Peanut butter blossoms will make all your chocolatey, peanut-y Christmas dreams come true! These classic cookies are delicious and easy to make.
Who else loves peanut butter blossoms?! If I see these festive treats on a cookie plate around the holidays, I reach for one right away. I think they’re kind of genius. Peanut butter cookies are great on their own. So are chocolate kisses. But together, this pair is completely irresistible. I love how the rich chocolate candy melds into the soft, sugar-crusted cookie. And I mean, nothing bad ever happens when peanut butter and chocolate team up. It’s no wonder that peanut butter blossoms are a Christmas classic.
If you’re planning to make a batch this holiday season, check out my favorite peanut butter blossoms recipe below. It’s not too far off from the original recipe, which Ohio resident Freda Smith entered in the Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1957, but I go a little heavier on the peanut butter and a little lighter on the sugar. We adore these cookies. I hope you love them too!
Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this peanut butter blossoms recipe:
- Peanut butter, of course! I use natural creamy peanut butter to make this recipe. Make sure that it’s smooth and well-stirred. Avoid the dry, stiff stuff that you might find at the bottom of a jar.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Baking soda – It helps the cookies rise.
- Unsalted butter – It should be soft, but not melted. I let a stick sit at room temperature for about an hour before making this recipe.
- Light brown sugar and granulated sugar – You’ll mix the brown sugar and some of the granulated sugar into the cookie dough for sweetness. Then, you’ll roll the dough in the remaining granulated sugar to create a sparkly crust on the outside of the cookies.
- An egg – It binds the cookie dough together and helps the cookies puff up as they bake.
- Milk – For moisture. Use whatever kind you keep on hand! Almond and oat are my go-tos.
- Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
- Hershey’s kisses – I personally like the dark chocolate ones, but milk chocolate kisses (or even little peanut butter cups!) are great too.
- And sea salt – To make the sweet, nutty flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Peanut Butter Blossoms
This peanut butter blossoms recipe is so simple to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, make the cookie dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set it aside.
Then, in the bowl of a stand mixer, or using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, egg, milk, and vanilla and mix until creamy. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Next, shape the cookies. Use a small cookie scoop or 1-tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough. Use your hands to roll it into balls. Roll the dough balls in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and arrange them on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving at least an inch between balls.
Then, bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in a 375°F oven, until fine cracks start to form in the tops of the cookies. In my oven, this takes about 8 minutes.
Finally, add the kisses. As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, gently press a kiss into the top of each one, stopping when the edges of the cookies start to crack. Use a spatula to immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Repeat with the remaining cookies, and enjoy!
Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe Tips
- Unwrap the kisses before you bake the cookies. In order for the chocolate kisses to stick to the cookies, the cookies must be 1) hot and 2) very soft. This means that you need to add the kisses as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. Unwrapping the kisses one at a time will slow down this process considerably, and the cookies might start to set up before you can apply each kiss. For speedy assembly, make sure to unwrap the kisses ahead of time!
- Bake one sheet at a time. I suggest baking one sheet at a time for all my cookie recipes, but I think it’s especially important for this one. When the peanut butter blossoms come out of the oven, you have to first press a kiss into the center of each cookie and then immediately get the cookies off the baking sheet. It’s much easier to work one sheet at a time than to frantically add the kisses to several baking sheets of cookies at once.
- Take the cookies off the baking sheet right away. If you don’t, the warmth from the hot cookie sheet will start to melt the kisses! Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack instead.
- Give them plenty of time to cool. Peanut butter blossom cookies need to cool for several hours to allow the kisses to totally firm up. If you want to speed this process along, you can place the cookies in a single layer on a large plate or rack in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Once the kisses are firm, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
If you love these peanut butter blossoms, try one of these yummy cookie recipes next:
Want more easy cookie recipes? Find 17 of our favorites here!
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Serves 36
These peanut butter blossoms are perfect for the holidays! I love to top the soft peanut butter cookies with dark chocolate Hershey’s kisses, but if you prefer, use milk chocolate candy (or even peanut butter cups!) instead.
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus ½ cup for rolling
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter*
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk, almond milk, or oat milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 36 Hershey’s kiss candies, unwrapped
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Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and ¼ cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, egg, milk, and vanilla and mix until creamy. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
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Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough, then use your hands to roll it into balls. Roll the dough balls in the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between balls.
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Bake, one sheet at a time, for 8 minutes, or until fine cracks start to form on the tops of the balls. Remove from the oven and press a chocolate kiss into the top of each cookie until the edges start to crack. Use a spatula to immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
*Look for creamy peanut butter with a smooth consistency to make this recipe. Avoid the dry, stiff stuff that you might find at the bottom of a jar of natural peanut butter.
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