Best Peanut Butter Blossoms

Name: Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: ½ cup salted butter ((softened)); 1 cup creamy peanut butter; 1 Tablespoon whole milk ((room temperature)); ½ cup granulated sugar; ½ cup light brown sugar ((packed)); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 egg ((room temperature)); 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar ((for coating)); 24 chocolate kiss candies ((unwrapped and frozen))

By Laura Sandford

Updated Sep 28, 2026

5 from 18 votes

32 Comments

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These peanut butter blossoms are soft and chewy with a rich peanut butter flavor, a crunchy sugar coating and chocolate kiss in the middle! Peanut butter kiss cookies are a classic holiday cookie and these are truly the best!

14 peanut butter blossoms cookies on a marble surface with a sugar coating, melty chocolate kisses and wrapped red, green and silver kiss candies around them.

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 mine – and they’re the best you’ll ever make. A touch of cinnamon in the dough makes them irresistibly delicious, and freezing the Hershey’s Kisses before adding them keeps the chocolate perfectly shaped!

These peanut butter kiss cookies are made with twice as much peanut butter as butter for an irresistibly soft, chewy texture and bold peanut butter flavor. Then, each cookie is rolled in sugar and topped with a frozen chocolate kiss for the perfect peanut butter-chocolate combination.

8 peanut butter blossom cookies, one has a bite taken out of it so they chewy texture and melty chocolate kiss are showing. There's a wrapped green kiss candy in the bottom right corner

Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Blossoms

Best texture. Soft chewy centers & crisp edges.
Seriously peanut buttery This recipe uses twice as much peanut butter as butter.
A touch of cinnamon. My secret ingredient enhances the peanut butter flavor and makes these peanut butter blossoms extra special.
Perfectly shaped Kisses. Freezing the Hershey’s Kisses before pressing them into the warm cookies keeps them from melting and losing their shape.
Best Christmas cookie! They’re a must-make for holiday cookie trays, Christmas parties and cookie exchanges.

The absolute BEST peanut butter blossom recipe!!!! Sooooo freaking delicious, moist and the cinnamon is the perfect touch. 1000/10!
– Sydney

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7 peanut butter blossoms cookies on a marble surface with a sugar coating and melty chocolate kisses

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions

Let’s begin by discussing the ingredients in these peanut butter blossoms and possible substitutions!

overhead view of the ingredients in this peanut butter blossom cookies recipe in bowls and labeled like butter, peanut butter, flour, cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate kisses.

Salted Butter. unsalted butter or vegan butter are good substitutes.
Peanut Butter. I recommend a creamy peanut butter that is solid at room temperature, such as Jif or Skippy, for the softest, chewiest peanut butter blossoms. Natural peanut butter can be used, but because it tends to be runnier and the oil separates, the cookies may spread more and have a slightly crispier texture.
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.
Light Brown Sugar. If you like a little bolder, molasses taste use dark brown sugar.
Granulated Sugar. white sugar or organic cane sugar are the best choices.
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 half.
Hershey’s Kisses. Classic milk chocolate Hershey’s Kisses are my favorite for peanut butter blossoms. Unwrap and freeze them before you begin making the cookie dough so they hold their shape when they’re pressed into the warm cookies. You can also use dark chocolate Kisses, Hugs or another chocolate candy.

5 peanut butter blossom cookies, one has a bite taken out of it so they chewy texture and melty chocolate kiss are showing. There's a wrapped green kiss candy in the bottom right corner

How to Make Peanut Butter Blossoms

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 the Hershey’s Kisses

The 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.

making peanut butter blossoms - unwrapped chocolate kisses in a clear glass bowl on a metal surface with red, green and silver kiss wrappers around it and wrapped kissed candies too

Make the Peanut Butter Blossoms 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!

Start by beating the softened butter and peanut butter together until the mixture is smooth.

Then, beat in the brown and granulated sugars until they dissolve and the mixture is light and fluffy, about 1 minute. You may need to scrape down the sides and beat a second time!

making Peanut Butter Blossoms recipe in a standing mixer - a stick of butter and peanut butter before beating

making Peanut Butter Blossoms recipe in a standing mixer - adding sugars to butter/peanut butter mixture

Next add the milk, egg and vanilla and beat again until the mixture is light and fluffy – about 30 seconds.

making Peanut Butter Blossoms recipe in a standing mixer - adding egg, vanilla and milk

Next, addd the dry ingredients and beat until combined.

The dry ingredients can either be combined in a small bowl before you begin the rest of the recipe – which I recommend to ensure even distribution, or added to the mixer on top of the beaten wet ingredients.

making Peanut Butter Blossoms cookies in a standing mixer - adding dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients

making Peanut Butter Blossoms recipe in a standing mixer - dough in a standing mixer after beating some in the glass bowl and some on the white paddle attachment

Chill the Dough

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).

making peanut butter blossoms cookies - dough in a glass bowl with a dark blue spatula

Portion The Dough

Use a 1 to 2 Tablespoon 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.

making peanut butter blossoms - a metal cookie scoop with a portion of dough in it being held over the rest of the dough in a glass bowl

Roll in Sugar

Roll each peanut butter blossom cookie ball in granulated sugar until it’s evenly coated, then return to the baking sheet!

making peanut butter blossoms - cookie dough ball in a glass bowl of sugar being coated with the sugar

making peanut butter blossoms - 12 sugar-coated cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper before baking

Bake the Peanut Butter Blossoms

Place the cookie sheet into the preheated oven and bake the peanut butter blossoms for 10 minutes.

making peanut butter blossoms - 12 baked peanut butter blossom cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper after baking

Add Frozen Chocolate Kisses

As soon as the peanut butter cookies are removed from the oven, press a frozen kiss gently into the top of each one.

making peanut butter blossoms - a hand pressing a frozen chocolate kiss into the top of a baked peanut butter blossom cookie

making peanut butter blossoms - 12 peanut butter blossom cookies with the chocolate kisses pressed onto the top on a baking sheet lined with white parchment paper. cookies are in 4 rows of 3.

Cool & Serve

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!

7 peanut butter blossoms cookies on a baking sheet lined with white parchment paper right after they've been removed from the oven and the chocolate kisses have been pressed into the top. The kisses are warm and shiny.

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.

7 peanut butter blossoms on a metal wire cooling rack

Make Fun Christmas Shapes

One thing I love doing to make these peanut butter blossom cookies even more festive is to melt chocolate and make it into cute Christmas shapes. To do this, melt your favorite milk or semisweet chocolate and put it into holiday silicone molds and freeze.

making peanut butter blossoms - melted chocolate being put into a green Christmas silicone candy omld

making peanut butter blossoms - a frozen chocolate Santa being held over a green silicone mold

Then press the frozen chocolates into the cookies just like you would with the Hershey kisses. They look so cute!

peanut butter blossoms with festive holiday chocolate shapes in them like santas, presents, Christmas trees and candy canes.

How to Store Peanut Butter Blossoms

Store peanut butter blossoms in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Make sure the cookies are completely cool and the chocolate Kisses have hardened before stacking them. Or, you can store them on a cookie tray covered in plastic wrap or foil.

How to Freeze Peanut Butter Blossoms

Let the cookies cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw slowly at room temperature – do not microwave.

Or, you can freeze the dough. Portion it out and roll it in sugar, then freeze in an airtight container. When your’e ready to bake, thaw to room temperature and bake according to the recipe instructions.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies Recipe FAQs

Can I substitute a different nut or seed butter?

Yes, sunflower seed butter, cashew butter, etc. are good substitutes.
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.

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.

Can you use natural peanut butter in this recipe?

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.

Do I have to use Hershey Kisses?

Nope. You can use any chocolate candy you wish in this recipe, just be sure to unwrap and freeze them first. I highly recommend using peanut butter cups and making peanut butter cup cookies, yum.

Why are my peanut butter blossoms dry?

The biggest reason for this is using too much flour. Follow the metric measurements for the best results. Overbaking also results in dry cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven when they’re puffed, set and just beginning to crack. They continue to bake slightly as they cool on the pan.

Why do peanut butter blossoms crack?

Some cracking is normal—and desirable! When you press the Hershey’s Kiss into the warm cookie, the edges should crack slightly around the chocolate.

Why did my peanut butter blossoms spread?

They can spread if they dough isn’t chilled all the way or if you used natural peanut butter. Also if you didn’t use enough flour.

When should you add the kisses to the cookies?

Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven. Gently press one frozen Hershey’s Kiss into the top of each warm cookie.

3 peanut butter blossoms cookies on a marble surface with a sugar coating, melty chocolate kisses and wrapped red, green and silver kiss candies around them.

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