Description
These classic Hershey Kiss Cookies, also known as Peanut Butter Blossoms, are the perfect holiday treat featuring a soft peanut butter cookie topped with an unwrapped Hershey’s chocolate kiss. They bake quickly in just 12 minutes and offer a delightful combination of flavors and textures that disappear fast at any cookie exchange. Easy to prepare, freezer-friendly, and delicious when enjoyed slightly warm.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 48 Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped
- ½ cup shortening
- ¾ cup Reese’s Creamy Peanut Butter
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup additional granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Cream Shortening and Peanut Butter: In a mixing bowl fitted with beaters, cream together the shortening and creamy peanut butter until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
- Add Sugars: Add ⅓ cup granulated sugar and ⅓ cup brown sugar to the bowl and beat the mixture until it becomes light and fluffy.
- Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla extract thoroughly to combine all wet ingredients.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this dry ingredient mixture into the peanut butter mixture, blending to form a soft dough.
- Portion Dough Balls: Use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough into uniform 1-inch balls, ensuring consistent baking.
- Roll in Sugar: Roll each dough ball in the additional granulated sugar to coat evenly for a sweet, slightly crispy exterior.
- Place on Baking Sheet: Arrange the sugar-coated dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet, or line the sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat to prevent sticking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just slightly browned but the centers still appear soft.
- Press Chocolate Kisses: Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, press one unwrapped Hershey’s chocolate kiss gently into the center of each warm cookie. Do this right away before the cookies firm up.
- Cool Cookies: Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack promptly to cool completely, allowing the chocolate to set properly.
Notes
- Always unwrap the foil from the Hershey’s Kisses before pressing them into the cookies; the cookie’s heat will soften the chocolate to set nicely.
- Cracks on the cookie surface are normal when pressing the chocolate kiss into the center and add to their charm.
- Using a cookie scoop ensures uniform cookie size and even baking.
- If the chocolate kiss develops a glossy surface from residual heat, it will set back up as it cools.
- These cookies are delicious warm – try one fresh from the oven for the best experience.
- Hershey Kiss cookies freeze very well. Store in single layers separated by parchment or wax paper in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to one month.
- To thaw frozen cookies, keep them sealed in their container to retain moisture and prevent drying.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Cookie Recipes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Hershey Kiss Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Christmas Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, Chocolate Kiss Cookies, Easy Cookies, Freezer-Friendly Cookies
