This easy Peanut Butter Blossoms cookies recipe is straight from your childhood! It's the Hershey's classic that's soft and chewy with the Kiss melting in the center just like you remember. It's one of those recipes that goes together fast - in no time at all you'll be munching one and washing it down with cold milk. You DO wash it down with milk, right? They freeze well, too so they're great for making ahead of time for holiday giving. Just FYI- I'm pretty certain that these are Santa's favorites. This post has been updated from the original December 2017 version. Last updated November 2018.
For this recipe you'll need: sugar, light brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, egg, vanilla, baking soda, flour, Hershey's kisses
Peanut Butter Blossoms Cookies Backstory
I don't know why I don't use this peanut butter blossoms recipe all year long but I don't. Most of the year, when I bake cookies, I make a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, peanut butter cookies, or my favorite oatmeal cookies. Admittedly, I'm baking cookies a lot less than I used to.
It's funny how you go through life feeling like nothing ever changes and then, all of a sudden, you realize that you're in a completely new stage. I mean, it seemed like the season was never-ending when the kids were small. All of the messes. All of the sleep deprived nights. All of the rocking, and nursing, and changing. My youngest is in her last year of Jr. High, my oldest four have moved away from home (well, one moved back in last year but still...) two are in college...
I'm feelin' it, y'all. I'm not ready for the mom stage of my life to be over. I miss making those memories with my kids - oh I know I can make memories with the grandkids and I do as much as I can but it's different.
We eat out more often, just my husband and I, because everyone is at activities and it's just us. The house is quieter than it used to be and family dinners are often get your own due to schedules. When the cookie jar IS full the cookies often last long enough to get stale.
Inconceivable. I don't think that's ever happened before.
Cooks Notes Peanut Butter Blossoms
One of the things I really like about these peanut butter kiss cookies is that they freeze so well, either baked or unbaked, so I can make a full batch then have them on hand. I prefer to freeze them unbaked so that I can serve them fresh and warm, with the Hershey's Kiss melting in the center.
How To Freeze Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies -
- Form the dough into balls and roll in the sugar.
- Place them close together on a cookie sheet.
- Put the cookie sheet in the freezer until the balls of dough are completely frozen.
- Take off the cookie sheet, toss in a freezer container, and return to the freezer.
- When you're ready for some cookies take out as many dough balls as you need.
- Put them about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake as directed (but they may need an extra few minutes).
- Remove from the oven and add the Hershey's Kisses as directed in the recipe.
See? Easy!
Tips for Shaping Hershey's Kiss Cookies
- A lot of Peanut Butter Blossoms cookie recipes call for shortening but I prefer butter. You can use shortening instead if you want.
- The dough is kind of soft so you'll want to chill it for an hour or so before you try to shape the cookies. It's actually best if you chill it overnight.
- Have the Hershey's Kisses unwrapped and ready to go before you put the cookies in the oven.
- When you add the Hershey's Kiss press it down gently just enough to help it adhere to the surface of the cookie.
- If you let the cookie cool for about 3 minutes before adding the Kiss it will help it keep its shape.
- You can also put them straight in the freezer for a quick chill once you've added the Kiss - that will help, too.
They also are the perfect cookie for sending to school plus they ship really well so are good for sending to loved ones away at college or in the military.
Variations on Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe
These classic Hershey's peanut butter blossoms cookies are versatile, too.
By the way, do you call them peanut butter blossoms or peanut butter kiss cookies? Honestly, here they are forever known as "those peanut butter cookies with the Hershey's in the middle".
Anyway...
You can use them for any occasion that calls for cookies simply by using colored sugar to roll the peanut butter cookie dough in before baking. Here are some of my other favorite variations on the classic Hershey's peanut butter blossoms recipe-
- Use Hershey's Hugs
- Use almond butter in place of the peanut butter and almond extract in place of the vanilla
- Try crunchy peanut butter and see if you like that
- Use Reeses Peanut Butter Cups instead of Kisses
- Roll in powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar
- Use a Rolo instead of a Kiss
- Use one of the filled types of kisses
- Drizzle with melted chocolate or white chocolate once they're cool
- My Red Velvet Peppermint Kiss cookies are probably my favorite variation
- The coarser the sugar the more crunchy the outside of the cookie will be so try different types of sugar crystals like turbinado, raw sugar, etc.
Peanut Butter Blossoms Cookies FAQs
How do you make Peanut Butter Blossoms?
These cookies are easy enough for most elementary aged kids to make with a little supervision.
- Mix the dough according to the recipe
- Chill
- Form the cookies
- Bake
- Add the Hershey's Kiss
- Let cool
How long will peanut butter blossom cookies stay fresh?
The uncooked dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Once baked they'll be fine for a week or so at room temperature (like they're really going to last that long?) or freeze for longer storage.
What Are Some Other Names for Peanut Butter Blossoms Cookies?
No matter what you call these old fashioned peanut butter cookies they are delicious!
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Hershey's Kiss Cookies
- Chocolate Blossom Cookies
- Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
- Chocolate Blossom Cookies
- Hershey's Kiss Thumbprint Cookies
You May Need...
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Good cookie sheets make all the difference in the texture of your cookies and whether or not the bottoms burn. I like these heavy duty cookie sheets from Calphalon. They'll last for years.
More Favorite Christmas Cookies from Restless Chipotle
Here are some of my favorite Christmas Cookies recipes found here on the blog. I hope you love them, too!
- Sugar Cookies
- Red Velvet Sugar Cookies
- One Dough Five Kinds
- Best Christmas Cookies Recipes
- Soft Snickerdoodles
AND I have to say - I am in LOVE with these cookies from The View From Great Island Peanut Butter Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe
There's more than one Peanut Butter Blossoms recipe floating around but this is my favorite. The cookies have lots of peanut butter flavor, they're chewy, and they're made with butter, not shortening. They're one of my favorite Christmas cookies recipes to make with kids because even little kids can unwrap the Kisses!
You just can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter together! If you like this recipe please consider leaving a 5 star rating. 🙂
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Print Add to CollectionIngredients
- 1/2 cup butter, ,softened
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, ,firmly packed
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup vanilla sugar, ,or plain granulated sugar
- 48 Hershey's Kisses, ,unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Combine the butter and peanut butter in bowl.
- Beat until well blended.
- Add both the granulated and brown sugars and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, and vanilla; continue beating until well blended.
- Add flour and baking soda then beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until it's completely mixed.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
- Roll balls in 1/4 cup vanilla sugar.
- Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake 8-10 minutes.
- Gently press 1 chocolate kiss in center of each cookie.
- Let cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes.
- Place in freezer for about 10 minutes or until the chocolate hardens back up.
- Remove from freezer.
Nutrition
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Rita Stroup
I made these using blue-colored sugar crystals as it is January with snow on the ground, However, I am still uncertain what vanilla sugar is, as mentioned in your dialogue. Please let me know, as I may be missing something. The cookies are all baked and in the freezer now with the chocolate kisses on top. They look festive and will round out the other varieties on my cookie plates just perfectly adding great flavor and a nice splash of color. I haven't tasted them yet but liked the idea of making them with butter. None of my old recipes made it out here when I moved here from the East several years ago. I used to make a similar cookie blossom one some years ago and they always turned out perfectly. Thanks for contributing your version of this 'golden oldie'.
Marye
They sound beautiful, Rita. 🙂 Once you've had a chance to taste them I'd love it if you'd come back and give them a star rating!
K
how much salt ?? 🙁 It doesn't say....
Marye Audet
There's no salt... that was a typo. The peanut butter has enough salt.