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This popular soft and chewy peanut butter cookie with a Hershey’s chocolate kiss in the center is the classic Christmas cookie. This recipe has been in my family for over 60 years and is the best peanut butter blossom recipe.
What is a Christmas cookie plate without Peanut Butter Blossoms? These classic Peanut Butter Blossoms are a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie, coated in sugar, and topped with a milk chocolate Hershey’s Kiss.
This is a popular Christmas cookie that chocolate peanut butter lovers go crazy for! It is a classic recipe I have been making in Mom’s kitchen since I was a little one and is so easy and absolutely foolproof.
As the holiday season approaches, my favorite thing is to bake freshly baked cookies every day. Among the assortment of festive treats, Peanut Butter Blossoms stand out as a timeless classic, earning their place as a staple in Christmas cookie trays.
I will share tips and tricks for making the best Peanut Butter Blossoms, exploring the reasons behind their popularity during the holidays and providing valuable tips to ensure your Hershey Kiss cookies are nothing short of perfection.
What are Peanut Butter Blossoms?
Peanut Butter Blossoms are a classic and popular cookie that combines the rich flavors of peanut butter with a sweet and chocolatey center. It is a soft, tender peanut butter cookie topped with a creamy milk chocolate Hershey’s kiss. The key feature of these cookies is the placement of a Hershey Kiss on top. This is one of the most popular Christmas cookies.
Why are they called Peanut Butter Blossoms?
The original recipe for these cookies originated in 1957 in a Pillsbury Bake-Off Competition The cookies were made by contestant Freda Smith, who created this classic cookie recipe.
Fun Fact: I competed twice in the Pillsbury Bake-Off for 1 million dollars. I competed in 2010 and again in 2013, before I started Modern Honey. I had the time of my life!
Why you will love Peanut Butter Blossoms:
- Christmas Tradition: Peanut Butter Blossoms have become synonymous with the holiday season, carrying a sense of tradition and nostalgia. Many families have made these cookies a yearly custom, passing down recipes through generations. This recipe came from my Grandma’s old cookbook and I cherish it.
- Perfect Combination of Flavors: The combination of rich, creamy peanut butter and the sweetness of a chocolate Hershey Kiss creates the perfect flavor profile. The nuttiness of the peanut butter cookie base complements the chocolatey center, making these treats irresistible.
- Kid-Friendly Fun: The simplicity of making Peanut Butter Blossoms makes them an ideal holiday baking project for families. Kids love rolling the dough into balls and adding the finishing touch with the Hershey Kiss, turning the baking process into a festive and fun activity.
Ingredients:
- Butter
- Brown Sugar and Sugar
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Milk
- Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Sugar
- Hershey’s Kisses
What kind of Peanut Butter to Use?
I suggest using a creamy peanut butter butter like Jif or Skippy’s.
I do not recommend using natural peanut butter as it doesn’t have sugar in it and you will end up with dry, crumbly cookies.
Tips for making the Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms:
- Quality Ingredients: Start with high-quality ingredients to ensure the best flavor and texture. Use fresh, creamy peanut butter, real butter, and milk chocolate Hershey Kisses. The better the ingredients, the better the final result.
- Chilled Dough: Refrigerate the cookie dough before shaping it into balls. Chilled dough helps the cookies maintain their shape during baking and prevents them from spreading too much. This step also enhances the texture, resulting in a chewy center.
- Properly Measure Flour: Accurate measurement of flour is crucial for the success of any cookie recipe. Use the spoon and level method to prevent packing the flour, ensuring the right balance for the perfect Peanut Butter Blossom.
- Unwrapping Hershey Kisses in Advance: Unwrap the Hershey Kisses ahead of time to streamline the baking process. This allows you to place the chocolates on the warm cookies immediately after they come out of the oven, ensuring they adhere well without melting excessively.
- Baking Time Awareness: Keep a close eye on the cookies while baking. Peanut Butter Blossoms are best when they have a slightly golden edge but remain soft in the center. Overbaking can lead to a crumbly texture, so set a timer and check for doneness. It is better to underbake these cookies than to overbake.
How to make Peanut Butter Blossoms (Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies):
This is the BEST Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe. I found this recipe in my Grandma’s church cookbook and it has been a cookie we have on repeat in our home during the holidays.
It all starts with a soft peanut butter cookie. No hard cookies here! The peanut butter cookie needs to be perfectly chewy and full of peanut butter flavor. The peanut butter cookie dough is rolled into sugar and then baked until soft.
After the peanut butter cookies are baked, a single Hershey Kiss is placed in the center. This peanut butter chocolate kiss cookie will be one of the stars on your Christmas cookie plate.
- Cream butter and sugars for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. This ensures the texture is perfectly creamy and no graininess from the sugar is left.
- Add peanut butter, egg, milk, and vanilla and cream for 2 minutes longer, scraping the sides of the bowl often.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined. Do NOT overmix as it creates more gluten and will result in a tougher cookie.
- Roll into 1-inch balls and roll into sugar. Bake just until the cookies are cooked through but still soft and chewy. I like to slightly underbake my cookies.
- While the cookies are baking, unwrap the Hershey Kisses so you are ready to put them on the hot cookies. While they are still warm, press a Hershey kiss into each peanut butter cookie.
FAQ’s:
Absolutely! You can make the dough ahead of time, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and place in a bag in the refrigerator until you are ready to use. I suggest chilling the dough for 24-48 hours.
Since Hershey’s kisses are the star of this cookie, I suggest using them in these Hershey kiss cookies. However, you can use a thick square of milk or dark chocolate instead.
These are meant to be soft and chewy cookies but there may be two reasons why they turned out dry. The number one reason is overbaking the cookies. Make sure not to overbake these cookies or it will dry them out. The second reason is adding too much flour. This may happen as a result of packing down the flour in the measuring cup which will add too much flour to the cookie dough.
The Hershey’s kisses need to be gently pressed to the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. I suggest having the Hershey kisses all unwrapped so you are ready to press them on top of each cookie. The warmth of the cookies will melt the bottom of the chocolate kiss and stick to the cookies.
How to store Pb Blossoms:
These pb blossom cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. See below for freezing options.
Can I freeze Hershey Kiss Cookies?
Yes! You can freeze peanut butter blossom cookies once they have completely cooled, and the Hershey chocolate kiss is solid again. Place them in an airtight container in a single layer and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 to 3 months.
Can I freeze Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie Dough?
Absolutely! I suggest rolling the peanut butter cookie dough into balls and then placing on a sheet in a single layer so they don’t stick together. Freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Once they are frozen, you can transfer the balls to a freezer-safe gallon-sized Ziploc bag.
When ready to bake, remove from the freezer and roll the balls into the sugar. Let come to room temperature, about 20-30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed.
Popular Cookie Recipes:
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Peanut Butter Blossoms
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon Milk
- 1 3/4 cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Sugar (to roll cookie balls in)
- 1 pkg. Hershey Kisses
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. This ensures the texture is perfectly creamy and no graininess from the sugar is left.
- Add peanut butter, egg, milk, and vanilla and cream for 2 minutes longer scraping the sides of the bowl often.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined. If time is on your side, let chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll into 1-inch balls and roll into sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes or just until the cookies are cooked through but still soft and chewy.
- While the cookies are baking, unwrap the Hershey Kisses so you are ready to put them on the hot cookies. While they are still warm, press a Hershey kiss into each peanut butter cookie. Allow to cool before removing from cookie sheet.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Happy Baking, my friends!
My first time making these and my family loved them. I plan on baking them again and adding to my rotation of Christmas baking.
These turned out perfect! And they were easy to make. Thank you so much!
I am so glad they turned out for you. Thank you for following along Jezzie!
Do u stir the flour in with the hand mixer or should I use a wooden spoon for that step.
Either way works. Just mix the flour in until it is just combined. So if I were doing it with a mixer just mix it on a low setting. I hope that helps!
Perfect proportions for 2 dozen cookies and they are soft and chewy!
Thank you for making this recipe Kelly!
Salted or unsalted butter?
Hi Jennie! I suggest using unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon since peanut butter is salty on its own. I hope that helps!
These are great! My only issue is my cookies spread and went more flat… I did not chill the dough due to time constraints, but maybe that would help the issue next time.
Hi Tori! Not chilling the dough can cause the cookies to spread and also if your butter is too softened and warm. I hope that helps for next time. Thank you for making my recipe!
So easy. So chewy. So good! They were all gone quickly.
Thank you so much for making this recipe, Anna!
Delicious! We used this recipe as a homeschool baking day and they were a hit!
I am so glad everyone loved these Peanut Butter Blossoms. Thank you so much for making them, Brooke!
I skipped the milk.. it was by accident but they turned out perfectly. I also ran out of time so I made the dough and left it in the fridge overnight.. let sit out on the counter for 30 mins before I rolled them.. worked out great. Thank you!
I am so glad they turned out for you, Casey! Thank you so much for making them.
These cookies are so delicious!! Seriously one of my favorites Christmas cookies, they are perfect
I recently made the for our family Thanksgiving. They were a hit!!! My question is – when I press the kiss into the warm cookie, my cookie spreads and cracks. What an I doing wrong? How big should the ball of dough be? Like a bouncy ball or bigger? Thanks for any help! 🙂
Hi Kim! Thank you for making my recipe. There is some natural cracking that comes from pressing the Hershey kiss into the cookie but there shouldn’t be too much! I have a picture in my recipe for the dough ball size but it should be about the size of a golf ball. Some tips to help prevent spreading and cracking are to chill the dough before baking for at least 30 minutes. Also do not over bake these cookies, you want them to be soft for when you press the kiss into the cookie! Hopefully these tips help.:)