Description
This Peanut Butter Kiss Cookie Recipe brings back childhood joy. Soft, chewy peanut butter cookies topped with a chocolate kiss. Simple baking, big flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- Cookie Base Essentials:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- The Chocolatey Crown:
- 36 Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped and chilled
- Finishing Touch:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Creaming the Goodness:: First things first, get your butter and sugars together in a big bowl. I usually let my butter sit out for an hour or so; room temperature is key here, hon. Beat them with an electric mixer until they’re light and fluffy, like a cloud. This step, honestly, is where the magic starts for a tender cookie. I remember rushing this once, and the cookies were a bit dense, so don’t skip the fluffing!
- Adding the Peanut Butter & Egg:: Next, scrape in that creamy peanut butter. Beat it until it’s fully combined and the mixture looks smooth and luscious. Then, crack in your egg and add the vanilla. Mix ’em until just combined. Overmixing after the egg goes in can make them tough, so stop when you don’t see any more streaks of yellow. I didn’t expect how much difference this makes, but trust me, it does.
- Mixing Dry into Wet:: In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, baking soda, and salt. Now, slowly add the dry ingredients to your wet mixture, a little at a time. Mix on low speed until just combined. Stop as soon as you don’t see any dry flour. This is where I always get a little flour dust on my counter, a sign of a kitchen in action! Don’t overmix, or you’ll get tough cookies, and nobody wants that.
- Rolling into Sweet Spheres:: Now for the fun part! Grab a tablespoon of dough for each cookie and roll it into a neat little ball. Then, roll each ball in granulated sugar. This gives them that sparkly, slightly crisp exterior that’s just so pretty. I always make sure my hands are clean and slightly cool for this, otherwise, the dough gets super sticky. Lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a couple of inches between each one.
- Baking ‘Em Up:: Pop those beauties into a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for about 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them! You want the edges to be lightly golden, but the centers should still look soft and slightly underbaked. They’ll firm up as they cool, promise. I sometimes pull them out at 8 minutes because I like them extra chewy; it’s all about what you like, honestly!
- The Kiss of Chocolate:: As soon as you pull the cookies from the oven, immediately press a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each warm cookie. The warmth of the cookie will slightly melt the chocolate, creating that iconic, gooey top. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This is where the kitchen smells absolutely heavenly, with that mix of peanut butter and chocolate, yum!