Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies — Blog

Normally I hate commentary on a recipe blog post. I don't care what's going on, I just want the recipe. But here I am, writing my first recipe post, and I'm going to tell you a little story. Sorry.

I have this problem where about once or twice per season, I wish it was a different season. And I don't just mean that in winter I wish it was summer. In fact, it's generally the opposite. And for some reason, for the last month or so, I have wanted it to be fall or winter SO BAD. I've been dreaming of football season and boots and hot chocolate and rainy days. And Christmas. All I've wanted is for it to be Christmas. I love the Christmas spirit, and I think I want to feel it again already because I wasn't in the mood for it in December. Once it gets warm and stays warm, I'm sure I'll feel different, but all I know is that when it snowed last week, I felt no shame listening to Christmas music on the way to work.

We still had Hershey's Kisses from Valentine's Day, so I decided to make these peanut butter blossom cookies for Brandon to take to work. He called me that afternoon to say the cookies were going quickly, and he said that his manager told him something that made him understand why I made the cookies. He said "everyone is saying they make these at Christmas. Now I understand why you wanted to make them." That wasn't my original intent, but I guess my subconscious knows me better than I do!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. I'm pretty sure that somehow the ingredients combine to make some sort of addictive substance, so consider yourself warned. I'm not ashamed to admit that we each ate ten the day we made them. Happy baking!

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
   1 teaspoon baking soda
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   4 ounces (1 stick) butter, softened
   1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
   1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
   1/2 cup light brown sugar
   1 large egg
   1 tablespoon milk
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   Parchment paper for cookie sheet
   5 dozen (one 11 ounce package) Hershey's Kisses, foil removed

PREPARATION

Step 1
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing thoroughly.

Step 2
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheet with nonstick liner and set aside. Roll dough into 1-inch balls (or bigger, for less, but softer cookies).

Step 3
Roll cookies in sugar and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. bake 6 to 8 minutes until very light brown and puffed. Remove sheet from oven and lightly press a candy kiss into the center of each cookie, allowing it to crack slightly. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

**For extra happiness, double the recipe. You'll thank me later. Recipe adapted from cooking.nytimes.com