These peanut butter blossoms are one of my favorite cookie recipes! Made with the absolute softest, butteriest peanut butter cookie base. These cookies are topped off with a milk chocolate kiss for the best way to get your peanut butter and chocolate fix!
This recipe is adapted from my favorite peanut butter cookies. I think you’ll love how buttery soft the cookie base is; it’s the perfect starting point for a milk chocolate Kiss! Be sure to check out my peanut butter blossom recipe video at the bottom of the recipe card!
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Happy December! We kicked off Christmas cookie season yesterday with my spritz cookies and today I’m re-sharing what just might be my favorite cookie from last year’s cookie tray: Peanut Butter Blossoms.
Zach and I are about to head out the door to pick out a Christmas tree this morning and once that’s up I’ll be in full-on baking mode. I’ve already made my sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies, but this weekend’s agenda includes plenty more peanut butter blossoms (and maybe a video re-shoot of my Gingerbread cookies).
What are your favorite cookies to bake during the holidays?
I perfected this recipe last year, and maybe you even remember me raving about it.
Super soft, buttery, perfection. Peanut Butter Blossoms have always been a favorite cookie of mine, but I’ve improved upon them by making some key recipe modifications and I’m excited for you to try them out for yourself.
Butter is Better
Rather than using any shortening (which many peanut butter blossom recipes call for) I use all butter in this recipe. I’ve always believed that shortening was acceptable in peanut butter cookies, until I took it upon myself to develop an all-butter version. The butter makes the flavor deeper, richer, and just all-around much better than a shortening-based cookie. Made this way, the interiors are much softer and more melt-in-your-mouth than ones made with shortening.
I sent a batch of these in with Zach to share with his co-workers, and he said he couldn’t believe how many comments he got on how soft and delicious they were. Once you try this butter-based peanut butter blossom recipe out for yourself, I am positive you’ll never go back to shortening.
How to Decorate Peanut Butter Blossoms — Sparkly Sugar is Key!
Peanut butter blossoms wouldn’t be complete without a sparkly sugar coating around the cookies. I used an organic cane sugar because I like the coarser sugar granules, but these peanut butter blossoms work just as well with regular granulated sugar.
For the “blossom” portion (the chocolate part is the blossom, right?), I used milk chocolate Hershey’s kisses. These are traditional chocolates used for making peanut butter blossoms, but I’ve also made them using mini Reese’s cups. Right now there are so many different varieties of kisses available now you might even want to experiment with different flavors besides milk chocolate (“hot cocoa” flavor is next on my list!).
Enjoy!
Oh, and if you have any suggestions for puppy-proofing a Christmas tree I’m all ears! We have one feisty foster puppy left and she spends most of her time in our living room, where we plan to put our tree! 😳
Treat yourself to a FREE E-BOOK!
How to Make Peanut Butter Blossoms
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature (141g)
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar tightly packed (135g)
- ¼ cup sugar (50g)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (140g)
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (188g)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar for rolling
- 24 Milk Chocolate Kisses unwrapped
Instructions
- Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you may use a large bowl and an electric mixer) and beat until well combined (about 1 minute).
- Add peanut butter, and stir well.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add flour mixture into the peanut butter batter, pausing occasionally to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl so that all ingredients are well-combined.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and Place in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes to one hour*
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Pour remaining ½ cup of sugar into a small bowl and set aside.
- Once dough has chilled, remove from refrigerator and roll into 2-teaspoon-sized balls. Roll completely in sugar and place on prepared cookie sheet at least 2" apart.
- Bake on 375F (190C) for 8 minutes.
- Within a minute or so of removing cookies from oven, gently but firmly press a Hershey Kiss into the center of each cookie. Allow to cool completely on cookie sheet.
Notes
Nutrition
I originally shared this recipe 12/04/2017, post updated to include more tips and information 12/01/2018
Nancy Walker
I would definitely leave the sugar off the outside, that’s way too much sugar!
Sam
I would definitely not leave the sugar off the outside, it’s such a sweet addition <3
Cassie Scott
Would “natural” separated peanut butter work? It is all I have on hand and I don’t want to have to buy more just for this recipe. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Cassie! I’m worried it wouldn’t work. 🙁
Cassie
I actually went ahead and tried them like that and they ended up working beautifully, still very delicious! Thank you for the recipe
Juice
This is my far the BEST recipe that I’ve ever made – and I’ve tried several! These cookies actually stay soft which is what I was looking for. I will say that using the exact ingredients my batch made about 40 cookies and I use the little cookie scoop. For me this is not a negative comment because I was happy to have more than 24 without doubling the recipe. Just more of an FYI that I feel like only making 24 would result in huge cookies. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
WKB
Better than I remember from my childhood! I made these and the chocolate lovers blossoms for Christmas. I added peppermint kisses instead of just the plain chocolate. I got rave reviews from everyone. I’ve seen recipes for a cherry chip version. I’d love to get your take on those! No other cookie recipe even measures close to yours!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Franny
How long will these cookies stay fresh for ?
Sam
They should be good for about a week at room temperature in an air tight container. 🙂
Jessica Byard
I absolutely love the peanut butter version! I would like to make another batch without PB. Should I increase the amount of butter used? Also will allowing the dough to sit over night affect the flavor? Thank you for this fabulous recipe!!!
Sam
Hi Jessica! Unfortunately I haven’t tried removing the peanut butter from these cookies. Letting them rest longer won’t change the flavor much. I’m glad you enjoyed them though.
Mary K
Can you freeze these cookies
Sam
Hi Mary! You shouldn’t have any issues freezing these. 🙂
Emily
These are SO delicious! I’ve made different peanut butter blossom recipes before and these are by far the best! Thanks for another great recipe. I did half the batch with Hersey kisses and other half with mini Resses peanut butter cups. Family loved them all!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Emily! 🙂
CburgMike
Boom! If you need a PB Blossom recipe stop looking. Just follow the directions without modifying anything for soft cookies with enough peanut butter flavor that stay soft. Slightly heaped #40 scoop made exactly 24 cookies. Thanks
Sam
Yay! So happy to hear it was such a hit for you, thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out! 🙂
Sammi
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made them last night, but I left out the peanut butter and also used hot cocoa Hershey kisses. So good! Have to avoid nuts/pb because of my boyfriend’s allergies but he loved these!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them Sammi! 🙂
Rosanna Tice
I used a different recipe and baked them in a mini muffin pan with a Brach’s chocolate star instead of a Hershey Kiss and put a gold edible pearl on top. I made the dough balls in advance and froze them. I baked them as needed in an ungreased mini muffin pan on the middle oven rack, then added the chocolate stars and baked another minute. Took them out of the oven and used a tweezers to put the gold pearls on top.
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for sharing, Rosanna! 🙂
Jan
When you used the mini muffin pan, did you have any trouble getting them out after baking?