use processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Natural brands will be too runny and won’t mix into the dough well.
- Sugar – A combination of granulated and light brown sugar helps sweeten the cookies while keeping them soft and moist.
- Egg – Just one egg is needed to help create a rich flavor and hold the batter together.
- Hershey’s Kisses – You can’t have peanut butter blossom cookies without Hershey’s kisses! For a classic recipe, we opt for standard chocolate kisses, but dark chocolate or even white chocolate Hugs taste great, too! Either way, you’ll want to freeze them for at least 30 minutes to prevent the chocolate from melting too quickly.
- Baking Staples – Baking soda, kosher salt, and pure vanilla extract are used to help create fluffy cookies with the best flavor.
How to Make This Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe
If you’ve ever made peanut butter cookies, you basically already know how to make this recipe. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Sift the Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together until smooth.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat again until smooth.
- Combine the Batters. Gently mix the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients.
- Form the Cookies. Use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in sugar, making sure they’re well-coated.
- Bake. Place the dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet roughly 2 inches apart. Bake just until the cookies are light brown and puffed.
- Top. Remove the cookies from the oven, and immediately gently press a Hershey’s kiss in the center of each cookie until the edges are slightly cracked.
Baking should be a smooth process; now, it could really be one. These pre-cut, no-curl parchment paper sheets are there to support your cookies, cakes, breads etc in their baking process. They can withstand up to 450° of heat without curling! Natural, unbleached baking paper for ovens- these sheets are nature’s best.
Make Ahead and Storage Options
This peanut butter blossoms recipe is great to make ahead of time. Just follow the steps below to keep them fresh!
Room Temperature: Once baked and cooled, leftover peanut butter blossoms can be transferred to an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Freezer: The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or, bake your cookies completely, let them cool, and freeze them for up to 3 months. The dough can be baked straight from the freezer, but you’ll likely need to add a minute or two for them to bake completely.
Peanut Butter Blossoms Common Questions
If the cookies fall apart, it’s likely because the dough is too dry. Be sure to measure the ingredients carefully, and add more peanut butter if needed to hold the batter together.
The main reason for these cookies turning out hard is overbaking. Be sure to remove them from the oven as soon as they puff up and begin to brown.
Can I make this recipe nut-free?
Sure, just swap out the peanut butter with any other nut or seed butter such as almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter.
More Classic Cookie Recipes
Looking for more cookie recipes perfect for the holiday season (and all the time in between)? We’ve got you covered with more of our favorites below!
- Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
- Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar + more for rolling
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 dozen (one 11-ounce package Hershey’s Kisses, frozen)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Use an electric mixer to cream the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat again until well blended.
- Gently mix the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients, stirring until no streaks remain.
- Use a small ice cream scoop to portion the dough into 1-inch balls, and roll them into circles. Place the dough on the cookie sheet roughly 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are light brown and puffed.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, and immediately press a Hershey’s kiss into the center of each cookie allowing them to crack slightly.
- Cool slightly, and enjoy.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.