These Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies have a nice soft and chewy texture with rich peanut butter flavor and rolled in sugar with a Hershey's kiss pressed right in the middle. This recipe is unique in that you make two different cookie doughs from the same base and then roll them together to get a marbled effect. First you make the peanut butter cookie dough and add cocoa powder to half of it for a chocolate-peanut butter treat! These are very special and classically enjoyed around the holidays.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Rich peanut butter cookies - these cookies have a rich buttery brown sugar peanut butter flavor that is not overly sweet with underlying notes of natural vanilla and a hint of salt.
- Marble chocolate cookie dough - you get two flavors in one with this recipe! First you make a peanut butter dough and then add cocoa powder to half of it so you can mix the two doughs together for a marble effect.
- Soft and chewy texture - this recipe yields soft cookies that are slightly chewy with the sugar coating on the outside
- Hershey's kiss in the middle - a classic creamy Hershey's chocolate kiss is pressed right into the center of each cookie while they are still warm so that they stick and set right in.
INGREDIENTS
Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Butter - in this recipe, you can use salted or unsalted butter, but if you choose unsalted then I recommend doubling the added salt to ½ teaspoon. I like to use salted butter because it adds another level of richness to complement the peanut butter.
- Granulated sugar - this recipe uses a combination of simple white granulated sugar and brown sugar. White sugar helps create the crunchy edges and you will also need sugar for rolling the cookie dough.
- Brown sugar - I highly recommend dark brown sugar for this recipe as it has twice as much molasses as light brown sugar and will make a big difference to the flavor. It will also make the dough more acidic which means it will react more thoroughly with the baking soda so that you won't be left with a soapy taste (a defect I find common in many chocolate chip cookie recipes)
- Egg - one whole egg will set the cookie dough. It's the perfect amount of moisture to make these cookies chewy and not cakey.
- Peanut butter - you will need smooth creamy peanut butter for this recipe. I recommend the regular no-stir kind. If you use natural peanut butter, the cookies will be more crumbly.
- Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to enhancing the taste of the peanut butter and the chocolate. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
- Salt - don't leave out the salt! It really elevates the rich buttery taste and balances the sweetness.
- All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour makes the best cookies in my opinion.
- Cocoa powder - to make the chocolate cookie dough, you add a bit of cocoa and milk to half of the dough. You can use Natural or Dutch cocoa powder. Note that Dutch cocoa will give it a darker color.
- Hershey's Kisses - grab a pack of Hershey's kisses and unwrap one for each cookie. Press a kiss right into the warm cookie after it comes out of the oven. It will melt slightly so it sticks and sets into the cookie.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- STEP 1). Beat together butter and sugar. You can use an electric stand mixer, a hand mixer or do this by hand with a spatula. You want to beat the butter, sugars and honey until slightly pale and a bit fluffy, but not overly creamed. It will still look like a thick paste or damp sand and this will leave us with chewy cookies. Over-mixing at this point would make more crumbly cookies.
- STEP 2). Beat in egg. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well incorporated and smooth.
- STEP 3). Mix in peanut butter. Add the peanut butter and beat until well combined.
- STEP 4). Combine dry ingredients. Blend flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and whisk it to blend evenly. Then, add it to the butter mixture and mix it in until evenly combined.
- STEP 5). Make the chocolate dough. Combine half of the dough with milk and cocoa powder and mix well. Place it back in the bowl with the base dough.
- STEP 6). Refrigerate the cookie dough. Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour.
- STEP 7). Scoop and roll. Scoop up about 2 level tablespoons of cookie dough and roll in sugar.
- STEP 8). Bake until golden on the edges and still soft in the middle. Do not over-bake as they will continue cooking on the hot baking tray.
- STEP 9). Add the kiss. Press a Hershey's kiss into each cookie while they are still warm.
EXPERT TIPS FOR PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOM COOKIES
- Secret ingredient: honey! Just a teaspoon in this recipe is the key to making them soft and chewy instead of crumbly. Honey is a humectant which means it is an ingredient that binds water tightly and prevents them from drying out. Peanut butter is high in protein and tends to dry out cookie dough to make crumbly cookies and honey helps to counteract this.
- Don't skip the salt. The right amount of salt is so important to enhance the peanut butter flavor.
- Use regular large size eggs. Large eggs weigh 57g. Using an extra large egg will add up to 2 teaspoons more liquid to the cookie dough which can throw off the moisture balance and make the cookies spread too much.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough to allow the flour to fully hydrate from the moisture of the egg so that the cookies will be thicker and bake more evenly.
- Use coarse sugar for rolling. Switch it up and roll the cookie dough in different sugars or sugar sprinkles to get a fun and festive look. Coarse or raw sugar will add more crunch on the outside, so you decide what you like best!
RECIPE FAQ
Chilling this cookie dough is so important for the best results. Of course you can bake them right away, but they will not be as thick or as chewy and flavorful as they could be if you chill the dough. Ideally you would chill the dough for a minimum of 2 hours. Chilled cookie dough also yields cookies with a longer shelf life so they will stay chewy for longer.
If your cookies spread too flat, then it could be that you made the dough balls too big or that there is too much baking soda, or too little flour. They will also spread more if the oven isn't fully preheated and they bake too slowly.
To freeze these cookies and have a stash during the holidays, simply place them in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Note that you will see some blooming (a powdery white film) on the chocolate kisses once thawed as the temperature changes will cause the fat in the chocolate to crystallize at the surface.
The most common reasons for dry peanut butter blossom cookies are: 1) adding too much flour and, 2) over-baking. Try weighing your flour so that you use the right amount. Note that peanut butter contains carbohydrates and protein so it actually performs some structural function of flour and you don't need a lot of flour when baking with peanut butter.
Crumbly peanut butter cookies are often a result of too much flour in the dough and not enough moisture. Make sure you measure your flour accurately and do not over-mix the dough.
Peanut butter blossoms are soft peanut butter cookies made from a dough with butter, sugar, egg and flour that is rolled into balls and then rolled in sugar before baking. After they are baked, you press a Hershey's kiss into the center of each cookie so the cookie looks a bit like a flower.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
How do I store peanut butter blossom cookies?
These cookies are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze peanut butter blossom cookies?
Yes, you can freeze the baked cookies. Just place the cooled cookies in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. They just need 5-10 minutes to thaw.
If you love cookies, check out these recipes!
Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies The BEST Chewy Pumpkin Cookies Chewy Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Cookies Brown Butter M&M Cookies Recipe Lemon Blueberry Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks Coffee Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies Hazelnut Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies THE BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies – Bakery Style!Cookies, cookies, cookies!
Looking for more cookie recipes? Try these:
Baking with peanut butter
If you like baking with peanut butter, try these recipes:
Video
Marble Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup 113g unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup 110g packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup 50g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon 5ml honey
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon 5ml pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup 120ml smooth peanut butter
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups 190g all-purpose flour
- 24 Hershey's chocolate kisses
- ¼ cup 50g extra granulated sugar for rolling
Chocolate Cookie Dough:
- 2 tablespoon 12g cocoa powder (I prefer this one)
- 1 tablespoon 15ml milk
Instructions
- Combine butter with both sugars and honey in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for just 1-2 minutes or "cream" by hand with a wide spatula until smooth and slightly fluffy. It doesn't need to be pale and fluffy because that will make these cookies too crumbly.
- Add egg and vanilla and mix until well combined. Mix in peanut butter.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly, then add this flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and fold it in gently until evenly combined.
- Divide the dough in half and place one half in a another medium mixing bowl. Add the cocoa powder and milk to one half and mix it in until evenly combined. Place this chocolate dough back in the bowl with the base peanut butter dough so that the two doughs are side by side. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop up heaped tablespoons of dough, dragging the scoop or spoon across both doughs and roll into smooth balls so you get a marble effect. Roll the dough balls in sugar to coat evenly. Place them onto prepared baking sheets spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes until puffed and the tops are cracked and lightly golden.
- Remove trays from the oven and place them on a rack. While the cookies are still warm, press a Hershey's kiss directly into the center of each one. Transfer cookies individually to the rack to cool completely.
Lia Perlman
Hi! Can this dough be made + chilled in advance for a day or two before baking?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Lia! I would not recommend chilling for more than 1 day. I would also recommend leaving the dough out on the counter for 20min before scooping the next day.
Dona
These were great. I love that they’re a little different than the norm with minimal extra effort.
Shaima
These turned out great! They weren’t too crumbly like my other recipe.