Peanut Blossom Cookies Recipe & Photo

ookies come in so many shapes and sizes. Take these Peanut Blossoms; a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey's Chocolate Kiss sitting so happily on top. Some say these cookies resemble little hats and, in fact, Maida Heatter's tells us in her book "Maida Heatter's Cookies" that this recipe is an "old American recipe that is sometimes called Sombreros".

Peanut Blossoms couldn't be more American; combining two of our favorites; peanut butter and Hershey's Kisses. Both have been with us since the early 1900s but how they exactly came together in this cookie, we do not know. The theory is that the recipe must have been invented by home economists in the Hershey's Test Kitchen. I did try to confirm this by going to Hershey's website, but while they do have a recipe for Peanut Blossoms, they give no clue as to their origin. While I was on their website I did find some interesting facts about Hershey's Kisses. These individually foil wrapped, bite sized chocolate Kisses were invented in 1907 and Hershey's tells us that "while it's not known exactly how KISSES got their name, it is a popular theory that the candy was named for the sound or motion of the chocolate being deposited during the manufacturing process". Today Hershey's makes 80 million Kisses each day and besides Milk Chocolate Kisses, there are Kisses with Almonds, Hugs Chocolates (used here), Kisses filled with Caramel, Kisses filled with Peanut Butter, and even Kisses filled with Chocolate Truffle. The unwrapped Kisses are placed on top of the peanut butter cookies immediately after baking. Be sure to press the Kiss gently into each cookie until you see the cookie start to crack. That way the Kiss will stand upright. These are great anytime of the year and I do not know who enjoys them more, kids or adults.

Line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter. Add the peanut butter and sugars and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. Beat in the milk. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated. Cover and chill the batter for about an hour, or until firm enough to roll into balls.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven.

Roll the batter into 1 inch (2.54) round balls. Place the granulated white sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each ball in the sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

Bake the cookies for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, place a chocolate Kiss in the center of each cookie, pressing down until the cookie just starts to crack. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Sources:

Anderson, Jean. The American Century Cookbook. Clarkson/Potter Publishers. New York: 1997.

Heatter, Maida. Maida Heatter's Cookies. Cader Books. New York: 1997.

King Arthur Flour. The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. The Countryman Press. Woodstock: 2004.

Wilson, Dede. A Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies. The Harvard Common Press. Boston: 2003.

Website: http://www.hersheys.com

Peanut Blossom Cookies:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (185 grams) peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

1/3 cup (70 grams) light brown sugar

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coating:

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

Garnish:

48 milk chocolate Kisses, unwrapped

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