Description
Peanut Butter Blossoms are classic, soft peanut butter cookies topped with a melty chocolate kiss in the center. This recipe offers three delightful variations: the traditional peanut butter blossom with a chocolate kiss, crinkle cookies featuring a sugar-crusted exterior, and thumbprint cookies filled with your choice of jam or filling, perfect for holiday baking or anytime treats.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
Wet Ingredients and Sugars
- ½ cup butter (softened)
- ½ cup peanut butter (creamy)
- ½ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Rolling and Topping
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar (sifted)
- 24 unwrapped chocolate kisses (for peanut butter blossoms)
- ¼ cup jam or filling of choice (for thumbprint cookies)
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, additional flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: Using a stand mixer or a medium bowl with a hand mixer, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, and peanut butter together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Combine Dough: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beating on low speed just until the dough comes together. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up.
- Shape and Roll Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Shape the chilled dough into balls about 1 inch (2 cm) in diameter, smaller than golf ball size. Roll each ball in sugar according to the cookie type: for peanut butter blossoms and thumbprint cookies, roll in granulated sugar; for crinkle cookies, roll first in granulated sugar then in powdered sugar to create the signature crinkle effect. Place the dough balls 2 inches (4 cm) apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. For thumbprint cookies, create an indentation in the center of each dough ball using your thumb or a wooden spoon.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake for approximately 12 minutes. For peanut butter blossoms, remove immediately and press an unwrapped chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie while still warm. For thumbprint cookies, re-indent the center right after baking.
- Cool and Finish: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Transfer peanut butter blossoms and thumbprint cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Once thumbprint cookies are fully cooled, fill the indentations with jam or your favorite filling. For crinkle cookies, allow them to cool 10-15 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack. Enjoy all three variations!
Notes
- Make sure the butter is softened but not melted for better creaming results.
- Chilling the dough is essential to prevent spreading and to achieve the perfect cookie texture.
- Use room temperature egg to help the ingredients combine smoothly.
- For thumbprint cookies, be gentle when re-indenting after baking to avoid cracking.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
