Peanut butter blossoms are my favorite holiday cookies to make. Soft peanut butter cookies, sweet Hershey’s Kisses, and a crunchy exterior rolled in sugar…I could go on and on.

The best part about making peanut butter blossoms is putting the Hershey’s Kiss on top. To do this, you take the cookies out of the oven before they’re done baking, lightly press a Hershey’s Kiss in the middle, then bake the cookies for a couple more minutes until the kisses adhere to the top.

When you put the kisses on top, you want to create slight cracks in the cookie. This might be nerve-wracking at first because everything in your experience tells you not to crack cookies before they’re done baking, but just go for it. It’s strangely cathartic once you get the hang of it.

I like to make my cookies small so I can just pop them in my mouth one at a time. But if you like your cookies a bit larger, just roll the dough balls into two-inch mounds and spread them a bit farther apart on the baking sheet so they don’t run into each other while they’re baking.

Here’s a song to get you started on your peanut butter blossom journey.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
4 oz butter, at room temp
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temp
1 Tbsp whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
one package of Hershey’s Kisses, foil removed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and light brown sugar. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until well blended. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until it’s combined with the wet ingredients.

Form the dough into one-inch balls by rolling little pieces in your palm. Roll the balls in granulated sugar and then place them two inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies for about seven minutes, then remove them from the oven and gently place a Hershey’s Kiss in the middle of each other, pressing down lightly so the dough cracks a little. Place the baking sheet back in the oven and bake the cookies for two more minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool slightly before placing on a wire rack to cool the rest of the way. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!