Peanut Butter Kisses
Soft and chewy peanut butter cookies with a chocolate center, these cookies are easy to make and loved by everyone. They're perfect for Christmas, bake sales, potlucks, and picnics. Also known as Hershey's peanut butter blossoms.
Servings 24 cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Toppings
- ¼ cup 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 ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup creamy peanut butter, ½ cup sugar and ½ cup brown sugar with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. You can use an electric or stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons warm water together. Add this mixture along with the vanilla to the cookie batter. Beat for another 30-60 seconds to incorporate.
- Sift 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon baking powder together in a medium bowl.
- 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 ¼ cup white sugar for the topping to a shallow bowl. 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.
- 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.
Notes
Baking time: 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 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.
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 that it’s 1.57 inches / 4cm in diameter for regular-sized cookies.
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 chocolate 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. Variations: instead of the chocolate kiss, use peanut butter cups. Or add up to ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the peanut butter dough together with the flour mixture.
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 chocolate 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. Variations: instead of the chocolate kiss, use peanut butter cups. Or add up to ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the peanut butter dough together with the flour mixture.
