Peanut Butter Blossoms | Classic Holiday Cookie (Crinkly, Soft & Chocolate-Kissed)

Setting the Scene: A Tin Full of Tradition

Some cookies taste like pure nostalgia—the kind you find in a ribboned tin beside twinkle lights, still faintly warm, with their chocolate centers gleaming like ornaments. Peanut Butter Blossoms are that cookie. The dough is buttery and plush, the edges wear a delicate sugar crust, and the center—pressed with a chocolate kiss the second they leave the oven—melts just enough to glaze. One bite and you get it all: salty-sweet peanut butter, soft crumb, a silky chocolate finish. They’re simple to make, endlessly giftable, and universally adored. Bake them for cookie swaps, Santa plates, or just because it’s Tuesday and you could use something cozy.

What You’ll Need: Ingredients & Tools (Pin-Friendly)

Ingredients (Makes 28–32 cookies)

• Dry
  • 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
• Wet & creamy
  • ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened to cool-room temp
  • ½ cup (120 g) creamy peanut butter (no-stir style works best)
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp milk (whole or 2%)
• Finish & center
  • ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar for rolling
  • 28–32 chocolate kisses (about 8–9 oz / 225–255 g), unwrapped

Sub notes: Natural peanut butter can work if well-stirred; dough may spread more—chill 20 minutes before baking. Swap kisses for chocolate disks or peanut butter cups for playful twists.

Tools

• Stand mixer or hand mixer + mixing bowl
• Rubber spatula
• Rimmed sheet pans + parchment
• 1-tbsp scoop (No. 60) or a rounded tablespoon
• Cooling racks and a small offset spatula

How to Make It: Soft-Chewy Blossoms with Crackly Sugar Edges

Whisk the Dry
In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside—pre-mixing keeps your crumb even and avoids pockets of leavener.

Cream the Butters & Sugar
In a large bowl, beat butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until slightly lightened and creamy, scraping the bowl once. This mild aeration keeps the cookies soft without turning them cakey.

Add Egg, Vanilla & Milk
Beat in the egg until fully incorporated, then the vanilla and milk. The dough should look glossy and unified—no streaks of peanut butter.

Fold in the Dry
Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until no dry patches remain. Overmixing tightens the crumb; stop as soon as the dough pulls together. If the kitchen is warm or your peanut butter is loose, chill the bowl 15–20 minutes to help the cookies keep their shape.

Scoop, Roll & Sugar-Jacket
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line sheet pans with parchment. Scoop 1 tablespoon portions and roll into smooth balls. Toss each ball in granulated sugar to coat—this creates sparkle and those classic crackly rings. Space 2 inches apart on the trays.

Bake to “Just-Set”
Bake 8–10 minutes, rotating once, until the cookies are puffed, edges look set, and the tops show delicate cracks but the centers are still soft and pale. They’ll seem a touch underdone—that’s perfect.

Press the Chocolate & Cool
Remove the tray and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie until the sides crack prettily. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes (the residual heat softens the chocolate into a glossy crown), then transfer to a rack to finish setting. The kisses will re-firm as the cookies cool, keeping that signature shine.

How to Make It: Pro Moves for Bakery-Pretty Blossoms

Sugar Roll = Signature Crinkle
Coating the dough balls in sugar before baking helps the surface set first, encouraging pretty cracks when you press in the chocolate. For extra sparkle, roll a second time after a quick 5-minute chill.

Warm-Press Timing
Press the chocolate right out of the oven—wait too long and the cookie won’t crinkle. If the kisses melt too much (very warm kitchens do this), pop the tray into the freezer for 2–3 minutes after pressing to set the tops quickly.

Uniform Size = Even Bake
Use a 1-tbsp scoop. Bigger cookies (1½ tbsp) need an extra minute; smaller minis bake in ~7 minutes.

Natural PB Caution
Natural peanut butter varies in fat and moisture. If using, stir thoroughly, then chill 20 minutes before baking to prevent excessive spread.

Creative Twists: Dress Them for the Cookie Tray

• Sparkling Sugar & Sea Salt: Roll in coarse sanding sugar for glitter and finish baked cookies with a pinch of flaky salt.
• Dark Chocolate & Espresso: Use 60–70% dark kisses or a square of dark chocolate; whisk 1 tsp instant espresso into the dry ingredients to deepen flavor.
• Peanut Butter Cup Blossoms: Press mini PB cups instead of kisses; sprinkle with chopped roasted peanuts.
• Chocolate-Peanut Swirl: Marble 2 tbsp cocoa powder into half the dough; roll marbled balls for a swirly effect.
• Holiday Peppermint: Use peppermint kisses; add ¼ tsp peppermint extract to the dough and roll in crushed peppermint sugar (equal parts sugar + candy cane dust).
• Gluten-Free Friendly: Use a 1:1 GF baking flour; let the dough rest 10 minutes before scooping to hydrate.
• Vegan Path: Swap butter for vegan butter stick, egg for 3 tbsp aquafaba, and choose dairy-free chocolate. Chill dough 20 minutes before baking.

Make-Ahead, Storage & Gifting

• Freeze the dough balls: Roll and sugar-coat, then freeze solid on a tray. Store up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 350°F for 10–11 minutes, then press kisses.
• Bake-ahead: Cookies keep 4–5 days airtight at room temp. Slip in a small piece of sandwich bread to keep them soft.
• Shipping tip: Allow kisses to set completely (or chill 15 minutes) before packing in tins with parchment between layers.

Troubleshooting (Read Before the Second Tray)

• Dry/crumbly dough? Peanut butter was too dry or flour over-measured. Add 1–2 tsp milk and mix briefly to rehydrate.
• Excess spread? Dough too warm or PB too oily. Chill 20 minutes; bake on a fresh, cool sheet.
• Kiss slid off? Pressed too hard or cookie overbaked. Press gently, just to crack the ring; pull cookies when centers are still soft.
• No crinkles? Roll generously in sugar and press the chocolate immediately after baking.

Nutritional Spotlight (Per cookie, 1 of 30; approximate)

The peanut butter brings satisfying richness, so one or two cookies feel like a treat without overdoing it.

Final Inspiration: A Cookie Tin Classic—Made Yours

There’s a reason Peanut Butter Blossoms show up on every holiday platter: they’re quick to make, charming to look at, and even better to eat. The sugar sparkle, the soft peanut butter crumb, the warm press of chocolate—together they’re the taste of gatherings, gift exchanges, and late-night nibbling by the tree. Keep a bag of kisses in the pantry and a stick of butter on standby, and you’re fifteen minutes from a house that smells like celebration.

Stack them high on a cake stand, tuck a dozen into a neighbor’s mailbox with a note, or freeze a log of dough for cookie emergencies. Classics become classics for a reason—and this one’s ready to join your forever file.