Peanut Kisses, or Peanut Blossoms, are a quintessential holiday cookie and one of my personal favorites. These cookies use dark brown sugar for a slightly deeper flavor (a hint of molasses) and a turbinado sugar coating for an extra crunch! You can top them with either milk chocolate or dark chocolate Hershey kisses!
If you're looking for other holiday cookie ideas, check out these Molasses Marshmallow Stuffed Cookies, these Chocolate Espresso Cookies, and these Chocolate Covered OREOs. Looking for something a bit more fruit-forward? Try these Candied Orange Slices.
As always, I do include a few affiliate links in this post for products I truly use and love. This just means that if you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I'll earn a little money (at no cost to you) to keep the kitchen up and running, which I promise to use to create more fun content like this! One of those affiliates is with Amazon, which requires a very clear disclosure: as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you have any questions about affiliates, please reach out!
Ingredients
There are just a few key ingredients you'll need to make these Peanut Kisses.
- Creamy peanut butter: I recommend using creamy peanut butter, but chunky would work well, too! They might be a bit messier when it comes to adding the Hershey kiss, but I'm sure they would be delicious.
- Turbinado sugar: you'll use this to coat the dough before you bake the cookies. This will add a little extra sweetness, crunch, and holiday shimmer to the cookies once they're baked! I like to use Sugar in the Raw.
- Hershey kisses: you could use milk chocolate or dark chocolate kisses.
- Vanilla extract: if you plan ahead, you can make your own homemade vanilla extract!
See full recipe below for detailed instructions.
Instructions
These Peanut Kisses come together in just a few easy steps.
Combine the sugars, peanut butter, egg and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix to combine.
Add the remaining dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine.
Scoop 1 ½ Tablespoonfuls of dough and roll between your hands to create a smooth ball.
Roll each dough ball in turbinado sugar to coat.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
Bake and remove the cookies from the oven. While still warm, press a Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie.
Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.
Hint: The cookies may look fairly round (they won't spread much) when they come out of the oven; that's ok! They will flatten when you add the Hershey Kiss and press into the dough.
Variations
There are a few easy variations you can make to really make this recipe your own!
- Change the chocolate - this recipe uses milk chocolate, but you could also make these cookies with dark chocolate, or any of the festive Hershey Kiss options (like these candy cane kisses)
- Add sprinkles - instead of rolling the dough in turbinado sugar, try sprinkles! This will work well with nearly any type of sprinkle (smaller sprinkles will stick better to the dough).
Equipment
The beauty of cookies is that you hardly need any special equipment! I like to make cookies in a KitchenAid 5-Quart Stand Mixer, but you could certainly do this with a large bowl and a handheld mixer or spoon. You'll need two baking sheets (I like these Calphalon baking sheets), and a cooling rack. I like to use a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough.
Storage
Store these Peanut Kisses at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two weeks. You can also freeze these cookies in an airtight container for up to three months, just make sure to thaw before serving!
Top tip
The cookies are already baked by the time you add the Hershey kiss but keep in mind, the chocolate will get a little melty once it's on the warm cookie! Let the cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! Instead of rolling the dough in turbinado sugar, you could roll them in sprinkles before baking.
I like the extra crunch (and sparkle!) the turbinado sugar gives to the cookies. If you don't have any on hand, you can roll the dough in granulated sugar instead.
Yes, you can, but your cookies will likely look a little lumpy when they're finished. If you're ok with that, I'm sure they'll be delicious!
Peanut Kisses
Ingredients
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup turbinado sugar for rolling
- 24 Hershey kisses for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, egg and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until combined.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined and the dough forms.
- Use a cookie scoop to divide the dough into 1 ½ Tablespoonfuls, then roll each into a ball between your palms. Roll each dough ball in turbinado sugar to coat, then place on an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from the oven, and press a Hershey kiss in the center of each cookie while the cookie is still warm. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.
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