The BEST Peanut Butter Blossoms cookie recipe! A soft peanut butter cookie is coated in sugar and topped with a chocolate kiss! These peanut butter kiss cookies are a favorite Christmas cookie that will become a must-make for your holiday cookie trays for years to come!
Everyone has their favorite Christmas cookie. You know, the variety you eat first from the cookie tray and hope no one else reaches for so there is more for YOU to enjoy. These Peanut Butter Blossoms are definitely mine.
I have fond memories of “fighting” with my uncle over the peanut butter kiss cookies at Christmas time (pretty sure he always let me win). So naturally as a grown woman I decided to create my own recipe for the best peanut butter blossom cookies!
In this Hershey kiss cookies recipe, a soft peanut butter cookie is coated in sugar and topped with a chocolate kiss! It’s a favorite Christmas cookie that will become a must-make for your holiday cookie trays for years to come!
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s begin by discussing the ingredients in these peanut butter blossoms and possible substitutions!
- Butter. I use salted butter to make these peanut butter blossom cookies. Unsalted butter also works well, you may just need to increase the amount of sea salt.
- Peanut Butter. I recommend using a variety of peanut butter that is solid at room temperature (Jif, Skippy, Skippy Natural, etc.).
CAN YOU USE NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER IN COOKIES?
Yes, but be aware that the cookies may spread more and be more on the crispy side than the soft side. Also, many natural peanut butters are unsalted, so you may need to increase the amount of salt in the recipe by 1/4 tsp.
- Egg. I have not tried making this recipe with an egg substitute, so if you do let me know in the comments below!
- Milk. Any type of milk works excellently in these peanut butter kiss cookies. I typically use whole milk because it’s what we buy. However 2%, whole, and half-and-half have all worked well for us!
- Vanilla Extract. Please only use pure vanilla extract (not imitation) for the best taste!
- Brown Sugar. I recommend light brown sugar in these peanut butter kisses! However if you like a little bolder, molasses taste then you can try dark brown sugar!
- Granulated Sugar. Organic cane sugar is my granulated sugar of choice, but regular granulated sugar works perfectly!
- Cinnamon. Ok, I truly believe the touch of cinnamon sets these peanut butter blossom cookies apart from the rest. I do not recommend leaving it out, as it greatly enhances the flavor!
- Sea salt. I only ever bake with pure, fine sea salt. If you are using iodized salt I recommend decreasing the amount of salt by 1/2.
How do you make Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies?
Ok, now that we’ve discussed the ingredients in these peanut butter kiss cookies, let’s jump in and discuss how to make them! Don’t forget to watch the video for step-by-step instructions as well!
Unwrap & Freeze Kiss Candies!
The very first step in this peanut butter blossoms recipe is to unwrap and freeze the Hershey kiss candies. The kisses need to be frozen before they are pushed into the warm peanut butter cookies so they don’t melt and lose their shape.
Layer the unwrapped kisses in a pan or in a bowl and toss them in the freezer while you make the rest of the recipe! If you check out these flourless peanut butter blossom cookies you can see how I also have used chocolate shapes in my blossom cookies for a cute holiday twist! They still need to be frozen before being added to the cookies too!
Make the peanut butter blossom dough
Once the kisses are in the freezer, it’s time to make the peanut butter cookie dough. It needs to chill for at least 60 minutes before baking, so keep that in mind!
COMBINE BUTTER & PEANUT BUTTER
Start by beating the softened butter and peanut butter together until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps. This step is important to ensure there are no lumps of butter in the dough!
ADD WET INGREDIENTS
Next add milk, egg and vanilla and beat again until the mixture is light and fluffy and homogenous (uniform throughout).
ADD SUGARS
Next, beat in the brown and granulated sugars until they dissolve and the mixture is light and fluffy. You may need to scrape down the sides and beat a second time!
MIX IN DRY INGREDIENTS
You can either mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before you begin the rest of the recipe – which I recommend to ensure even distribution, or just toss them into the mixer on top of the beaten wet ingredients. Either way, beat them in until they are just combined and the dough is uniform throughout.
CHILL!
In order to achieve the best peanut butter flavor and texture, chilling the peanut butter blossom dough is necessary. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the dough to an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes (or overnight).
WHY SHOULD YOU REFRIGERATE PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOM COOKIE DOUGH BEFORE BAKING?
Since there is double the amount of peanut butter as there is butter in this peanut butter blossoms recipe, chilling helps solidify the fat (peanut butter and butter) and keeps the cookies from spreading too much when baking. It also makes for a chewier peanut butter kiss cookie that holds up better after it has cooled.
MEASURE OUT DOUGH
Use a 1 1/2 to 2 TBS cookie scoop and measure out the dough. I recommend using a cookie scoop because it ensures all the peanut butter blossoms are the same size and bake evenly! Then roll each portion of dough into a smooth ball and place them evenly spaced on a large cookie sheet.
Roll in granulated sugar
Roll each peanut butter blossom cookie ball in granulated sugar until it’s evenly coated, then return to the baking sheet!
BAKE
Place the cookie sheet into the preheated oven and bake the peanut butter blossoms for 10 minutes.
NOTE. ALL OVENS BAKE DIFFERENTLY.
I use a convection oven which uses a fan to distribute heat evenly throughout the oven. My convection oven in our new house bakes differently than my convection oven did in our old house. I had to learn it’s “baking personality” when we moved in and figure out the best way to use it.
It’s important that you know your oven’s personality. Does it bake hot or cold? (keep an inexpensive oven thermometer inside to be sure), are there hot pockets?. etc.
HOW DO YOU TELL IF PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES ARE DONE?
These soft peanut butter cookies are done with the edges look set, the cookies are slightly browned, the cookies have puffed up a little bit and begun to crack slightly.
Press Frozen Kisses into Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
As soon as the peanut butter cookies are removed from the oven, press a frozen kiss gently into the top of each one.
Cool & Enjoy
First, let these peanut butter blossoms cool on the baking sheet for 15-20 minutes. As you can see by their “glistening” appearance in the photo below, even though we press frozen kiss candies into the peanut butter blossom cookies, they still get warm and melty.
Letting them cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes gives time for the Hershey kisses to cool down and set up a little bit before being transferred!
After 15-20 minutes transfer the Hershey kiss cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. They need to be completely cooled and the kisses hardened before they are added to a cookie tray or stacked and stored. However, I always sneak one fresh from the oven, because just can’t resist!
FAQs about Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
How long do peanut butter blossoms last?
These peanut butter kiss cookies stay fresh stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Can you freeze kiss cookies?
Yes! These Hershey kiss cookies can be wrapped, placed in an airtight container and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month!
Can I substitute a different nut or seed butter?
Technically, yes. If you have peanut allergies you can substitute different nut or seed butters for peanut butter. Just be aware that the consistency, sugar content, and ingredients all play into the final outcome of the cookie, and some ingredients may need to be adjusted.
I have a delicious Almond Butter Blossom Cookie recipe that is paleo and vegan (egg-free) if you’re looking for an allergy friendly blossom cookie! Also these gluten-free peanut butter blossoms are so good!
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Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 TBS milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 2 TBS granulated sugar for coating
- 24 chocolate kiss candies unwrapped and frozen
Instructions
- Unwrap 24 chocolate kiss candies. Place unwrapped candies in a container and put them in the freezer.
- In a small bowl mix together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth.
- Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy (about 60 seconds).
- Add egg, milk and vanilla and beat for 60 seconds until the mixture is light in color and sugar is dissolved.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined.
- Transfer dough to an airtight container.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes, and up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Use a small cookie scoop to measure 1 ½ TBS dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
- Rolls the balls of dough in granulated sugar until lightly and evenly coated.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet with at least 1 ½ inches between them (usually 12 fit on a standard large baking sheet).
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes until the cookies look set and puffed and are slightly cracked.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately place one frozen chocolate kiss candy in the middle of each cookie and gently press it into the cookie.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Let the cookies cool for at least 3 hours for best texture!
Video
Notes
Peanut Butter Bossoms: Ingredient Substitutions
- Butter. I use salted butter to make these peanut butter blossom cookies. Unsalted butter also works well, you may just need to increase the amount of sea salt.
- Peanut Butter. I recommend using a variety of peanut butter that is solid at room temperature (Jif, Skippy, Skippy Natural, etc.).
- I don't recommend using runny natural peanut butter.
- If you have peanut allergies and need to substitute other nut or seed butters, this should work but you may need to add a little more milk to the dough.
- Milk. Any type of milk works excellently in these peanut butter kiss cookies. I typically use whole milk because it’s what we buy. However 2%, whole, and half-and-half have all worked well for us!
- Brown Sugar. I recommend light brown sugar in these peanut butter kisses! However if you like a little bolder, molasses taste then you can try dark brown sugar!
- Sea salt. I only ever bake with pure, fine sea salt. If you are using iodized salt I recommend decreasing the amount of salt by 1/2.
Nutrition
MORE DELICIOUS COOKIE RECIPES:
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- Everyone needs a perfect cut-out sugar cookie recipe!
- These Double Chocolate Chip Cookies have three different forms of chocolate!
- This was my grandma’s snickerdoodle cookie recipe!
- These chocolate chip cookie bars are to die for!
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Diana Waldron
I have a recipe I love so never tried making these until tonight. LOVE THESE MORE!
Emily Swanson
I can’t wait to make these for our Christmas caroling cookie plates! 🙂