Peanut Butter Blossoms
These Peanut Butter Blossoms have a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie base with a Hershey’s kiss placed in the center. An easy holiday staple!
When I think of Christmas cookies, peanut butter blossoms is the very first thing to come to mind. Those soft peanut buttery pillows holding a chocolate kiss has always been the epitome of Christmas for me.
They were a staple in my house each and every year and one of the first cookies that my mom would churn out in early December. I loved helping her in the kitchen, and pressing the Hershey’s kisses into the middle of the soft peanut butter cookies fresh from the oven was by far my favorite Christmas baking task.
This recipe has been scribbled on a well-stained index card in my mom’s recipe book for longer than I’ve been alive. I’m pretty sure it’s the recipe from the back of the Hershey’s kiss bag, but it’s the only one our family has ever known!
How to Make Peanut Butter Blossoms
These peanut butter blossoms are EASY to make and come together simply and quickly; only a few steps are needed, but let’s walk through them…
Cream the Peanut Butter, Shortening and Sugars – The basic first step to so many cookie recipes! First you’ll cream together the peanut butter and shortening to ensure that it’s thoroughly combined, then add the granulated and brown sugars. You want this mixture to get super light and fluffy!
Add Egg, Vanilla and Milk – Vanilla adds flavor, while the egg gives the cookies structure, and milk to bind the cookies and keep them nice and tender.
Mix in the Flour, Baking Soda and Salt – The last step in getting the dough together, the dry ingredients are added and then mixed JUST until they’re incorporated to keep the cookies super soft.
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
Roll out the Dough and Bake – Scoop out 1 tablespoon portions of dough (I use a small cookie scoop!), roll them into balls, then roll in granulated sugar, and place on a baking sheet. Bake those babies for only 8 to 10 minutes – you want them soft and puffy, not at all browned yet.
Press a Hershey’s Kiss into the Center – THE BEST PART! As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press a Hershey’s kiss right into the center of the cookies. Let the cookies cool and then attempt to not eat them all before you share them for the holidays.
Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe Notes
- You can make these with butter instead of shortening by using the same amount of room temperature unsalted butter in place of the shortening. The shortening helps keep the cookies soft and maintain their shape (not spread), so if you use butter, I urge you to chill the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to scooping and rolling them into balls.
- You can replace the peanut butter with other nut butters, such as almond butter, cashew butter, or even Sunbutter. The taste and texture will be slightly altered, but the cookies will still work.
- Whether using peanut butter or a substitute, I recommend the “processed” versions that do not have oil separation and require stirring to keep the cooking from spreading.
- In place of the Hershey’s kisses, other candies can be substituted, such as Rolos, caramels, chocolate hearts, etc.
- You can freeze peanut butter blossoms in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Show of hands if these are the very first cookies you go for when presented with a Christmas cookie tray *hand raised*
If you are a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, it doesn’t get much more iconic than this peanut butter blossoms recipe. Grab a jar of peanut butter, a bag of Hershey’s kisses, and get baking!
If You Like These Peanut Butter Blossoms, Try These Recipes:
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Peanut Butter Buckeyes Recipe
- The Best Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
- Salted Peanut Butter-Butterscotch Chip Cookies
Five years ago: Buche de Noel with Espresso Mascarpone Filling
Six years ago: Reindeer Chow
Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (203 g) peanut butter
- ½ cup (92 g) vegetable shortening
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (73.33 g) light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (213 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- Granulated sugar, for rolling
- 48 Hershey’s kisses, unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter and shortening on medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and beat until fluffy. Add the egg, milk and vanilla extract, and beat well. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat the flour into peanut butter mixture until just combined.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 tablespoon or dough or a small cookie scoop) and roll in granulated sugar to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie (the cookie will crack around edges). Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- You can make these with butter instead of shortening by using the same amount of room temperature unsalted butter in place of the shortening. The shortening helps keep the cookies soft and maintain their shape (not spread), so if you use butter, I urge you to chill the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to scooping and rolling them into balls.
- You can replace the peanut butter with other nut butters, such as almond butter, cashew butter, or even Sunbutter. The taste and texture will be slightly altered, but the cookies will still work.
- Whether using peanut butter or a substitute, I recommend the "processed" versions that do not have oil separation and require stirring to keep the cooking from spreading.
- In place of the Hershey's kisses, other candies can be substituted, such as Rolos, caramels, chocolate hearts, etc.
- You can freeze peanut butter blossoms in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in December 2007. It was updated in December 2014 with new photos, then refreshed in December 2018 with more new photos, and extensive recipe tips.
[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]
This is my go to kiss cookie recipe. Everyone loves them!
I make these every Christmas too – they are my daughter’s favorite! To make them a little more festive looking, roll them in red or green sanding sugar instead of granulated sugar. I usually do some of each.
Great blog. i can not wait to make this and its looks is very fantastic.
a friend made these cookies for me but used a reeses mini pb cups instead of the hesheys kisses OMGGGGGG so good!
I made these for a cookie exchange party and they were a huge hit! I let the dough rest in the fridge overnight and then baked them in the morning for perfectly soft cookies. These were always something I’d seen, but thought they were too complicated/fussy to make and that absolutely isn’t the case. The dough is incredibly easy to mix together (no waiting for softened butter!) but be sure to have the chocolate unwrapped and waiting when you pull the cookies out of the oven. Perfect to share and enjoy around the holidays!
I just made these yesterday to kick off my holiday baking! I’ve gone to using Dove promises instead of kisses. Since it’s a flat candy, it’s easier to get chocolate in more bites than one! Try them with the dark ones, thank me later 😊
Do you think these would work as thumbprint cookies if I put a little jam in the center before baking? I’m looking for a way to make peanut butter and jelly themed cookies without having to do sandwich cookies.
I know this recipe is a gazillion years old at this point ;) but I was looking for a recipe that involved Hershey kisses and thought I remembered these were on your site! My kids and I made them today, using super chunky natural peanut butter (like the kind you have to stir the oil back in) and 1/2 cup of bread flour substituted for 1/2 cup of the AP flour because I was running low- and they still came out perfect! So just FYI if anyone wants to make these with natural PB- they didn’t come out either oily or dry, both of which I was worried about- they were perfect!
This is an excellent recipe. I chose it after looking through many recipes because it had more peanut butter than the others that I had found. Instead of kisses, I used Dove Dark Chocolate Hearts for Valentine’s Day. I baked them for 8 minutes and put the heart in the middle, just like you would the kiss, but then I put them back in the oven for the final 2 minutes. The next day, which was Valentine’s Day, what I found was the Dove Hearts instead of being hard like they normally are when you unwrap them, they were soft and really tasty. I guess the reason I put them back in after I put the chocolate in the middle was because that’s what I remember my mom doing growing up when she would make peanut butter blossoms. Thanks for a great recipe. My daughters were jealous because they couldn’t have them on Valentine’s Day. They wanted me to ship them, but their teenage brothers ate them all…..okay I ate more than I should have as well. Besides they were more healthy because it was dark chocolates.
My three year old & I made these together last night, they were so easy & SO good. My daughter of course proceeded to eat the chocolate out of the middle. LOL Thanks so much!
They came out AWESOME????
I have a cookbook “Homemade Cookies” Farm Journal – copyright 1971 that has a recipe for “Peanut Blossom Cookies”. They are made with chocolate candy stars, which makes a really pretty effect for the holidays. Also they are baked for 7 minute and then pulled out of the oven, the star pressed into the cookie and returned to the oven for 5-7 minutes…and no, they don’t melt, just seem to set the star so it doesn’t fall out. Chocolate stars can be difficult to find but I have found chocolate discs ( I usually get the dark chocolate…yum) in the bulk food section of WinCo. Kisses seem to burn at the tip if you return them to the oven and I have had a problem with them falling off the cookie. A few years ago I found a Red Velvet edition of this cookie recipe.
Hi Michelle,
I’ve made these and the’re great. I have photos though not as lovely as yours.
Can I sub the peanut butter to Cheez Whiz Milky Delight Spread? I have an unopened jar that is about to expire in a month. Should I reduce the sugar?
I would love your recommendations on how to utilize it in baked goodies.
Thanks ahead.I love your blog Michelle.Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Hi Patty, I have no idea what Cheez Whiz Milky Delight Spread is?? I’m not sure if it’s something that could be safely substituted for the peanut butter while maintaining the integrity of the cookies.
Hi, just curious why the chocolate has to be pressed into the cookie after baking and not before? Simply because it won’t hold its shape or some other reason? Thanks
Hi Danielle, If you put them on the cookie before, they would completely melt in the oven.
I am going to make these today… your site is always my “go to” site when I need a recipe. I have been following along for several years and I love it. Some of my favs- salted caramel cupcakes, favorite chilli (I call it “man chilli” in my house), cheesy chicken tortilla soup, “best banana bread”, buttermilk pnacakes…. I could go on and on. Thank you so much for your wonderful blog. Love the recipes and trust anything you post.
i made these for the first time and they turned out great! what type of peanut butter do you use? i had skippy natural on hand, but wondered if using natural peanut butter affected the recipe at all.
Hi Jen, I use regular Skippy. I think the natural Skippy is a no-stir type that can be kept at room temperature, correct? If so, it would be fine. You just don’t want to use natural peanut butter that separates – it’s way too oily for most baking recipes.
Just made these, substituted a stick of softened butter for the shortening and came out perfect!
Have never made these but got the Kisses last week and will before Christmas.
these look picture perfect – yum!!