This Is This Week

This week, I am sharing true gold.

I will go on record saying that this is the best and only peanut butter kiss cookie recipe you need.

In my 12 Days of Christmas post, I mentioned that holiday baking is a very important part of our annual traditions.

Last week, we commenced our major holiday cookie baking. Spread over two days, we made several hundred cookies.

But one of my favorites – and a favorite of pretty much everyone I share them with – is the classic peanut butter blossom (kiss) cookie.

This recipe is out of an ancient cookbook that my mom has had for over 60 years. Unfortunately I don’t have the original publisher information but know that this is not a recipe of my own creation!

We scaled this cookie up to accommodate the voracious appetites for it.

Best Ever Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Makes ~6 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 5 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
• 1 T baking soda
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/2 C. butter
• 1 C. peanut butter
• 1 1/2 C. sugar
• 1 1/2 C. firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 T. vanilla extract
• 2(ish) bags Hershey’s kisses*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, peanut butter and sugars.
4. Once fully creamed, add in eggs (1 at a time) and vanilla extract.
5. Stir in dry ingredients slowly, being careful not to overmix.
6. Spoon dough into balls (rounded teaspoons). Roll in extra granulated sugar.
7. Place on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet
8. Bake 8 minutes, then add Hershey’s kiss and press down firmly.
9. Return to oven 2-5 minutes longer (I only ever do 2 minutes because I prefer them a little underbaked).

Notes: I usually advocate for fresh ground, natural peanut butter, but this recipe really benefits from the store-bought stuff with added oil and sugar. I don’t mind it with the natural peanut butter and the recipe still works, but it is way more decadent with the brand name peanut butters.

I don’t usually pack my sugar and under measure a little because some part of me thinks I am helping myself by reducing the sugar a few tablespoons. Just know it will still work if you aren’t perfect.

*I don’t have an exact number of kisses needed because even though the recipe claims to make 6 dozen cookies, I usually end up with more than that. Two standard size bags seems to be sufficient for us.

I rewrote the instructions a bit from the original recipe.

Make these cookies. You won’t regret it,.

Enough said.