Peanut Butter Blossoms are a classic holiday treat and a favorite of cookie lovers of all ages! Sweet, chewy peanut butter cookies meet a crunchy coating of sugar before baking, crowned with a milk chocolate “blossom” while they’re warm. The perfect peanut butter-chocolate indulgence!

peanut butter blossoms on a red plaid plate with a glass of milk and pine tree-shaped candles in the background
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Peanut Butter Blossoms: A Childhood Favorite

Peanut Butter Blossoms have been a part of our Christmas cookie trays since I was a little girl. Sweet, chewy, and chocolatey, they were always the first cookies I reached for when my mother made them.

They were also the cookies I had the most fun helping her make. What kid (or adult, for that matter) wouldn’t love to have the very important job of pressing Hershey’s kisses into warm cookie centers (and sneaking a few kisses on the side for herself)?

mixing peanut butter blossom cookie dough in a white KitchenAid stand mixer

The original Peanut Blossoms were the creation of a Mrs. Freda F. Smith from Gibsonburg, Ohio. She developed the recipe for the Grand National Pillsbury Bake-Off® contest in 1957.

While the cookie has since become a classic in the American baking repertoire, it actually didn’t win the competition that year! Mrs. Smith’s Peanut Blossoms were one of the top 100 finalists, while Gerda Roderer’s “Accordion Treats” took the Grand Prize.

Fun Fact: Did you know that you can get the recipes for all of the Pillsbury Bake Off® Grand Prize winners, all the way back to the start of the competition in 1949? Check out the list on the Pillsbury Website!

Over the years, my mom and I made a few changes to Mrs. Smith’s original recipe that have become a tradition for our family. Here’s how we make them.

peanut butter blossom dough in the glass bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment

Ingredients You’ll Need

The cookie base for Peanut Butter Blossoms mostly utilizes baking staples: all-purpose flour, granulated and brown sugars, baking soda, salt, egg, vanilla extract, and milk.

Mrs. Smith’s original recipe uses 1/2 cup of solid shortening as the fat, plus 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter. For flavor, we love to use butter in our cookies, so we made the substitution in a 1:1 swap.

Since butter contains water and shortening is entirely fat, we upped the peanut butter quantity slightly to 3/4 cup to make up for the difference. This also gives the cookies a more prominent peanut flavor, which our family loves.

measuring cup filled with Skippy's creamy peanut butter

What Kind of Peanut Butter Should I Use?

I’ve tested the recipe with different types of peanut butter over the years, and commercial peanut butter produces the best texture. It’s best to steer clear of natural peanut butters that separate at room temperature (i.e. the jars that need to be stirred regularly).

My family and I like these cookies best with smooth peanut butter. It makes a soft cookie with a delectably chewy bite. If you like bits of peanut in the cookie, you can absolutely use a “crunchy” variety instead of “creamy.”

Holiday hershey's milk chocolate kisses

The Chocolate Blosssom

The “Blossom” part of the recipe is traditionally a milk chocolate Hershey’s Kiss. The chocolate is pressed into the hot cookie immediately after coming out of the oven so it melts slightly and adheres as it cools.

To vary the look and flavor, you can use different types of chocolate candy in place of the kisses. Some of our favorite variations are:

If you wanted to skip the candy route entirely, you could also bake this recipe as a thumbprint cookie and fill the indentations with chocolate ganache or melted chocolate chips.

rolling balls of peanut butter cookie dough in granulated sugar in a ceramic bowl

Tips for Making Peanut Butter Blossoms

  1. Mixing. I like to mix the cookies in my stand mixer with the paddle attachment. If your attachment doesn’t have a built in scraper, be sure to scrape the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula when mixing so all of the butter and peanut butter gets incorporated.

    You can also make this recipe in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.
  2. Chilling. Since butter cookies tend to spread a bit more than shortening-based cookies, I like to chill the dough for about an hour before scooping them out and rolling them in sugar.

    I use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough into 1-1/4 inch balls.
  3. Baking Prep. For the best results, bake the cookies one sheet at a time. Have the chocolates unwrapped and ready to go for when the cookies come out of the oven.

    The optimal window for pressing the kisses into the warm cookies is short. You don’t want to first start unwrapping the chocolate when the cookies are baked, or commit to having to assemble all (almost) 4-dozen at once.

    (Of course, if you have helpers, or are really speedy at pressing kisses, go for it in one bake!)
  4. For a classic, chewy texture, don’t over-bake the cookies. They should be just lightly browned and starting to crack. Baking them for too long will dry the cookies out and cause them to split too much when you add the chocolate kiss.
peanut butter blossoms on a wire cooling rack

How to Store Peanut Butter Blossoms

It’s very important to let the cookies cool entirely and allow the chocolate kiss to re-solidify before storing these cookies. We love to eat them while they’re warm and the chocolate is melty, but they’ll be an absolute mess if you try to store them this way.

Once they’ve cooled completely and the chocolate is firm (at least an hour), I like to store my Peanut Blossoms in an airtight cookie tin, separated by layers of wax paper or parchment. They’ll stay fresh and chewy for up to 5 days.

closeup of peanut blossom cookies on a red plaid Christmas plate

Tip: Peanut Butter Blossoms make a great holiday gift, even across the miles! Don’t miss my guide for How to Ship Cookies to make sure your cookies arrive intact.

Can you Freeze Peanut Butter Blossoms?

Absolutely! These cookies freeze very well in an airtight container for 2-3 months. I like to defrost them at room temperature.

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5 from 6 votes

Peanut Butter Blossoms

These sweet, chewy peanut butter cookies, topped with a milk chocolate kiss, are a classic addition to holiday cookie trays. A favorite of cookie lovers of all ages!
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 40 to 42 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter , room temperature (1 stick)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar , plus an extra 1/4 cup for rolling
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar , lightly-packed
  • 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (not "natural" peanut butter)
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 40 to 42 milk chocolate kisses , unwrapped
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Instructions 

  • In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat butter until smooth. Cream the butter with 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the light brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in peanut butter.
  • Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl. Beat in milk and vanilla, followed by the egg, until combined.
  • Add the flour mixture and mix until a stiff dough forms. Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
  • Scoop the dough into 1-1/4 inch portions (40-42 portions), roll them into balls, and then roll them in the granulated sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
  • Bake the cookies 8-10 minutes, until set, lightly brown, and just starting to crack. Don't overbake.
  • As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, gently press a Hershey's kiss into each center. (The cookies will crack – this is normal and part of their classic appearance.) After about 5 minutes, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, at least an hour. (The chocolate should be firm before the cookies are stored.)
  • Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-5 days, or freeze for 2-3 months.

Video

Notes

*Inspired by Mrs. Freda F. Smith’s recipe, a finalist in the 1957 Pillsbury Bake Off® contest. My family’s variation swaps butter for the shortening in the original recipe, and adds additional peanut butter.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 79IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About our recipes

Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.

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10 Comments

  1. Sara Rives says:

    Just made these and they came out great! I always make chocolate chip cookies and brownies, but wanted to make some different as well and they are great. Thank you!

  2. Kathy D says:

    My husband said they were the best. Taking them to a cookie exchange tomorrow.

  3. Mashelle McDonald says:

    I have made these for years. Your cookies look beautiful and I like the additional peanut butter idea! Why the addition of milk?

    1. Amanda Biddle says:

      Hi Mashelle,
      The original recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms entered into the Pillsbury Bake Off competition contains milk. In general, adding milk to baked goods adds hydration and tenderness to the dough.

  4. Nina Wininger says:

    I made these today my husband loves them

  5. Ryan says:

    Made these at 4500′ altitude and they stayed soft when cooled and were absolutely delicious. I would tell you how long they stayed good for, but we ate them all in two days and then I made more! I just wanted a soft peanut butter cookie so I didn’t even put hershey kisses in them, maybe next time. Though on a few I did melt some chocolate chips on top right out of the oven and spread them like a frosting once they melted.

  6. BreeC says:

    These cookies are amazing! Great recipe and super simple. My 4 year old with ASD helped out every step of the way and loved it! A definite keeper.

  7. RedLee says:

    Best kiss recipe Iโ€™ve ever made!! Will use from now on and have shared with friends. The extra peanut butter makes the cookies taste so much better and they are moist and chewy. YUM!!

    1. Irma says:

      So good! I omitted some of the sugar, but i used the caramel Hershey kisses. So so good! I also rolled the dough balls in vanilla sugar instead of regular sugar. They are to die for!

  8. Judy McMichael says:

    Absolutely perfect! This is not a cookie I had made before, and I make thousands of cookies through the years. I compared your recipe with many others and found yours was just a little bit different. I loved that you didn’t return the cookie to the oven after adding the Kiss. The only change I made was to use dark brown instead of light brown sugar bcause I prefer it. Thank you for this delicious cookie. I can’t wait to try some of your other receipes.