These Hershey Kiss cookies are one of the desserts I love to whip up on weekends for me and the kids. I top soft, sugar-coated peanut butter cookies with melty chocolate kisses for a treat that never fails. Also known as peanut butter blossom cookies, they’re quick to make with just pantry staples and simple techniques.
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Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
These soft and chewy peanut butter blossoms are one of those back-pocket cookie recipes that always delivers. You don’t need any fancy tools or skills to make them. Just a good peanut butter dough, a quick chill in the fridge, and a little sugar for rolling. I always let my boys press the chocolate kisses on top, and they have so much fun helping. And when I’m really short on time, I grab a cookie mix at the store, and add the Hershey’s for a quick dessert hack. Trust me, no one will know the difference!
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Don’t Add the Hershey Kisses Too Soon!
For professional-looking Hershey Kiss cookies, I recommend letting the cookies cool for 2-3 minutes before adding the Kisses. If the chocolate melts too quickly, freeze them for 15 minutes first. Press gently, about halfway into the cookie, to prevent cracking and ensure a centered, intact chocolate top. Following this tip guarantees picture-perfect cookies that taste just as amazing as they look.
Hershey Kiss Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Baking Sheet
- Hand Mixer
- 1-Tablespoon Cookie Portion Scoop
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature (1 stick)*
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter **
- ¾ cup granulated sugar divided
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 24 Hershey’s Kisses unwrapped***
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, and ½ cup of granulated sugar, and all of the brown sugar together until creamy.½ cup salted butter, ½ cup creamy peanut butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar
- Add in the egg and continue to mix on medium speed until it is well combined with the peanut butter mixture.1 large egg
- Add in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, mixing until the dough is smooth and creamy.1¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Wrap and chill the dough for about 30-60 minutes.
- While the dough chills, preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Scoop the dough and roll the dough balls in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between the cookies.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cookies cool for about 2-3 minutes. Then, gently press a kiss into the top of each cookie before they completely cool. Let the cookies set for an additional 5 minutes.24 Hershey’s Kisses
Notes
- For a gluten-free or dairy-free option, swap the flour for a GF 1:1 all-purpose flour and the butter for a dairy-free butter.
- Measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method to avoid dry, crumbly cookies.
- Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh so these cookies rise properly.
- Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so that you can fully incorporate everything into the dough.
- Don’t skip chilling the dough, or your cookies may spread and turn out flat.
- I used a 1-tablespoon portion scoop, and this recipe made exactly 2 dozen cookies.
- I used a light-colored baking sheet, and the bake time was perfect at 9 minutes.
- If your oven has hot spots, I recommend rotating the cookies once halfway through baking so they turn out evenly browned.
- You can unwrap your Hershey’s kisses while your cookies are baking so that you have them ready to add to the center of the cookies after they cool.
- The cookies should look slightly underbaked when you pull them from the oven–this soft texture helps the kisses stick.
- Let the cookies sit for about 2 minutes before pressing the kiss to the cookie. Otherwise, they will melt.
- Gently press the kiss about halfway into each cookie to help it adhere properly without causing the cookie to crack.
- If you find the kisses are still melting, even after letting the cookies cool slightly, try freezing your kisses for 15 minutes before pressing into the next batch.
How to Make Hershey Kiss Cookies Step-by-Step
Prep: Gather up everything you need to make these peanut butter blossoms. Bring the butter and egg to room temperature for 30-60 minutes before beginning. If you store your peanut butter in the fridge, you should also let it come to room temperature. This will help them combine more easily in the dough, creating a uniform texture. You can unwrap the Hershey’s Kisses now, or while the cookies are baking later on.
Cream the Butters and Sugars: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat ½ cup of room-temperature salted butter, ½ cup of creamy peanut butter, ½ cup of granulated sugar, and ½ cup of light brown sugar together until creamy.
Add the Egg: Add in 1 large, room-temperature egg and continue to mix on medium speed until it is well combined with the peanut butter mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed so everything mixes evenly.
Chill the Dough: Add in 1¼ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of baking powder, mixing until the dough is smooth and creamy. Make sure to measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method to avoid making these cookies dry and crumbly. I also recommend checking that your baking soda and baking powder are in-date, as they are often the culprits for a poor rise. Wrap and chill the dough for about 30-60 minutes. This helps the dough hold its shape as it bakes. While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 375°F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
Portion the Dough: Scoop the dough into equal portions (I used a 1-tablespoon cookie portion scoop for this and made 24 cookies), roll each portion into a ball, and roll each dough ball in a bowl filled with ¼ cup of sugar. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between them for oven spread.
Bake the Cookies: Bake your Hershey Kiss cookies in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes, or until the tops are just barely set (I used a light-colored baking sheet and found 9 minutes to be perfect). If your oven has hot spots, I recommend rotating the cookies halfway through baking so they brown evenly.
Top the Cookies: Remove the baked cookies from the oven and let them cool for about 2-3 minutes. Then, gently press an unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss into the top of each cookie (only press about halfway down to avoid cracking) before they completely cool (24 kisses total). Let the cookies set for an additional 5 minutes before serving. If you find your kisses are melting, wait a little longer to add them on top, or try freezing them for 15 minutes.
How to Store and Freeze
Store leftover peanut butter blossoms in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.
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