Peanut butter blossom cookies are a holiday classic. But the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is something that can (and should be) enjoyed all year long.
Peanut butter blossoms are one of the world’s greatest cookies (in my opinion), but are usually only made at Christmastime. Why is that? The classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate is perfect for the whole year round.
So I’m here to tell you this: peanut butter blossom cookies are not just a Christmas cookie, they can and should be made any time of year! I feel the same way about chocolate crinkle cookies…. they’re perfect any day of the year. As you can see in the photos, I used dark chocolate hearts to put a fun Valentines twist on this classic cookie. In the middle of the year you can always default to using a chocolate kiss for your peanut butter blossoms, or get creative and use other chocolate shapes instead!
The other great thing about this easy peanut butter cookie recipe is there is NO chill time! I want to get you from mixing to eating as soon as possible.
So if you love cookie recipes as much as I do, you need to give these peanut butter blossoms a try ASAP.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Level of difficulty: Peanut butter blossoms are an easy, classic cookie recipe. Suitable for all skill levels (also fun to have your kids help place the chocolate candies to be a part of the action)
Flavor: These cookies are packed full of peanut butter flavor, with chocolate being the next flavor that stands out (aka the best flavor combo!)
Texture: Peanut butter blossoms are soft and chewy, with the slightest crunch coming from the sugar you roll the cookie dough in before baking
Time: From start-to-finish, it will take you approximately 55 minutes to make your entire batch of peanut butter blossom cookies. This includes your prep, mixing, and baking 3 cookie sheets individually. No judgement on this end if you put more than one cookie sheet in at a time (just note that doing so may extend the cooking time by a few minutes)…you do you!
Ingredients Needed
- Butter (I use salted)
- Granulated sugar (for baking and for rolling in)
- Brown sugar
- Creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- 1 bag of chocolate hearts or kisses (approx. 36 candies)*
*NOTE ON THE CHOCOLATE: this is an area you can have fun with! Want to make a classic peanut butter blossom? Use a Hershey Kiss. How about a fun Valentines cookie? Try a chocolate heart (I like dark chocolate, my husband likes milk chocolate – sometimes I make a batch using both so you get half of each). Want something different? Look for ‘chocolate stars’ that you can often find in the baking aisle (fun fact: this is always what my mom used to make this classic cookie).
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Prep your cookie sheet: get out your biggest cookie sheet and set aside. No lining or cooking spray needed.
- Make your dough: start by creaming together your butter and sugars. Then add the remaining liquid ingredients. Finally, stir in your dry ingredients.
- Create 1” dough balls, coat in sugar: evenly scoop out your dough and roll into ~1” balls. Dip the dough balls in additional sugar and place on your cookie sheet.
- Note: do not flatten your dough balls, this will start as they bake and finish when you press the chocolate into them.
- Bake: bake each sheet of cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of your cookies are slightly golden.
- Top with chocolate: once removed from the oven, gently push chocolate into the center of each peanut butter blossom cookie (this makes the “blossom”!).
- Cool and store: after adding the chocolate, move your cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 5-10minutes before enjoying. Store cooled cookies in an air-tight container on the counter.
Expert Tips
Use a cookie scoop to get all of your cookies to be the same size! A small cookie scoop is the perfect size for peanut butter blossom cookies. The scoop is easy to hold and the dough comes out nicely. Alternatively, you could use a Tablespoon measure.
Have your kisses (or chocolate candy of choice) unwrapped and ready to go. You want to have your kiss candies unwrapped and ready to place on top of your cookies immediately after they come out of the oven. Once the cookies have cooled and firmed up, it is difficult to add the candy kiss.
Helpful Equipment
A cookie scoop! While not needed, a cookie scoop is a super handy tool that I use a lot in my kitchen. The peanut butter blossom cookies you see pictured in this post were portioned out using a small cookie scoop.
TIP: if you’re an avid cookie maker, having a variety of cookie scoops is a great thing to add to your baking equipment. You can get a 3-pack of cookie scoops and try them all!
Recipe FAQs
Use a chocolate that you like! The classic peanut butter blossom recipe would have you use chocolate kiss. As you can see in my photos, I used dark chocolate hearts, but milk chocolate hearts are great too. I also like to use the ‘chocolate stars’ you can find in the baking aisle because that is what I grew up with. As long as the chocolate you use is about the same size as a Hershey Kiss, it will work!
There are a few ways to do this. I like to use a small cookie scoop to portion out my cookies. The scoop is easy to hold and the dough comes out nicely. Alternatively, you could use a Tablespoon measure.
I love warm cookies just as much as the next guy, but peanut butter blossoms actually need to set up a little bit before you eat them. After you press the chocolate into the cookie, they need to reset as they cool. If you eat them while they are too warm, the cookie tends to crumble. Allowing your peanut butter blossoms to cool for at least 5-10 minutes before diving in will help you to avoid this issue.
Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ C salted butter softened
- ½ C granulated sugar for baking + ½ C for rolling in
- ½ C brown sugar
- ½ C creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 & ½ C all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 bag dark chocolate hearts approx. 36 candies, unwrapped*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C)
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, and both sugars
- Add egg, peanut butter, and vanilla and mix until all ingredients are well blended
- Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, and flour until a dough forms
- Using a small cookie scoop, shape dough into 1″ balls and roll in additional granulated sugar. Place coated dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing them about 2″ apart
- Bake 10-12 minutes (until edges are slightly golden). Once removed from the oven, immediately press 1 chocolate heart gently into the center of each cookie. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 5-10 minutes. Store completely cooled cookies in an air-tight container
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Adapted from Betty Crocker
Martha says
Agreed! Peanut Butter Blossoms are not just for Christmas! These are a family favorite for sure!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
🙌🙌🙌 PB blossom year round club! Glad you love these too.