Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Blossoms are a holiday favorite that never goes out of style. Soft, chewy peanut butter cookies rolled in sugar and topped with a chocolate kiss, they’re as festive as they are delicious. Perfect for cookie exchanges, Christmas platters, or anytime you’re craving a sweet peanut butter and chocolate combo!

Love More Christmas Cookies? Try My Italian Christmas Cookies or this Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookie next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These cookies strike the perfect balance of textures — soft and chewy centers with slightly crisp edges, finished with a sweet chocolate kiss on top. They’re made with just 10 simple ingredients, giving you a classic treat that’s easy to whip up anytime. With their timeless peanut butter and chocolate combo, they’re irresistible and always a crowd-pleaser.

Print

Ingredient List

What You Need:

• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (188 g) – I use Jif but whatever’s in your pantry works
• ½ cup butter, softened (113 g) – leave it out for like an hour, don’t microwave it
• ½ cup regular sugar (100 g) + more for rolling around in
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed down (110 g) – the light kind, not dark
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg – room temp is best but I forget half the time
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1½ cups flour (180 g) – just regular all-purpose
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• About 36 Hershey’s Kisses – unwrap them now or you’ll hate yourself later
• About 36 Hershey’s Kisses 

Why These Ingredients Work

Look, I’m not gonna get all science-y on you, but there’s a reason this combo works. Peanut butter alone makes cookies that spread everywhere and taste kinda one-note. Add butter and you get actual cookie texture.

Brown sugar keeps them soft inside while regular sugar makes those cracks happen when you smoosh the chocolate in. That’s literally it. Don’t overthink it – I tried getting fancy once and they turned out terrible.

Essential Tools and Equipment

You need:

• Big mixing bowl or stand mixer if you’re fancy
• Cookie sheets – two if you have them
• Parchment paper (trust me on this one)
• Cookie scoop or just use a spoon
• Small bowl for the rolling sugar

How To Make Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms

Get Your Oven Ready

Heat it to 375°F and put parchment paper on your cookie sheets. Unwrap all those Kisses now – seriously, don’t skip this step. I learned that lesson the hard way with cookies getting cold while I frantically unwrapped chocolate.

Mix the Good Stuff

Throw the peanut butter, softened butter, both sugars, and salt in your bowl. Beat it until it looks fluffy and lighter in color. Takes maybe 3-4 minutes with a mixer.

Add the Wet Stuff

Crack in your egg and vanilla. Mix until it’s all combined and scrape the sides of the bowl because there’s always some stubborn butter hiding there.

Flour Time

Add your flour and baking soda. Mix just until you can’t see white streaks anymore. Don’t go crazy here – overmixed cookies are tough cookies, and not in a good way.

Shape and Roll

Scoop out balls about the size of a walnut. Roll them in your hands to make them round-ish, then roll in extra sugar. This makes them sparkly and pretty.

Bake Time

Put them on your cookie sheets with some space between – they spread a little. Bake 8-10 minutes until they puff up and crack and the bottoms look golden.

The Important Part

Right when you take them out – like immediately – press a Kiss into each one. They’ll crack around it and look gorgeous. Don’t wait or the cookies get too cool and the Kiss won’t stick right.

Cool Down

Let them sit on the pan until the chocolate hardens up. Takes about 30 minutes but who’s counting?

You Must Know

I stick the Kisses in the freezer for 10 minutes before I start baking. When you press them into hot cookies, they keep their shape instead of melting into a chocolate blob. Game changer.

Stuff That Actually Matters

• Weigh your flour if you have a scale – 180 grams is way more accurate than cups
• Don’t skip the parchment paper unless you like scraping cookies off pans
• Keep your second batch of dough in the fridge if your kitchen’s warm
• These are done when they crack and puff, not when they’re brown all over

Don’t Mess These Up

• Natural peanut butter makes them spread like crazy – just don’t
• Don’t overbake them – they keep cooking on the hot pan after you take them out
• Don’t mash the Kisses down hard – just press until they stay put
• Cold eggs make lumpy dough, warm eggs make smooth dough

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

• Chocolate ones: Add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder – makes them double chocolate
• Crunchy style: Use crunchy peanut butter and throw in some mini chocolate chips
• Different Kisses: Try the caramel ones or dark chocolate – both are amazing
• Spiced up: Little bit of cinnamon makes them taste like fall
• Almond version: Swap almond butter for peanut butter – weird but good

Make-Ahead Options

You can totally make these ahead:

• Make the dough: Shape it into balls, wrap tight, and stick in the fridge for 3 days or freezer for months
• Make the whole cookies: They keep in a container for a week easy
• Freeze baked ones: Layer them with parchment and freeze for ages

Frozen dough takes an extra minute or two in the oven, no big deal.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• Temperature matters: Make sure your butter is truly softened – it should give slightly when pressed but not be melty
• Don’t flatten: Unlike some cookies, you don’t want to flatten these before baking – the round shape is what creates those beautiful cracks
• Kiss placement: Press just until the kiss stays put – you want it sitting on top, not sunk into the cookie

Serving Suggestions

These Peanut Butter Blossoms are perfect for:

• Holiday cookie platters alongside snickerdoodles and sugar cookies
• School bake sales (they travel beautifully and kids love them)
• Coffee dates – they pair wonderfully with a hot cup of joe
• Ice cream sandwiches – sandwich vanilla ice cream between two cookies for an incredible treat

For an elegant presentation, dust the serving plate lightly with powdered sugar and arrange the cookies in a spiral pattern.

How to Store Your Peanut Butter Blossoms

• Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week
• Refrigerator: Not recommended – it changes the texture
• Freezer: Layer between parchment paper in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months

Reheating: These are best enjoyed at room temperature, but if you want them slightly warm, microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Allergy Information

Contains: Eggs, wheat, peanuts, milk (in chocolate)

Substitutions for allergies:

• Peanut-free: Use sunflower seed butter or almond butter
• Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
• Dairy-free: Use vegan butter and dairy-free chocolate alternatives
• Egg-free: Try a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water)

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use natural peanut butter?

I don’t recommend it – the separated oils make the cookies spread too much and the texture isn’t quite right.

Why did my cookies turn out dry?

Usually this means too much flour was added. Make sure to measure carefully or use a kitchen scale for best results.

Can I make these without the chocolate kisses?

Absolutely! Try pressing a few mini chocolate chips into the center instead, or leave them plain for classic peanut butter cookies.

How do I know when they’re done?

Look for puffy, cracked surfaces with lightly golden bottoms. They’ll seem slightly underdone but will finish cooking on the hot pan.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to hear about your baking adventures and any creative variations you come up with!