12 Days of Christmas Cookies
Soft, chewy peanut butter cookies rolled in sugar and topped with a Hershey kiss. These cookies should be a little crisp on the outside and soft and chewy within.
An old favorite.
My first introduction to the magical world of chocolate and peanut butter!
A pairing altogether made in Heaven.
I am basically persnickety about my Peanut Butter Blossoms. {Can you even imagine?} I prefer to eat them 1-3 hours after they come out of the oven or slightly warmed up. You know, when the Kiss hasn’t quite firmed up yet, so you get a little melty, milk chocolate in each bite. That’s certainly the stuff.
Truth be told, when cooled completely, I eat the cookie and then the Kiss.
The trick to making these soft is roll ‘em comparatively big and underbake. It’s the only way. I ruined 3 dozen cookies trying to bake 1 inch balls into soft, chewy perfection. No. Especially not with this recipe.
I used the Gold Standard Betty Crocker recipe but I made a few tweaks. A little vanilla, a little pinch of salt, a different baking temperature and a different order of combination of ingredients. Nothing major but sometimes it’s the little things that count. (Or at least that’s what I was told last Christmas. #justkidding Tee hee.)
I searched each and every single one of my old cookbooks and came up with approximately zero recipes for Peanut Butter Blossoms.
Not one.
So I did a little digging and I found that Mrs. Freda F Smith created these magical cookies for the Pillsbury National Bake Off in 1949. They were runner-up but have been gracing the cookie tray ever since. I wonder what won? Must have been awesome.
The Betty Crocker recipe is almost identical to the original recipe except it has a bit less flour, an extra egg and they eliminated the vanilla, which I unwittingly added back in!
Peanut Butter Blossoms are a Christmas Cookie favorite but you will love these classic peanut butter chocolate classics all year round! They are incredibly easy to make and chocolate and peanut butter is an all-year-round kinda thing.
These Peanut Butter Blossoms are for the fifth day of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. You won’t want to miss the Old Fashioned Oat Lace Cookies, Raspberry Linzer Cookies, Holiday Bark or Cherry Pecan Cookies!
PrintPeanut Butter Blossoms
- Total Time: 33 minutes
- Yield: 3 dozen 1x
Description
Soft, chewy peanut butter cookies rolled in sugar and topped with a Hershey kiss. These cookies should be a little crisp on the outside and soft and chewy within. A classic for a very good reason – they are delicious!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (I use Jiff)
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch kosher salt
- 3 dozen Hershey Kisses (buy one 12 oz bag – you’ll have some leftover!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda, powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy; add peanut butter, beat until incorporated; add egg and vanilla, beat until incorporated. You can beat with a hand mixer on medium speed or a wooden spoon.
- Add the flour in 3 additions, mixing on low speed between each one.
- Shape dough into 2-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased, unlined baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes or until the edges just begin to crack but there are no deep crevices in the center. Immediately press a Kiss in the center of each cookie and remove to a wire rack to cool.
- Store in an airtight container. They are best eaten within 4 days.
Notes
Recipe based on Betty Crocker
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
More Holiday Treats to Make the Season Bright!
Spiced Apple Cider Cranberry Cupcakes
Soft Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
