Homemade peanut butter blossoms are the quintessential Christmas cookie and trademark of any holiday cookie tray. My classic recipe yields soft, peanut buttery, and easy-to-make festive cookies!
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and a few more success tips.
One reader, Donna, commented: “These have always been one of my favorite cookies, and this is by far the best recipe. Follow it exactly and you will not be disappointed. Very simple and worth it. Thanks, Sally, for another home run. ★★★★★“
Peanut butter blossoms are easily one of the best Christmas cookies on this planet because they’re (1) easy to make, (2) super cute, (3) peanut butter + chocolate, and (4) peanut butter + chocolate. (Have to list that twice!)
This soft-baked-style peanut butter cookie is a tried and true favorite (you can even find the recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Candy Addiction). This recipe has been well loved since I first published it—while small, these cookies pack a mighty peanut butter punch, and that’s what everyone loves about them!
What Makes These the Best Peanut Butter Blossoms?
- Simple + straightforward recipe using the same base dough as my flagship peanut butter cookies recipe (note that today’s recipe uses 1 Tablespoon less flour)
- Mega peanut butter flavor
- Extra soft & thick
- Only 1 hour needed for dough chilling, so they’re relatively quick
- Rolled in granulated sugar for an extra sparkle—use colorful sanding sugars for a festive touch
Key Ingredients in Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Here’s what you need to make this classic Christmas cookie recipe. You can find the full printable recipe below.
- Flour: We use all-purpose flour as the base of these peanut butter cookies. You may look at the recipe and wonder why there’s so little flour. Did you know that nut butters act as a binder and can actually replace some or all flour in cookie recipes? See these flourless almond butter cookies and flourless monster cookies. Using more flour will dry out the cookies, so stick with the recipe below.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps the cookies rise.
- Salt + Vanilla Extract: Use both salt and vanilla extract for flavor.
- Sugars: We use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar in this recipe. Both for sweetness, and brown sugar for extra softness.
- Egg: One egg binds everything together.
- Butter: Butter adds flavor and structure. Make sure you have proper room temperature butter before beginning. And if you’re a beginner baker, my video tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar will be helpful.
- Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is the most important ingredient for peanut butter cookies. For best results, use processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy—the same I recommend for my peanut butter balls, peanut butter chocolate swirl cookies, and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
- Chocolate Kiss Candies: A necessity! This is the “blossom” part of these cookies.
You also have candy options! Instead of a Hershey’s Kiss, try a peanut butter cup or chocolate heart like I do in my peanut butter cup cookies and sparkle sweetheart cookies, or a Hershey’s Hug like I do in these gingerbread blossoms. Or fill with jam like in my peanut butter jam thumbprints.
And if you can’t get enough peanut butter and chocolate together, try these peanut butter fudge puddles or peanut butter M&M cookies next. Or you can use a few of your favorite candies in these thick & chewy candy bar blondies!
These Step-by-Step Photos Will Help
You can find the full written recipe below, but let me walk you through these steps. These cookies are quick and simple—a welcome recipe during the busy holiday season.
Make the dough. You’ll combine the dry and wet ingredients separately, and then together. Expect a very soft cookie dough:
Chill the dough for at least 1 hour to help solidify it, which helps guarantee your peanut butter blossoms will hold shape in the oven. Cold dough is also easier to portion and roll. After the dough chills, roll into 1 heaping Tablespoon balls and then roll each in sugar or sanding sugar sprinkles:
Bake the cookies and then cool them for 5 minutes before adding the chocolate candy.
Prevent the Hershey’s Kisses From Melting on Peanut Butter Blossoms
Press the candies into the center of each slightly cooled cookie. And then, here is my trick:
Stick the peanut butter blossoms in the freezer to prevent the chocolate kiss candy from melting. This ensures the chocolate kiss stays nice and snug in the cute little peanut butter cookie. The refrigerator works too, but the freezer is most effective at preventing any melty problems. This also helps cool the cookies quicker so you can immediately hoard them for yourself. I mean… share with your family.
My freezer usually doesn’t have room for a large baking sheet, so I place the slightly cooled cookies on a smaller tray or plate before placing in the freezer. This is the same process I use when I make red velvet blossoms, too!
Can I Make These Nut-Free?
For a nut-free version of this recipe, swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter or Biscoff spread. However, you’ll have better luck (and a tastier cookie!) if you make these sparkle sweetheart cookies and replace the Valentine’s Day heart candies with Hershey’s Kisses. Or try my candy cane kiss cookies or red velvet blossoms.
Other Classic Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Spritz Cookies
- Butter Cookies and Chocolate Butter Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Peppermint Mocha Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Lace Cookies
- Chocolate Ginger Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies & Pinwheel Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page.
Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These homemade peanut butter blossoms are extra soft and thick, super simple to make, and delightfully peanut buttery. So many reasons why this is a classic holiday cookie recipe! Don’t forget to place the cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes to prevent the chocolate kiss candy from melting.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (about 185g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 24 chocolate kiss candies, unwrapped
Coating
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- OR: 1/4 cup (50g) green sanding sugar and 1/4 cup (50g) red sanding sugar
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on high speed until creamy. Switch to medium-high speed and beat in the brown sugar and 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar until completely creamed and smooth, about 2 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. The dough will be very creamy and soft. Cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside. Also, make sure there’s room in your freezer because the cookies will need to be placed inside to prevent the chocolates from melting.
- Roll & Bake: Scoop and roll cookie dough, about 1 heaping Tablespoon of dough each. Roll each ball in the 1/2 cup of sugar (or sanding sugar) and arrange on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for 11–13 minutes or until the tops begin to slightly crack. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- Set the chocolate: Press a chocolate kiss candy into the center of each, then, using a thin spatula, immediately transfer the cookies to a large plate or a few smaller plates (gently—they’re soft). Place the plate(s) of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the chocolate in the cookie.
- Remove from the freezer and serve.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Granulated Sugar: You’ll only need 1/4 cup of granulated sugar for the cookie dough and the other 1/2 cup will be for coating in step 5. Or you can use sanding sugar to coat the cookies instead, noted as optional in the ingredient list. If using sanding sugar, you do not need the extra 1/2 cup of granulated sugar listed under Coating. If you’re shopping for sanding sugar online, I like the sugars from this holiday set, these multicolor, these green, and these red (affiliate links).
- Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. For this particular recipe, it’s best to use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy. If you decide to use natural peanut butter, make sure it’s at room temperature, stirred well, and expect a slightly crumblier cookie.
- Can I use almond butter or other nut butter? Yes, you can use almond butter or another nut butter in this cookie recipe; however, expect a crumblier cookie. I have not tested this recipe with Nutella.
- Can I make these without nut butter? For a nut-free version of this recipe, swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter or Biscoff spread. However, you’ll have better luck (and a tastier cookie!) if you make these sparkle sweetheart cookies and replace the Valentine’s Day heart candies with Hershey’s Kisses. Or try my candy cane kiss cookies or red velvet blossoms.
Reader Comments and Reviews
We are experiencing a frustrating outcome. Twice, the cookies just melted flat in the oven. Can’t figure out why. Any ideas? Thank you.
Hi Connie, there are a few different factors that can play a role in cookies over spreading. This post on how to prevent cookies from over spreading will be a helpful resource to review. Thank you for giving these cookies a try!
I love making these with pistachio butter and salted butter. There is a nice salty bite at the end and they are very moist and chewy. I leave of the chocolate candy at the end and sprinkle a little of flake salt.
I made these tonight and they’re so yummy! They came out perfectly!
I made these for Christmas. My family loved them. Making for super bowl
These came out great! Some did crack slightly but I think freezing them with the kisses worked well.
I have tried different versions of this cookie with some success. These by far are the best! Made a double batch and made half with the kisses and the other half as a traditional peanut butter with the crosshatch on top. Both were absolutely yummy. Still some celebrating to do so I made more today! Love all your recipes!
These are uhh maze balls… lol. Made them twice this past holiday season. Both times absolutely perfect, and I’m no professional.
This last time I swapped out the kisses on about half of them for Dove’s Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter candies. They were so good! Found out the Dove’s do tend to melt a bit easier than the kisses, so into the freezer asap is best.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Peanut butter blossom perfection. Came out soft and thick like they should. Strong peanut butter flavor ( in a very good way). Followed recipe almost exact but had the oven on 375 by accident- still came out perfect. Also I put my kisses in the freezer when I put my dough in to chill- no issues with melting. I used regular skippy brand creamy peanut butter. Wish I could add a picture!
My 1st time using this recipe but I make these cookies every year with no problem. Great taste but as others have said they crumble apart when you try to push the candy down into the cookie. The candy also won’t stay on the cookie.
Have not finished making them and am not going to be able to do it tonight because the total time is misleading. The recipe quick glance time say total time is 1 hour and 45 minutes but it does not include the 3 hours the dough is suppose to chill before baking. I am a little bummed.
Hi Kim, this dough only need 1 hour in the refrigerator. The 1 hour, 45 minutes includes that time.
The best peanut butter blossoms I’ve ever made. The dough stays moist, unlike some other recipes. Refrigerating the dough made it easy to form into balls. I skipped the freezing part at the end.
Another success! My son loves the blossoms. Thank you Sally. Question – I am sorry if someone has already asked this question. Is it possible to skip the coating process? I would like to know if the coating is for the looks or is it because of the texture (Maybe too sticky without coating?). Thank you,
Hi Yuko, we’re so glad the cookies were a hit! You can skip the outside sugar coating if desired.
I typically enjoy your recipes. As with other review, these were very disappointing. The taste was fine, and I think a bit of cracking when pressing the chocolate is fine, they absolutely fell apart when you eat them! Crumbled mess all over! The texture is severely lacking. I followed to the letter and was careful not to over bake them. I have made these same cookies a few years ago using a different recipe with no issues.
Hi! Can I use regular salted butter instead of unsalted?
Hi Anne, You can and omit the added salt.
Love this recipe, but since we always had a problem with the cookie cracking when the kiss was pushed in, we switched it up a bit and used Sallys ganache recipe and flooded it in the center of the cookie. So so worth it and equally if not more delicious!
Hi Sally! I am planning to change up my usual Christmas cookie box and do traditional cookies as bars this year…..thoughts on converting these to a 9×13 version? Thank you!
Hi Carolyn, these cookies should work in a 9×13 pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time. Enjoy!
These have always been one of my favorite cookies and this is by far, the best recipe. Follow it exactly and you will not be disappointed. Very simple and worth it. Thanks, Sally for another home run.
These were delicious. I have loved everything I have baked from your site. These are no different. They are fluffy and just the right amount of sweet.
Do I have to have the cookie dough in the fridge for three days is hour in the fridge for one hour ok
Hi Kristin, it’s up to 3 days. Needs at least 1 hour, though.
So can I take it out after the hour and freeze them
So glad I found this recipe soft and great peanut butter flavor. I have made these since the recipe came out in the Pillsbury book. I do make 36 cookies and bake them for less time. I also freeze my kisses and put them on immediately out of the oven.
My grand children’s favorite cookie will be so much better this year.
I loved this recipe!!! I didn’t have butter and substitute for homemade pumpkin puree that. It turned out amazing, probably the consistency is a little bit different but great!!!
My favorite way to make this is too bake them in mini muffin tins, then add a Reese’s baking cup!
Thanks for your review. I came to the comments to see if I could do just that! 🙂
Hi Sally! While I love your website and recipes, this one was a huge disappointment. I made these cookies exactly according to the recipe, and they turned out extremely crumbly. The chocolate kiss on top would not stay in place. I used sanding sugar for the coating which I thought would make them look beautiful, but the cookie just fell into pieces when the kiss was pressed on top. Not sure what the remedy would be.
Hi Debbie, thank you so much for the feedback. It sounds like the cookies could have been over-baked. If they’re that sandy and crumbly, they probably stayed in the oven too long. Did you use natural peanut butter by chance?
Hi Sally. I did not use natural peanut butter, and I actually only baked them in the oven for 10 min on cookie sheets with parchment paper. Thinking maybe placing the kiss on top as soon as they come out of the oven would make the chocolate stick better, sort of like a glue to the cookie … rather than letting the cookies sit for 5 min.? Not sure I like using sanding sugar either. Too heavy on this cookie. But as I said, I am a huge fan of your website and recipes, so thank you!
Debbie I have made these kiss cookies since the 60s when it came out and this is the best recipe I have found.I don’t use the sanding sugar only regular and I only touch the tops in the sugar. If you roll them you might get too much sugar on them causes them to get dry and also the kiss doesn’t stick as well. Also I always freeze my kisses and immediately put them on the cookie out of oven. I make 36 out of this recipe I like petite cookies and bake 10 minutes but every oven is different. I don’t like the looks and taste of sanding sugar at all. Also I always use a silpad. Hope this helps
Can I double this recipe?
Hi Sean, absolutely. Simply double all the ingredients.
Hi! I’d like to make these with sun butter for my son with a nut allergy. Has anyone tried this?
Hi Celeste, See the recipe note “Can I make these without nut butter?” for details.
I had a whole unopened bag of chocolate kisses leftover from Christmas so I found this recipe to use them up! Before making these I was never a huge fan of these cookies because of how hard and dry they were but this recipe resulted in moist luscious cookies that I literally couldn’t stop eating!! Seriously, my husband caught me sneaking multiple cookies from the kitchen!! Lol! Highly recommend!!
I plan on freezing the balls of dough. Do I roll in sugar before freezing or right before baking?
Hi Chris, For cookies like these that are rolled in sugar, freeze the cookie dough balls without the topping. When you are ready to bake, remove the balls from the freezer, let sit for 30 minutes, pre-heat the oven, then roll into the sugar. They likely won’t need to bake for an extra minute or two since the cookies have defrosted a little.
Just made this and we love it, quick quesriin can I skip coating with sugar?
These cookies are everything I wanted and hoped for from the classic peanut butter blossom and I was always left disappointed. They are soft days after baking, great PB flavor, easy to make and eat. Thank you! Can’t wait to try with PB cups next year.
So disappointed. These cookies crumbled apart and seemed really dry even though I followed the recipe exactly.
Me too! Made them today and they cracked open when putting the kisses in. Not a very good recipe, it’s missing the condensed milk!
I followed recipe to the tea, and mine didn’t flatten, the dough was crumbling, what does this need??
Hi Laurie! When cookie dough is dry, it usually means that there’s too much dry ingredient (flour) soaking up all the liquid. When measuring flour, use the spoon & level method. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag. Doing so leaves you with excess flour in the cookie dough.
Me too! I followed the recipe to a T!!!! Dry and crumbly and falling apart even before i put them in the refrigerator to chill…I scooped flour with spoon and leveled as well! What a disappointment of organic butter and flour and sugar! So upsetting!
Hello. I didn’t make the dough into balls before freezing. Do you think it will be okay to unthaw the dough in the fridge and then bake ? Thanks!
Was wondering if your cookies turned out? I am doubling the cookies and freezing half and wondering how they are after they have been frozen?
Hi Sally,
I’m planning to use the granulated sugar & sanding sugar for the coating but is it possible to lessen the sugar that goes into the cookie dough or would that ruin the dough? (My family normally prefers less sweet desserts.) Thanks!
Hi Jean! You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
Hi, Sally! Do you have a version of this thumbprint cookie that omits peanut butter, or can this recipe work without it?
I’ve been looking for shortbread chocolate thumbprint cookies for ages but every recipe I see is for peanut butter or jam.
I would deeply appreciate any help on this!
Hi Monica, you may love these cream cheese thumbprint cookies, or these chocolate peppermint thumbprint cookies.