Ingredients
Units
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) creamy peanut butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (120g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) baking powder
Toppings
- 1/4 cup (50g) white sugar
- 24 chocolate kisses (milk or dark), unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, and white and brown sugar with an electric mixer 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and warm water together. Add this mixture along with the vanilla to the cookie batter. Beat for another 30-60 seconds to incorporate.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in a medium bowl.Â
- Slowly add them to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed, until a dough forms that is soft and thick. I like to end with a spatula before the dough combines completely to avoid overmixing it.
- Add the sugar for the topping to a shallow bowl.Â
- Form the dough into walnut-sized balls (1-inch balls), then roll each one in the sugar. I use a cookie scoop (see Notes below)
- Transfer to the prepared cookie sheets, placing them about 2 inches apart, so they have space to grow.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until it's slightly cracked and the edges are light golden brown.Â
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie.
- Transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before eating.Â
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperatures, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time:Â keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.Â
- Measuring cookies: use a cookie scoop so your cookies bake evenly. Leave roughly a 2-inch separation between each (depending on the size), so they can spread comfortably during baking. I use the small cookie scoop of this set that it’s 1.57 inches / 4cm in diameter for regular-sized cookies.Â
Test run: I always recommend baking two or three cookies at first and checking the baking time to make sure you don't over or underbake the whole batch. - Chocolate centers: if milk Hershey's kisses or dark chocolate kisses are unavailable where you are, cut chunks from a milk chocolate bar or semisweet baking chocolate.
- When to add the chocolate kisses? I do it the second the cookies are out of the oven, and it works fine. But you might want to put it for an extra minute after the kisses are added so they stick better to the cookies after they cool down.
- Storage: they keep well for about a week at room temperature in cookie tins or an airtight container. Or freeze them for up to 2 months well-wrapped or in a freezer-safe container. Make sure they're completely cooled, and don't stack them in a way that crushes the pieces of chocolate.Â
- Variations:Â instead of the chocolate kiss, use peanut butter cups. Or add up to 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the peanut butter dough together with the flour mixture.Â
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/24
- Calories: 162
- Sugar: 13.7 g
- Sodium: 64.4 mg
- Fat: 8.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.1 g
- Fiber: 0.8 g
- Protein: 2.4 g
- Cholesterol: 10.2 mg