Peanut Butter Blossoms, or as I knew them, Cyclops Cookies, are one of my favorite cookies to make around the holidays! They have a soft peanut butter cookie base with a chocolate kiss in the middle.
This recipe is passed down from the Home Economics class of a childhood neighbor. They made them every year for Thanksgiving, which we often celebrated together. For me, these cookies are synonymous with mashed potatoes, turkey and green beans! It's not a Thanksgiving without them!
The recipe is directly below!! Keep scrolling beyond it for tips and more information. Happy baking!
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- hershey's kisses
Instructions
- In a large mixer bowl beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 sec or until combined.
- Add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Then, beat in the egg, milk and vanilla.
- In a separate small mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. With mixer on low speed gradually add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture. Cover and chill about 1 hour for easier handling.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in additional sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or till edges are firm. Immediately press a hershey's kiss on top of each cookie. Then, move to a wire rack to cool.
Please note, Holiday Sweets N Treats isn't a professional nutritionist. Any and all nutritional information shared is an estimate. If you're following a specific diet or counting calories, we suggest you use the nutrition calculator of your choice. Calories can vary depending on the brands and products used.
What Kind of Peanut Butter to Use
Use a thick, creamy peanut butter for making peanut butter blossoms.
Natural peanut butter can have a thinner consistency and the extra oil can cause the cookies to spread more. This doesn't mean you can't use it! I've made successfully made these cookies with natural peanut butters as well as more processed ones.
I recommend following the instructions to chill the cookie dough for one hour if using a natural peanut butter.
Detailed Steps and Tips for Making Peanut Butter Blossoms
INGREDIENTS
Set your baking up for success starting with your ingredients!
- The most important ingredient to pay attention to for this recipe is the peanut butter. Be mindful of what peanut butter you use as described above.
- Set the egg and butter on the counter about an hour in advance to reach room temperature. This helps them mix in better!
- Unwrap the Hershey's kisses and place them on a plate or bowl in the refrigerator until you're ready to press them into the cookie center.
STEP 1: MIX THE BUTTER AND THE PEANUT BUTTER
To begin, mix the butter and peanut butter. If your butter isn’t soft, you can microwave it briefly in 5-second bursts, rotating it each time, or beat it with a mixer until pliable.
If your butter is already at room temperature (recommended!), beat the peanut butter and butter together until combined.
I prefer to use a handheld electric mixer for this recipe, but a standing mixer would work as well.
STEP 2: ADD THE REMAINING WET INGREDIENTS
Add in both the white and brown sugar. The mixture should be creamy from the butter and peanut butter but now have a grainy texture from the sugars.
Mix in the egg, milk and vanilla, beating until everything is just combined.
STEP 3: MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a small mixing bowl. The reason you do this is to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the dough. If you dump them directly into the wet ingredients, the baking powder or soda may clump into one area, causing the cookies to not bake properly.
Then, add the flour mixture to the wet dough. Start mixing on a slow speed so the flour doesn't fly out of the bowl and gradually move to a medium speed, mixing just until everything is combined.
Bonus Tip: As you gather your ingredients, put the dry ingredients into the small bowl right away and you'll be one step ahead!
STEP 4: CHILL THE DOUGH
The original recipe said that the chill time is optional. Personally, I prefer to chill cookie dough because it makes them easier to handle as well as a little chewier. If you decide to skip chilling, I would suggest baking a small test batch first to make sure that they don't spread out too much!
To chill, cover the cookie dough in the mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator for one hour.
STEP 5: SCOOP THE COOKIES AND ROLL IN SUGAR
When ready to bake, shape the dough into 1 inch balls using a small cookie scoop. If you want a slightly larger cookie, you can increase the size to 1.5 inches, and add a minute or two to the baking time. This dough works really well with a mechanical scoop!
Roll the balls of dough in a shallow bowl or lipped plate with extra white granulated sugar. Make sure they're coated evenly and all over!
These cookies need space on the baking sheet, so place the balls of dough about 2 inches apart.
STEP 6: BAKE
Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes until the cookie edges are firm but the centers remain soft. While the cookies are still warm, press a Hershey’s kiss into the center of each one. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool and set before enjoying.
Cookies often spread because the butter is too soft or the dough wasn’t chilled. Ensure your butter is just softened (not melted), and chill the dough for an hour to keep the cookies from spreading excessively.
Yes! While Hershey’s Kisses are traditional, you can substitute other chocolates like mini peanut butter cups, chocolate chunks, or even dark chocolate squares.
Does this recipe look familiar? I used it as a base for these Halloween Spider Cookies!
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