A chocolate kiss in the center turns a simple peanut butter cookie into a familiar cookie-tray favorite. This handwritten recipe combines butter, peanut butter, and two kinds of sugar for tender cookies with lightly crisp edges. Rolled in sugar before baking, the small dough balls spread just enough to cradle their chocolate centers. The kisses are pressed into the warm cookies before a brief return to the oven, creating the signature cracks that give Peanut Blossoms their name. Serve them with coffee, milk, or a holiday cookie assortment.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter (softened)
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar (packed )
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
- 36 chocolate candy kisses (unwrapped)
- Butter (for lightly greasing baking sheets)
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the oven and baking sheets
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Lightly grease the baking sheets.
- Unwrap the chocolate kisses and set aside.
Step 2: Sift the dry ingredients
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugars
- Beat the softened butter, peanut butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined and fluffy.
Step 4: Add the egg and vanilla
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until evenly incorporated.
Step 5: Make the dough
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until thoroughly combined.
Step 6: Shape and coat the cookies
- Shape the dough into small balls, approximately 1 inch across.
- Roll each ball in the additional granulated sugar.
- Arrange on the prepared baking sheets, leaving approximately 2 inches between cookies.
Step 7: Bake initially
- Bake for 8 minutes.
Step 8: Add the chocolate centers
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
- Immediately press a chocolate kiss firmly into the center of each cookie, allowing the edges to crack.
Step 9: Finish baking
- Return the cookies to the oven for 2–5 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the cookies are set.
Step 10: Cool
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for approximately 5 minutes.
- Carefully transfer to a wire rack.
- Allow the chocolate centers to firm before stacking or storing.
Tips
- Use softened butter that still holds its shape so the dough stays manageable.
- A conventional creamy peanut butter gives a consistent texture; peanut butter with separated oil may change how the cookies spread.
- Shape evenly sized dough balls so each batch bakes at the same rate.
- Unwrap all the kisses before baking so you can press them into the cookies immediately.
- Start checking after the first 2 minutes of the second bake to avoid drying out the cookies.
- If the dough becomes sticky, refrigerate it for 15–20 minutes before shaping.
- Try dark chocolate kisses for a less sweet variation.
- Let the chocolate centers become completely firm before packing the cookies into gift tins.
Nutrition
Calories: 105kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 1.8gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1.5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 95mgPotassium: 48mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 90IUCalcium: 20mgIron: 0.4mg