Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Blossoms are soft peanut butter cookies with a crackly sugar coating and a chocolate kiss candy in the middle.

What are Peanut Butter Blossoms?

They are a thick, sugar-coated peanut butter cookie topped with a Hershey’s chocolate kiss in the center.

The recipe was created back in 1957 by an amateur baker named Freda Smith who entered the cookies in the annual Pillsbury bake-off contest. Interestingly enough, Freda did not win first place, but the recipe was a runner-up in the contest, and it was later published in several cookbooks. Fast forward to today – these easy peanut butter and chocolate kiss cookies are still very popular among many families!

There are many blossom cookie recipes around – made with other cookie flavors and topped with different varieties of Hershey’s Kisses. But chocolate and peanut butter remain the original flavor pairing and it is still among the most popular version of this delicious, classic cookie.

• The combination of chocolate and peanut butter together is a classic and delicious flavor pairing in every bite!
• Our peanut butter cookies bake up super moist and not crumbly – fixing one of the most common complaints about this recipe.
• These cookies are great for any occasion – holiday cookie trays, parties and special occasions, bake sales – or anytime the craving strikes!

• Peanut Butter – Choose a smooth and creamy jarred peanut butter for this recipe such as Jif or Skippy. We don’t recommend using a low-fat or an all-natural brand of peanut butter for these cookies.
• Chocolate Candy – Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses are the original candy to place in the center of these cookies. Some bakers like to swap in peanut butter cups, chocolate stars, or other shapes – the choice is yours.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Unsalted Butter
• Granulated Sugar – This is added to the cookie batter as well as used to coat the cookie dough balls before baking.
• Light Brown Sugar
• Eggs
• Whole Milk
• Vanilla Extract

1. Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
2. Beat butter until smooth and pale. Add peanut butter and mix again, then both sugars and mix one more time.
3. Add eggs one at a time with mixer running, waiting to add the next egg until the one before is well incorporated.
4. Add milk and vanilla and mix. Scrape and mix again.
5. Slowly add dry ingredients with mixer running on low. Scrape and mix just to combine.
6. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. 
7. Remove foil from chocolate kisses and place on a plate in the freezer while the cookie dough chills.
8. Fill a #40 cookie scoop about 3/4 full (or use two soup or tablespoons to portion). Weigh the first one – it should be .75 ounces in weight. Then scoop 12 balls of the same size as the first, dipping the scoop in water between scoops to make sure it’s clean as you scoop.
9. Roll each into a ball and roll in granulated sugar to coat. (Keep the rest of the cookie dough refrigerated between pans.)
10. Place the 12 sugared balls (3 rows X 4 rows) on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for nine minutes. Slightly push a frozen chocolate kiss onto the top of each cookie (centered as best as possible) then place the cooking sheet back in the oven for one minute.
11. Carefully slide the parchment paper of cookies off the pan and onto a cooling rack. Once the cookies start to cool, take them off the parchment with a spatula and line them up on the cooling rack to finish cooling and the chocolate sets up.
12. Repeat Steps 8-11 for the remaining cookie dough, baking one pan at a time (12 cookies per pan).
13. Serve without stacking as the chocolate kisses will get scuffed.
14. Store leftover cookies in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate from melting in a warm kitchen.

• Can I make Peanut Butter Blossoms ahead of time?  Yes, these can be made ahead and stored.
• How do I store leftovers?  Store in a single layer in an airtight container. The cookies can be refrigerated or frozen, or keep them at room temperature as long as the room is not too warm. (You don’t want the chocolate kisses to melt.)
• Can I freeze?  Yes, these freeze well. Freeze in a single layer.  

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