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Peanut Blossom Cookies

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on January 8, 2013

Yield

Makes about 8 dozen

Peanut Blossom Cookies

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups (13¾ ounces/390 grams) all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon table salt ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 cup roasted salted peanuts 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) dark brown sugar ¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) granulated sugar 1 cup creamy peanut butter 2 large eggs, at room temperature2 teaspoons vanilla extract 96 Hershey's Chocolate Kisses (from two 1-pound bags), wrappers removed

Before You Begin

Any Hershey's Chocolate Kiss—dark, milk, white, or "Hugs"—works in this recipe. For best results, the cookies should be baked on the middle rack, one baking sheet at a time. This recipe can be cut in half.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk 1 3/4 cups flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl. Process remaining 1 cup flour and peanuts in food processor until ground, about fifteen 1-second pulses, then stir into flour mixture.
  3. Beat butter and sugars together in large bowl with electric mixer at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add peanut butter and continue to beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, then beat in vanilla, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl, if necessary. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture in two batches, and mix until incorporated. Cover bowl and refrigerate dough until stiff, about 30 minutes.
  4. Roll 1-inch balls of dough and space 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake until just set and beginning to crack, 9 to 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet from front to back halfway through baking (while cookies are baking, place additional balls of dough on second baking sheet). Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven and firmly press one Kiss in center of each cookie. Return baking sheet to oven and bake until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies directly to wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat rolling and baking remaining cookies. Cool completely. (Cookies will be cool enough to eat after about 30 minutes, but Kisses will take 2 hours to set completely.)
Peanut Blossom Cookies

Peanut Blossom Cookies

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Makes about 8 dozen

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups (13¾ ounces/390 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup roasted salted peanuts
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) dark brown sugar
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
96 Hershey's Chocolate Kisses (from two 1-pound bags), wrappers removed

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups (13¾ ounces/390 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup roasted salted peanuts
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) dark brown sugar
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
96 Hershey's Chocolate Kisses (from two 1-pound bags), wrappers removed

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups (13¾ ounces/390 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup roasted salted peanuts
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) dark brown sugar
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
96 Hershey's Chocolate Kisses (from two 1-pound bags), wrappers removed

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted our Peanut Blossom Cookies recipe to have a smooth texture with a roasted flavor, so we used creamy peanut butter and replaced a portion of the flour with ground roasted peanuts. Most Peanut Blossom Cookies recipes instruct you to add the chocolate kiss after baking, but we found that placing the chocolate in the cookie for the last 2 minutes of baking effectively stabilized the exterior of the candy.

Before You Begin

Any Hershey's Chocolate Kiss—dark, milk, white, or "Hugs"—works in this recipe. For best results, the cookies should be baked on the middle rack, one baking sheet at a time. This recipe can be cut in half.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk 1 3/4 cups flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl. Process remaining 1 cup flour and peanuts in food processor until ground, about fifteen 1-second pulses, then stir into flour mixture.
  3. Beat butter and sugars together in large bowl with electric mixer at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add peanut butter and continue to beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, then beat in vanilla, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl, if necessary. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture in two batches, and mix until incorporated. Cover bowl and refrigerate dough until stiff, about 30 minutes.
  4. Roll 1-inch balls of dough and space 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake until just set and beginning to crack, 9 to 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet from front to back halfway through baking (while cookies are baking, place additional balls of dough on second baking sheet). Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven and firmly press one Kiss in center of each cookie. Return baking sheet to oven and bake until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies directly to wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat rolling and baking remaining cookies. Cool completely. (Cookies will be cool enough to eat after about 30 minutes, but Kisses will take 2 hours to set completely.)

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