Soft and airy peanut butter cookie with a warm, gooey Hershey’s Kiss on top.
15 more days until Christmas! This week I am sharing a more recent recipe that I have added to my cookie recipe binder. These are my Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms from Hershey Chocolate! Every week until Christmas, I will be posting a Christmas Cookie recipe, so follow along on my blog and on my social media so you don’t miss a recipe! Last week I shared a family classic, Greek Sesame Twist Cookies, if you missed it, don’t forget to check it out!
These Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms take me straight back to junior year, high school varsity gymnastics. The captain’s mom would make these cookies for all of our psych parties, hang outs, and county and sectional meets. It was a staple for our team. These cookies might as well have been our team mascot. When the captain graduated, the recipe got passed down to me to make for all of the team events, and when I graduated, I passed down the recipe to the future captains.
Once I got the recipe, I not only made them almost every week for my team, but I also started to make them as part of my Christmas cookie spread. This was the first time my family had tried these cookies and they were gone before dinner was even served! They are the perfect cookie because it satisfies the candy lovers and the cookie lovers with the Hershey’s kiss on top of the cookie.
These cookies are very airy. Even when you make the dough, you will realize that the dough seems almost whipped which is surprising because peanut butter is pretty dense. This is my favorite quality of the cookie, the lightness prevents the peanut butter from overpowering the chocolate kiss on top. I also like to roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before they get baked so there is a little bit of extra sweetness and texture. As with most baked goods, the best time to eat these are when they are still warm from the oven because the chocolate kiss will still be gooey, but they are also delicious when they are all completely cooled.
When making the cookies, it is just like your typical cookie dough. Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars together until it is fluffy and pale in color. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Then, add the dry ingredients. I used a one inch cookie scoop to make evenly sized cookies. I then rolled the dough in granulated sugar until it was generously covered.
Then, bake the cookies for 8 minutes for softer cookies or 10 minutes for crunchier cookies. While the cookies are baking unwrap the same number of Hershey’s Kisses as number of cookies you have. You should have about 40.
Once the cookies come out of the oven quickly and gently push one kiss into the center of the cookie. The edges will crinkle a little bit, but be sure to not push the kiss down all the way or the cookie may break. You can also spice up your cookie with different variations of Hershey’s kisses! Wait 5 minutes for the chocolate kiss to get gooey and warm, and enjoy!
Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use chunky)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line 3 cookies sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Scoop 1 1/2 inch dough balls and roll them in granulated sugar. Place on a prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. While the cookies are baking, unwrap the same number of kisses as cookie dough balls you have.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and gently push one Hershey’s Kiss into the center of the cookie. Let sit for 5 minutes for the chocolate to warm.
Beyond Baking with Amanda Jane 