These soft and chewy cookies make 5 dozen bite-sized treats, perfect for holiday cookie platters. Top them with Hershey's Kisses or heart candies for Valentine's Day!
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Why I Love These Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
- Bite-Size: Perfectly bite-sized for cookie trays, these little cookies are easy for guests to grab!
- Soft & Chewy: No dry cookies here! These are always a hit-everyone loves them at parties and gatherings!
- Big Batch: This recipe makes 5 dozen, making it ideal for holiday cookie trays and sharing.
- Freezes Well: Bake ahead and freeze for a stress-free treat whenever you need it!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Creamy Peanut Butter: I recommend a creamy peanut butter for these, not natural.
- Unsalted Butter: If you use salted butter, omit the added salt.
- Light Corn Syrup: Peanut butter can be a dry ingredient, especially in a small cookie, so the light corn syrup helps keep them moist. You can substitute it with honey or leave it out entirely if you prefer, but I personally like the cookie texture better with it.
Make it gluten-free! Use your favorite gluten-free flour to make this gluten-free! My favorite brand is Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
How to Make Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
These Hershey Kiss Cookies are easy to make and are always the first to go on my family's holiday platters! And since they use melted butter, they're an easy one to mix up with a hand mixer!
Step 1: Make Dough
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick) for 20-30 seconds, or until fully melted.
- Add light brown sugar (1¼ cup) and granulated sugar (¼ cup) and use an electric mixer to mix on medium-speed for 1 minute.
- Mix in creamy peanut butter (1 cup) and light corn syrup (2 tablespoons). Add eggs (2 large) and vanilla extract (2 teaspoon), mixing until well combined. Mix in baking soda (1 teaspoon) and kosher salt (1 teaspoon).
- Gradually mix in all-purpose flour (2¼ cups) until just incorporated.
Step 2: Roll & Flatten
Scoop 1-tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them into balls. Coat each ball in granulated sugar (2 tablespoons), then gently flatten the tops. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 3: Bake & Add Kisses
Bake at 350°F for 8-9 minutes, or until the edges and top are very lightly golden brown. Avoid overbaking; the cookies will appear slightly underbaked but will continue to bake as they cool on the pan.
After removing from the oven, immediately press in Hershey's Kisses. Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing.
Tips & Variations
- Evenly Sized Cookies: Use a small 1-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to ensure uniform cookies that bake evenly.
- Add Sprinkles: For holidays, add sprinkles on top of the melted chocolate. Nonpareils work great!
- Different Toppings: Swap Hershey's Kisses for mini peanut butter cups, chocolate chunks, or heart-shaped candies for Valentine's Day.
Storage & Freezing
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For extra freshness, add a slice of bread to the container to keep them soft.
- Freezing: For unbaked dough, scoop the dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet until firm. Transfer to a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time. For baked cookies, let cookies and chocolate kisses cool and harden completely, then store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Peanut butter can be a dry ingredient, especially in a small cookie, so the light corn syrup helps keep them moist. You can substitute it with honey or leave it out entirely if you prefer, but I personally like the cookie texture better with it.
Yes! Bake and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months for easy holiday prep.
You can also refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days before baking. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before scooping; you will need to use your hands to firmly press it into a tight ball.
Because we're using melted butter in these, I do not recommend using margarine in this recipe. Your cookies will spread too much.
Looking for more easy holiday cookies?
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Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the ½ cup unsalted butter (i.e. 1 stick) for 20-30 seconds, or until fully melted.
- Add 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar and ¼ cup granulated sugar and use an electric mixer to mix on medium-speed for 1 minute.
- Mix in 1 cup creamy peanut butter and 2 tablespoons light corn syrup. Add 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, mixing until well combined. Mix in 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Gradually mix in 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour until just incorporated.
- Scoop 1-tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them into balls. Pour 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a small bowl. Coat each ball in granulated sugar, then gently flatten the tops. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 8-9 minutes, or until the edges and top are very lightly golden brown. Avoid overbaking; the cookies will appear slightly underbaked but will continue to bake as they cool on the pan.
- After removing from the oven, immediately press in the Hershey's Kisses. Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing.