Tasty Christmas Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Here are my classic peanut butter blossom cookies, dressed up for Christmas with red and green Hershey’s Kisses, soft and chewy peanut butter dough, and that signature crackled sugar coating.

These cookies are always the first to disappear from my holiday cookie trays. I love making a big batch and packaging them up in tins for neighbors and teachers. Plus, the kids have so much fun pressing the Kisses into the warm cookies!

What Kind of Peanut Butter Should I Use?

For this recipe, you’ll want to stick with creamy peanut butter rather than the natural kind that separates. Regular store-brand peanut butter like Jif, Skippy, or Peter Pan works perfectly because it has a consistent texture and the right amount of oil already mixed in. Natural peanut butter can make your cookies too crumbly or oily since the oils aren’t as stable during baking. If you only have crunchy peanut butter on hand, it’ll still work, but your cookies will have a different texture with little peanut pieces throughout instead of being perfectly smooth.

Options for Substitutions

These classic cookies are pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps:

• Shortening: You can replace shortening with butter (use the same amount), though your cookies will spread a bit more and have a slightly different texture. They’ll still taste great!
• Creamy peanut butter: Crunchy peanut butter works fine if that’s what you have. Just know your cookies will have little peanut bits throughout. Avoid using natural peanut butter though – it’s too oily and will make your dough too soft.
• Brown sugar: If you’re out of brown sugar, mix 1/3 cup white sugar with 1 teaspoon molasses, or just use all white sugar for a slightly less chewy cookie.
• Milk: Any milk works here – whole, 2%, almond, or even water in a pinch. It’s just there to help bring the dough together.
• Hershey’s Kisses: While Hershey’s Kisses are traditional, you can use any chocolate candy that’s similar in size – like Rolo candies, peanut butter cups, or even chocolate stars for a different look.
• Colored sugar: Regular granulated sugar works perfectly fine if you don’t have colored sugar. The cookies will still taste the same, just without the festive look.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake when making peanut butter blossoms is pressing the Hershey’s Kisses into the cookies right out of the oven, which causes them to melt and lose their shape – instead, let the cookies cool for about 2 minutes before gently pressing the candies into the centers.

Another common error is skipping the step of rolling the dough balls in sugar before baking, as this creates that classic crackled appearance and adds a nice sweet crunch to the outside of the cookie.

To prevent flat, spread-out cookies, make sure your shortening and peanut butter are at room temperature but not too warm, and avoid overmixing the dough once you add the flour.

For the best texture, don’t overbake these cookies – they should look slightly underdone when you pull them from the oven at around 8-10 minutes, as they’ll continue to firm up while cooling on the baking sheet.

What to Serve With Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies?

These cookies are perfect on their own, but they really shine when you serve them with a cold glass of milk for dunking. If you’re putting together a holiday cookie platter, they pair nicely with other Christmas favorites like sugar cookies, gingerbread, or chocolate chip cookies to give your guests variety. For a cozy winter treat, try serving them alongside hot chocolate or coffee at your holiday gatherings. You can also package them up in festive tins with some tissue paper to give as homemade gifts to friends and family during the season.

Storage Instructions

Store: These cookies stay soft and chewy when kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Just make sure they’re completely cooled before storing, or the Hershey’s Kisses might get a bit melty. I like to layer them between sheets of parchment paper so they don’t stick together.

Freeze: Peanut butter blossoms freeze really well for up to 3 months. You can freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe container, or freeze the dough balls before baking. If freezing dough, roll them in the colored sugar first, then bake straight from frozen adding an extra minute or two to the baking time.

Thaw: Let frozen cookies sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. They taste just as good as fresh! If you froze the dough, there’s no need to thaw before baking – just pop them right in the oven and press the Kiss on top when they come out.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 3300-3500
• Protein: 60-70 g
• Fat: 170-185 g
• Carbohydrates: 400-420 g

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I use Jif for these)
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1.5 cups wheat flour

For the topping:

• red and green sugar (for festive decoration)
• 48 Hershey’s Kisses

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients and Equipment

• 48 Hershey’s Kisses

Preheat your oven to 375 ℉ so it is ready for baking.

Unwrap all 48 Hershey’s Kisses and set them aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or have an ungreased cookie sheet ready.

Step 2: Make the Peanut Butter Dough Base

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I use Jif for these)
• 1/2 cup shortening

In a large bowl, beat together the creamy peanut butter and shortening until well combined and smooth.

Step 3: Cream Sugars and Add Wet Ingredients

• 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Add in both the packed brown sugar and the regular sugar and beat until fully incorporated.

Next, add the egg (room temperature), milk, and vanilla.

Beat everything together until the mixture is light and fluffy.

I find letting the egg come to room temperature makes the dough mix more evenly.

Step 4: Sift and Combine Dry Ingredients

• 1.5 cups wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, sift together the wheat flour, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture, mixing just until incorporated.

Don’t overmix for the best cookie texture.

Step 5: Shape and Coat the Cookie Dough Balls

• red and green sugar (for festive decoration)
• cookie dough (from Step 4)

Shape the dough into one-inch balls, using about a tablespoon of dough for each.

Roll each ball in your choice of red or green sugar for a festive appearance.

Place the coated dough balls onto the prepared, ungreased cookie sheet, spacing them evenly.

Step 6: Bake and Top the Cookies

• Hershey’s Kisses (from Step 1)
• cookie dough balls (from Step 5)

Bake the cookies for 8–10 minutes or until they are lightly browned.

Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, gently press a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie.

I love this part—the chocolate gets just soft enough to melt in your mouth!

Step 7: Cool and Enjoy

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled, the cookies are ready to serve or store.