Description
Peanut Butter Blossoms are classic, soft, chewy peanut butter cookies topped with a melted Hershey’s Kiss. These cookies combine creamy peanut butter flavor with a sugary exterior and a rich chocolate center, making them perfect for holidays, parties, or anytime you want a nostalgic treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup peanut butter (not natural peanut butter, preferably Jif)
- 1 large egg
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For Rolling and Topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (for rolling the dough balls)
- 40 Hershey’s Kisses (about half an 11-ounce package)
Instructions
- Freeze Hershey’s Kisses: Place the bag of Hershey’s Kisses in the freezer to chill. This ensures they won’t fall off the cookies when pressed in after baking.
- Cream Butter: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add Sugars: Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup packed brown sugar to the butter. Beat until light and fluffy, making sure no butter chunks remain.
- Incorporate Peanut Butter: Mix in 1 cup of peanut butter thoroughly until combined.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until well combined.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Place 1 and 1/2 cups flour in the bowl, but don’t mix yet. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt on top of the flour and lightly stir together with a teaspoon.
- Combine Dough: Turn mixer on low to blend the dry ingredients just until the flour streaks disappear and the dough starts coming together. Avoid overmixing to prevent tough cookies. Scrape down sides and bottom as necessary.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough and refrigerate for 15 minutes to an hour, or up to 2 days if preferred.
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Pour about 1/2 cup granulated sugar into a small bowl for rolling.
- Shape Dough Balls: Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form 1-inch dough balls.
- Roll in Sugar: Roll each dough ball in the granulated sugar to coat completely. Place them on baking sheets, spacing close together (about 15 cookies per 11×17 inch baking sheet) since these cookies don’t spread much.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookie edges are set and the centers look matte, not shiny. They’ll be plump cookie mounds.
- Freeze Kisses Again: While baking, unwrap the frozen Hershey’s Kisses and return them to the freezer until cookies come out of the oven.
- Add Hershey’s Kisses: Remove cookies from oven and immediately press one chilled Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie. The edges will crack around the chocolate.
- Cool Cookies: Let cookies rest on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The chocolate will melt but keep its shape. Optionally, chill cookies briefly in fridge/freezer to speed cooling.
- Serve: Enjoy the cookies warm or at room temperature, ideally with a tall glass of milk!
Notes
- Chilling the Hershey’s Kisses before pressing them into the warm cookies helps them stay in place.
- Do not overmix the dough to keep the cookies tender and soft.
- You can chill the dough for up to 2 days for convenience and enhanced flavor.
- Rolling dough balls in sugar gives the cookies a slight crunchy exterior texture.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
