Peanut butter blossoms are a classic and beloved cookie but we made them even better by using a seasonal hot cocoa chocolate kiss in the middle!
“You can’t keep making these peanut butter blossoms because I can’t stop eating them.” – Joel aka The Beard. My child on the other hand just kept eating the hot cocoa kiss out of the tops. Kids, man.
These easy peanut butter cookies are mostly traditional but have a little bit of a twist because the “kiss” is a hot cocoa Hershey kiss! I’m not usually a big “seasonal” candy person – I might grab something pepperminty in December and I always get a chocolate orange, but these Hershey kisses have changed my mind!
The hot cocoa kisses have a marshmallow crème center of the traditional milk chocolate. They are delightful on their own, but are extra enjoyable inside these cookies. We bought ours at Kroger, but you should be able to find them at any major grocery store or even gas station.
Now, peanut butter blossoms are super easy to make. But, there are a few tips that you need to follow to make sure they are Christmas cookie table ready.
- They should bake until they start to “crack” on top. Every oven is different, but it’s right around 10 minutes. They will still be a little bit soft.
- Let them cool for about 5-10 minutes and then smoosh (gently) your hot cocoa kiss in the middle of the cookie. But, careful not to smoosh too hard because you don’t want to break the outside of the cookie.
- Immediately put them in the freezer for 10 minutes so the kiss doesn’t melt and gets secured in the peanut butter cookie.
These also make amazing Christmas cookies if you’re gifting to folks because they stay soft and delicious for 5 days. So if you ship them, they should be a-okay in the mail as long as they are packaged safely. Check out this post on how to safely mail cookies!
We obviously think these hot cocoa kiss peanut butter blossoms are the best. But, there are so many ways to spruce up the traditional Hershey’s peanut butter blossoms recipe! Here are a few other ideas that you can enjoy.
- Hot Cocoa Blossoms. These ones are really untraditional and use 3 Musketeers Hot Cocoa!
- Heart of Gold Chocolate Sprinkle Blossoms. These are the cutest! They are a chocolate cookie with a gold caramelized chocolate heart in the middle.
- Flourless Buckeye Blossom Cookies. I will happily accept anything and everything with a buckeye in them.
- Tahini Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies. If you want the base to be a little different, you can make these ones made with tahini instead of peanut butter.
Peanut Butter Blossoms (Hot Cocoa Kisses)
Ingredients
PB Blossoms
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 egg room temperature
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon Rodelle vanilla extract
- 24 Hot Cocoa Hershey Kisses unwrapped
For Rolling Cookies
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
- In a stand mixer or using a hand mizer, beat the butter with a paddle attachment for about a minute until creamy. Scrape down side, if needed, then add the 1/4 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Beat until creamed, about 2-3 minutes.
- Scrape down side of bowl, if needed, and add the egg. Beat until combined. Then, add the peanut butter and the vanilla extract. Again, scrape down as needed. Mix on high until combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Gently add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) to the peanut butter mixture and mix on low until combined. In the mixing bowl or a separate clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap (not touching the dough) and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- After chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking sheets or parchment paper.
- Scoop your cookies into dough balls and place on baking sheet. Once finished scooping, roll in the 1/2 cup of sugar in a small bowl. Set sugared cookie dough balls back on baking sheets, about 12 per baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes until the dough starts to crack. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes. While they are cooling on the counter, make some room in your freezer to chill.
- Gently add a hot cocoa kiss the middle of each slightly cooled cookie. Careful not to push too hard so it doesn't crack the cookie. After adding all the kisses, place the baking sheets in the freezer and chill for about 10 minutes so the kisses don't melt and set in the cookies.
- You can enjoy the cookies immediately after they've cooled!
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