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Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies, aka Peanut Blossoms

Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies: they are a classic that’s welcomed on nearly every holiday cookie tray and at plenty of summer picnics!

We have Mrs. Freda F. Smith of Gibsonburg, Ohio, to thank for these beloved cookies, which are also sometimes known as Peanut Blossoms or Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies.

Freda had been an enthusiastic baker since age 8. She had developed the recipe as a treat for her grandchildren and had entered it in the ninth Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1957, but the recipe failed to clinch the grand prize.

Though a “mere” runner up, the cookies have since appeared on nearly every kitchen table in America – thanks in large part to the Hershey Company, which printed the recipe on its bags of Hershey’s Kisses.

Freda got her credit due, though posthumously, when the recipe was inducted into the Pillsbury Bake-Off Hall of Fame in 1999 in honor of the contest’s fiftieth anniversary.

One fun bit of cookie trivia: during the recipe’s induction, Freda’s daughter, Jo Anne Smith Lytle, told reporters that her mother had originally named the cookies Black-eyed Susans., Pillsbury renamed them.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Bake time: 8-10 minutes

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

½ cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

Additional granulated sugar (for coating the cookies)

About 36 Hershey’s kisses (find kisses of all flavors here)

Directions for Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Place butter, peanut butter, sugars, and egg in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the ingredients until well blended, scraping the bowl regularly. Stir in flour, baking soda, and baking powder until the dough forms.
3. Place extra granulated sugar in a shallow dish or on a plate.
4. Form the dough into round, scant 1-inch balls in a consistent size, using a cookie scoop, small kitchen teaspoon, or a measuring teaspoon. Roll each ball in the sugar. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.
5. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, one baking sheet at a time, until cookies are set and edges are a light golden brown. Cookies will puff up slightly and surfaces will appear crinkled. Do not over bake.
6. While cookies are baking, unwrap Hershey’s Kisses.
7. Remove baking sheets from the oven. Press a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie while cookies are hot. Allow cookies to sit for 2-3 minutes before using a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack. Cool completely to allow both cookies and kisses to set, about 30 minutes.
8. Store cookies in an airtight container using waxed paper or parchment paper to separate layers.

Get more easy cookie recipes on our Hershey Kiss Cookies Pinterest board.

More Easy Kiss Cookie Recipes

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies: easy blossom cookie variation ...

Cherry Kisses: low-fat meringues that melt in your mouth ...

No-Bake Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies: no oven needed!

Red Velvet Blossom Cookies: easy cake mix cookie recipe ...

Triple Chocolate Kisses: meringues made with 3 kinds of chocolate ...

Tips for making peanut butter kiss cookies (of all types) ...

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