Peanut Butter Blossoms

What are your go-to Christmas cookies?

I love making Sugar Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Snickerdoodles, and Andes Mint Cookies…just to name a few.

I also REALLY love Peanut Butter Blossoms, they are a classic Christmas cookie. They always make an appearance at cookie exchanges, parties, and on Santa's plate. I like to add them to our neighbor cookie plates and they are always a hit! Our friends look forward to them every year!

What are Peanut Butter Blossoms?

If you haven't had a peanut butter blossom, let me introduce you. They are soft peanut butter cookies coated in sugar and topped with a chocolate kiss candy.  Yep, cookie perfection!

And a little history lesson for you because I found this interesting:) This perfect peanut butter cookie was created by Mrs. Freda F. Smith for the ninth Pillsbury Bake-Off competition. Mrs. Smith's recipe was a finalist, but failed to win the grand prize. And fun fact, she originally named her cookies Black-Eyed Susans, but Pillsbury changed the name to Peanut Blossoms. In 1999, Peanut Blossoms received their overdue recognition and were entered into the Pillsbury Bake-Off Hall of Fame, honoring the contest's most popular recipes.

I am not sure what Mrs. Smith's exact recipe was, but this is the peanut butter blossom cookie I have been making for years and it is a winner. I am pretty sure she would approve:)

Cookie Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour– to measure flour, fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Never pack the flour into the measuring cup.
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Butter– I use unsalted butter that is at room temperature. Make sure your butter is at room temperature and not too soft or melted. You don't want the cookies to spread. When you touch the stick of butter it should leave a slight indent, but it should not be super soft or mushy.
• Peanut Butter– I use creamy peanut butter, a brand like Skippy or Jif.
• Sugar- granulated sugar and brown sugar for the cookie dough. You also need granulated sugar to roll the cookie dough balls in before baking. The sugar makes the cookies extra sweet and extra pretty!
• Egg– always use large eggs for baking.
• Milk– This recipe has a little milk in it to keep the dough soft and moist. I use whole milk, but any milk will work.
• Vanilla Extract- I always use pure vanilla extract
• Hershey's Chocolate Kisses– a classic chocolate candy!

How to Make Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut butter blossoms are easy to make and I am going to share a few tips to make sure you get them perfect every single time!

(See full recipe with instructions below)

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
• Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter, ½ cup granulated sugar (save the other ½ cup of sugar for coating the cookies), and brown sugar until smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl if necessary. 
• Add the egg, milk and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
• Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Don't over mix.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Can be chilled for up to 72 hours.
• PRO TIP! Place the Hershey's Kisses in the freezer so they are frozen when you put them on the cookies. This will help the kisses to keep their shape and not melt. 
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper.
• Roll the peanut butter cookie dough into balls, about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie. Place the remaining ½ cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll the cookie dough balls in the sugar until they are generously coated. 
• Place the cookie dough balls onto the prepare baking sheet, about 2-inches apart. Bake the cookies until they start to crack on the edges, about 8 or 9 minutes.
• Remove the baking sheet from oven and lightly press a frozen chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie, allowing it to crack slightly. Return to oven and bake for an additional 2 minutes. Don't over bake!!
• Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool until the kisses harden. If you want to speed up the process, you can put the cookies in the freezer so the kisses will harden faster. 

How to Store

Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Make sure you store the container in a cool, dry place so the chocolate kisses don't melt or get too soft. I don't recommend storing cookies in the refrigerator. They will dry out.

Can You Freeze Peanut Butter Blossoms?

Yes! To freeze peanut butter blossoms make sure they are completely cooled and the kisses are hard. Place the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container. If you need to make two layers, place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top of the bottom layer. Add another layer of cookies. Seal and freeze the cookies for up to two months.

You can also freeze the cookies in a freezer bag, just make sure you don't set anything on top of the cookies in the freezer. You don't want to smash the kisses.

Variations

If you want to mix things up, you can use different Hershey's kisses. Dark chocolate, caramel, almond, or even Hugs are good options.

And if you want a double dose of peanut butter, you can use mini peanut butter cups instead of chocolate kisses.

More Peanut Butter Cookies

• Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• No Bake Cookies
• Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
• Monster Cookies
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

More Christmas Cookies

• Snickerdoodles 
• Mexican Wedding Cookies
• Chocolate Kiss Cookies
• Andes Mint Cookies
• Soft Gingersnaps
• Shortbread