These petite, nearly bite-sized cookies will delight children of all ages, from 3 to 93! They are the perfect treat when you are short on time but want a freshly baked cookie. No chilling the dough for hours and no fancy ingredients. It takes a few minutes to unwrap 5 dozen Hershey’s Kisses but if you have kids or willing family members, you will be ready to go in no time at all. There are thousands of recipes for Peanut Butter Blossoms, also known as Hershey Kiss Cookies. Some use butter, others use shortening (I tried it, not a fan) and a few use both. This recipe was adapted from NYT Cooking. I added a bit more peanut butter, which is never a bad idea.
These cookies are quite small. You will get 5 dozen from this recipe, plenty to share with all of your friends.
The dough is rolled into 1-inch balls then rolled in sugar. I first used granulated sugar but found that coarser sugar (I used Bob’s Red Mill Decorative Sparkling Sugar) added a lovely crunch to the soft and chewy cookies. Once the cookies have baked for 6 minutes the pan is removed from the oven and each cookie receives its Hershey’s Kiss. They go back in the oven for another 2 minutes. Don’t worry, the chocolate will not melt.
I think the cracks around the edges of the cookies make them more attractive. They look beautiful!
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon if using unsalted butter)
- 4 ounces (1 stick) Earth Balance Buttery Sticks at room temperature
- ⅔ cups smooth peanut butter such as Skippy's
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon lactose free milk (or regular milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 5 dozen (one 11-ounce package) Hershey's Kisses, foil removed
- sparkling sugar for rolling cookie dough
- Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together the Earth Balance Buttery Stick, peanut butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing thoroughly with a firm spatula. If the dough is very soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough into 5 pieces, and shape each piece into 12 balls.
- Roll cookies in sugar and place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake until very light brown and puffed, about 6 minutes. Remove cookie sheet from the oven and lightly press a candy kiss into the center of each cookie, allowing it to crack slightly. Return to the oven and bake another 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- The cookies are best eaten the day you bake them however you may store them in an airtight container for another day or so. You can also freeze the cookies though the chocolate may change color affecting the appearance due to the cocoa butter separating from the cocoa solids, but the taste will not be affected.