Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies have become such a classic, especially at Christmas and they came about by accident! It might be hard for some of you guys to imagine a life without this ubiquitous cookie, but they weren’t around until Mrs. Freda Smith of Ohio entered her mistake into the 1957 Pillsbury Cook-Off and won 2nd place.
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
The cookies have since been inducted into the Smithsonian and you can read the article and see the original recipe, which was at one time printed on the back of the Hershey’s kisses bags in this article by the Fremont News Messenger.
About Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies:
I was a child when I had my first Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie. I don’t think at the time it was really considered a “Christmas cookie” like they are today. That was a tough sell at a time when there were only a few cookies that were considered festive enough and many of those were heritage cookies passed down through the family or bakery standards like gingerbread men and sugar cookies.
It did not take long for them to catch on, though, and I wonder over the years how many little hands got their first introduction into baking by pressing the kisses into the cookies under the watchful eye of a parent?
This recipe is a bit different than Freda’s. It’s soft and absolutely tender, and maybe just a little chewier than Freda’s. It’s kind of a “next-level” Peanut Butter Blossom. If you try it, I’d love to know what you think about it. I’m hoping it’s going to earn you a few compliments. It turned out to be a fave of my Dad’s, who loves peanut butter anything (and introduced me to the peanut butter, mayo and pickle sandwich) and of my StepMom, Pat, who loves anything chocolate. I’m always thrilled when I can please my fave octogenarians and I’m including these in a batch of cookies I’m sending them.
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Making Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies:
This recipe isn’t far from the standard old Peanut Blossoms (although Freda’s recipe surprised me) and the addition of just a tablespoon of cornstarch helps make and keep these cookies beautifully soft and tender.
The recipe is straightforward and the only real trick to know is to not put two cookie sheets in to bake at the same time. You’ll want to delay one so you have time to press the kisses in all the cookies on the first tray before the second tray comes out. Pressing into the hot cookies helps the kisses to stick. If the cookies are lukewarm when the kisses are added, the kisses tend to fall off.
Saving Money on Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies:
As far as the most bang for your buck, this is THE time of the year to stock up on baking goods and specials. Anywhere from pre-Thanksgiving all the way to Christmas, there will be specials and plenty of coupons, if you use them on baking items. See my list of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Savings. There may be some minor sales around Valentine’s Day on baking items, but the next big sale will be Easter. You can take a look at what items to look for on sale around all the major holidays on this post, Win at the Grocer’s if you’re so inclined.
You’ll want to always shop sales for peanut butter, it’s a common pantry item and one brand or another rotates in and out of sale. If you use it regularly, pick up enough at a low to last until the next sale, and if you’re brand loyal, that means you’ll probably need to pick up several jars. Peanut butter is strange as far as pricing. It’s one of the few items that are often less expensive in smaller jars on sale than on larger jars on sale. Smaller jars go on sale more often at my stores. Watch the per ounce price to compare.
Candy of all kinds goes on sale prior to Christmas and often includes chocolate kisses, and Christmas candy like this varies wildly in pricing. Check your online ads to find which store has the best price. I’ve started using the delivery functions to easily compare prices and backing out of them when I’m finished.
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
- Total Time: 30 minutes plus chill if needed
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup white sugar, plus extra for rolling (see note)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 extra-large egg, room temperature
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 24 chocolate kiss candies, unwrapped
Note on sugar: if you like a sweeter cookie you can use up to 1/2 cup of sugar in the dough and you’ll need about 1/3 to a 1/2 of a cup of sugar to roll the cookies in.
Instructions
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy. On medium-high speed, beat in 1/4 cup of sugar and the 1/2 cup of brown sugar until completely creamed and smooth, about 2 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and mix on high until combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Mixture will be sticky; to make easier to roll, cover and chill the dough for at least a half hour in the refrigerator (and up to 1 day). If chilled for longer than an hour, allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling and baking.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Scoop and roll cookie dough using a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop. Working with several balls at a time, roll balls in sugar (you’ll need about a half cup) and arrange on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until the tops begin to slightly crack, no longer. Cookies may look a little undone but will firm up as they cool. Remove cookies from the oven.
Note: Do not bake two trays at the same time; delay putting the second tray in the oven by two to three minutes to give time to add kisses to the first sheet before the second sheet comes out. When the tray comes out, press a chocolate kiss candy into each cookie until the kisses stick. Repeat with 2nd baking sheet of cookies.
Cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 6 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls from the frozen state for an extra minute.
Keywords: Chocolate, Chocolate Chips, Cookies, Desserts, Hershey's Kisses, Peanut butter
========================
I’ll be sharing Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies at Fiesta Friday #306 this week.
8 thoughts on “Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies”