Nutritional

Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms – Sally’s Baking Addiction

November 28, 2022
Celia J. Dobbs

Homemade peanut butter blossoms are the quintessential Christmas cookie and trademark of any holiday cookie tray. My classic recipe yields soft, peanut buttery, and easy-to-make festive cookies!

peanut butter blossoms Christmas cookies on cooling rack.

Peanut butter blossoms are easily one of the best Christmas cookies on this planet because they’re (1) easy to make, (2) super cute, (3) peanut butter + chocolate, and (4) peanut butter + chocolate. (Have to list that twice!)

This soft-baked-style peanut butter cookie is a tried and true favorite (you can even find the recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Candy Addiction). I originally published the recipe in 2016 and it’s been well loved since. While small, these cookies pack a mighty peanut butter punch, and that’s what everyone loves about them!

What Makes These the Best Peanut Butter Blossoms?

  • Simple + straightforward recipe using the same base dough as my flagship peanut butter cookies recipe (note that today’s recipe uses 1 Tablespoon less flour)
  • Mega peanut butter flavor
  • Extra soft & thick
  • Only 1 hour needed for dough chilling, so they’re relatively quick
  • Rolled in granulated sugar for an extra sparkle—use colorful sanding sugars for a festive touch
overhead image of peanut butter blossoms with white, green, and red sugar
Hershey's Kiss peanut butter blossoms cookies on cooling rack with 1 bite taken out of a cookie.

Key Ingredients in Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Here’s what you need to make this classic Christmas cookie recipe. You can find the full printable recipe below.

  • Flour: We use all-purpose flour as the base of these peanut butter cookies. You may look at the recipe and wonder why there’s so little flour. Did you know that nut butters act as a binder and can actually replace some or all flour in cookie recipes? See these flourless almond butter cookies. Using more flour will dry out the cookies, so stick with the recipe below.
  • Baking Soda: Baking soda helps the cookies rise.
  • Salt + Vanilla Extract: Use both salt and vanilla extract for flavor.
  • Sugars: We use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar in this recipe. Both for sweetness, and brown sugar for extra softness.
  • Egg: One egg binds everything together.
  • Butter: Butter adds flavor and structure. Make sure you have proper room temperature butter before beginning.
  • Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is the most important ingredient for peanut butter cookies. For best results, use processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy—the same I recommend for my peanut butter balls.
  • Chocolate Kiss Candies: A necessity! This is the “blossom” part of these cookies.

And you have candy options! Instead of a Hershey’s Kiss, try a peanut butter cup or chocolate heart like I do in my peanut butter cup cookies and sparkle sweetheart cookies. Or fill with jam like in my peanut butter jam thumbprints.

These Step-by-Step Photos Will Help

You can find the full written recipe below, but let me walk you through these steps. These cookies are quick and simple—a welcome recipe during the busy holiday season.

Make the dough. You’ll combine the dry and wet ingredients separately, and then together. Expect a very soft cookie dough:

soft and creamy peanut butter cookie dough

Chill the dough for at least 1 hour to help solidify it, which helps guarantee your peanut butter blossoms will hold shape in the oven. Cold dough is also easier to portion and roll. After the dough chills, roll into 1 heaping Tablespoon balls and then roll each in sugar or sanding sugar sprinkles:

2 images of peanut butter cookie dough ball in a bowl of white sugar and balls of dough in bowls of green sugar and red sugar

Bake the cookies and then cool them for 5 minutes before adding the chocolate candy.

Prevent the Hershey’s Kisses From Melting on Peanut Butter Blossoms

Press the candies into the center of each slightly cooled cookie. And then, here is my trick:

Stick the peanut butter blossoms in the freezer to prevent the chocolate kiss candy from melting. This ensures the chocolate kiss stays nice and snug in the cute little peanut butter cookie. The refrigerator works too, but the freezer is most effective at preventing any melty problems. This also helps cool the cookies quicker so you can immediately hoard them for yourself. I mean… share with your family.

My freezer usually doesn’t have room for a large baking sheet, so I place the slightly cooled cookies on a smaller tray or plate before placing in the freezer. This is the same process I use when I make red velvet blossoms, too!

unwrapped Hershey's kisses
peanut butter blossoms on a silpat baking mat after baking
peanut butter blossoms with white, green, and red sugar on a cooling rack

Can I Make These Nut-Free?

For a nut-free version of this recipe, swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter or Biscoff spread. However, you’ll have better luck (and a tastier cookie!) if you make these sparkle sweetheart cookies and replace the Valentine’s Day heart candies with Hershey’s Kisses. Or try my candy cane kiss cookies or red velvet blossoms.

overhead image of peanut butter blossoms on a white plate

Other Classic Christmas Cookie Recipes

Print

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Description

These homemade peanut butter blossoms are extra soft and thick, super simple to make, and delightfully peanut buttery. So many reasons why this is a classic holiday cookie recipe! Don’t forget to place the cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes to prevent the chocolate kiss candy from melting.

  1. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on high speed until creamy. Switch to medium-high speed and beat in the brown sugar and 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar until completely creamed and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
  3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. The dough will be very creamy and soft. Cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside. Also, make sure there’s room in your freezer because the cookies will need to be placed inside to prevent the chocolates from melting.
  5. Roll & Bake: Scoop and roll cookie dough, about 1 heaping Tablespoon of dough each. Roll each ball in the 1/2 cup of sugar (or sanding sugar) and arrange on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for 11–13 minutes or until the tops begin to slightly crack. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
  6. Set the chocolate: Press a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each, then, using a thin spatula, immediately transfer the cookies to a large plate or a few smaller plates (gently—they’re soft). Place the plate(s) of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the chocolate in the cookie.
  7. Remove from the freezer and serve.
  8. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

  1. Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
  2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Stand Mixer or Handheld) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats | Cooling Rack
  3. Granulated Sugar: You’ll only need 1/4 cup of granulated sugar for the cookie dough and the other 1/2 cup will be for coating in step 5. Or you can use sanding sugar to coat the cookies instead, noted as optional in the ingredient list. If using sanding sugar, you do not need the extra 1/2 cup of granulated sugar listed under Coating. If you’re shopping for sanding sugar online, I like the sugars from this holiday set, these multicolor, these green, and these red (affiliate links).
  4. Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. For this particular recipe, it’s best to use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy. If you decide to use natural peanut butter, make sure it’s at room temperature, stirred well, and expect a slightly crumblier cookie.
  5. Can I use almond butter or other nut butter? Yes, you can use almond butter or another nut butter in this cookie recipe; however, expect a crumblier cookie. I have not tested this recipe with Nutella.
  6. Can I make these without nut butter? For a nut-free version of this recipe, swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter or Biscoff spread. However, you’ll have better luck (and a tastier cookie!) if you make these sparkle sweetheart cookies and replace the Valentine’s Day heart candies with Hershey’s Kisses. Or try my candy cane kiss cookies or red velvet blossoms.

Keywords: peanut butter blossoms, peanut butter kiss cookies