By: The Real Food Dietitians Posted: 12/5/22
This classic Christmas cookie is always a favorite, and now you can make them as Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blossoms with one simple ingredient swap. Whether you need cookies that are gluten free or not, you can use this Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe as your go-to any time of the year. We love to serve these always-favorite cookies for holiday entertaining, a perfect cookie exchange recipe, or as an always-appreciate food gift for teachers or friends.
Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe Highlights
This classic cookie recipe has been a favorite in households for generations, and there are many reasons why, including:
- a delicious everyone-loves-it flavor combo of peanut butter and chocolate
- cute and uniform cookies made from an easy roll method
- they’re quick to prep from simple ingredients
- easy to make gluten-free, if needed, with our favorite gf flour blend
- can make them dairy-free, egg-free, and/or nut-free with simple swap
Peanut Butter Blossoms like grandma used to make
These Peanut Butter Blossoms are some of the favorite cookies of our childhoods, and we’re guessing the same might be true for you, too! We remember our Grandmas making them and we remember reaching for them off of a cookie tray. They’re fun to make and they’re fun eat! Do you eat all the way around the chocolate kiss center and wait for that last perfect bite? Or do you bite right into the chocolate center to get some of the pb-chocolate flavor in each bite? No matter how you eat them, we know a Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie (whether you make them as Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms or not) is a great way to enjoy the holidays.
Ingredients to make peanut butter blossoms
Gather these ingredients to make some of these quick cookies right away:
- Unsalted butter – we recommended unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter on hand, that will work, too. See below for our suggested swap for the butter if you need dairy-free cookies
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Creamy peanut butter
- Egg – if you need cookies that are egg-free, see our swap below
- Pure vanilla extract
- Flour – you may use unbleached all-purpose flour or use a gluten-free flour blend to make gluten free Peanut Butter Blossoms. See the recipe card nots for gluten-free flours we recommend
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Milk – see the recipe card below for how we use milk in the recipe (it may not be needed, depending on how runny your peanut butter is)
- Chocolate candy kisses – uses regular milk chocolate kisses, striped kisses, or any favorite flavor; or substitute with a chocolate star, chocolate heart, or other favorite chocolate candy or shape
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Yes, We Have a Cookbook!
The Real Food Table includes more than 100 easy and delicious mostly gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free recipes for every day.
Try Different Kisses!
Make these cookies unique by using any favorite flavor of chocolate kisses, such as red-and-white stripes or chocolate-and-white stripes, or even chocolate kisses that have caramel or an almond inside – there are many options on the market! Don’t forget to unwrap all of the chocolates before the cookies come out of the oven, because you’ll need to press them onto each cookie shortly after they come out of the oven. And, of course, the baker gets to snack on one while you’re unwrapping!
Tip!
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How to make peanut butter blossoms
Here are the quick steps to make Peanut Butter Blossoms today:
- Preheat the oven and prep the baking sheets: Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla to the mixer bowl. Mix again on high until light and fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix on medium until a dough forms.
- Roll the dough into balls and bake: Roll dough into 24 to 30 balls and, if desired, roll each ball in sugar. Divide the balls among the baking sheets. Bake one baking sheet at a time on the middle rack of the oven for 9-12 minutes or until puffed and lightly golden brown on the bottoms.
- Add the chocolate: Remove pan from oven, wait 30 to 60 seconds, and then quickly press one chocolate piece into the center of each cookie.
For the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, sodium, and more per serving.
Our Favorite Baking Sheets
We love a good quality baking sheet when it comes to baking Christmas cookies. These Nordic Ware baking sheets are the perfect size for lining up cookie dough balls for baking.
Our Favorite Storage Containers
We love these glass food storage containers for storing all kinds of things, from leftover meals to cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store these cookies?
Store cookies in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for longer storage.
Can you freeze peanut butter blossom cookies?
Yes! These peanut butter blossom cookies are freezer-friendly. Let them cool completely, then place in a freezer container/bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Are Peanut Butter Blossoms a Christmas cookie?
You’ll often find these cookies on Christmas cookie trays, as many families make them for the holidays. However, they wouldn’t HAVE to only be served around the holidays – you could enjoy them any time you have a craving for peanut butter and chocolate.
Why can’t I add the chocolate before baking?
If you add the kisses to the cookies before baking, they would melt into a pool. To help keep the integrity of the shape of the chocolate kisses, it is best to add them after the cookies come out of the oven.
Make Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms
Easily make these peanut butter blossoms dairy-free with these simple swaps.
- Replace the stick of butter with a plant-based stick butter such as Earth Balance
- Use a non-dairy milk of choice in place of the regular milk; or omit the milk
- Use a dairy-free chocolate candy pieces such as Hu Dark Chocolate Gems (get 20% off with code DIETITIANS).
Make These Cookies Without An Egg
Looking for an egg-free Peanut Butter Blossom recipe? One simple swap and they’re allergy-friendly!
- Omit the egg and use a flax egg instead. To make a flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon flax meal and 3 tablespoons water. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes to thicken, then add it to the recipe just as you would a normal egg
For Nut-Free Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
They may be classic peanut butter blossoms, but it you need this cookie recipe to be nut-free, try this swap:
- Use sunflower seed butter or tahini in place of the peanut butter
Recipe
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms
Here’s a classic Peanut Butter Blossoms cookie recipe that has been loved through the ages. We also share how to easily make them gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and/or egg-free, if needed.
Prep: 20 mins.Cook: 10 mins.Total: 30 mins.
Servings: 20–24 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar + more for rolling
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 egg*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups flour**
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1–2 tablespoons milk***
- 24 chocolate candy kisses or other shapes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugars. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the side of the bowl.
- Add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla to the mixer bowl. Mix again on high until light and fluffy.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and mix on medium until a dough forms. Check the consistency of the dough by rolling a small amount into a ball with your hands. If it’s dry and crumbly, add a little milk (see note below). The dough should be soft and pliable but not too sticky.
- Roll the dough into 24 to 30 ping-pong size balls. If desired, roll each ball in sugar. Divide the balls among each baking sheet. Bake, one pan at a time, on the middle rack of the oven for 9-12 minutes or until the cookies are puffed and lightly golden brown on the bottoms. Repeat with the second baking sheet of cookies. While the cookies are baking, unwrap the chocolates.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and immediately (within 30 to 60 seconds) press one chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The texture of the cookies will become soft and chewy as they cool.
- Store cookies in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for longer storage.
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Notes
*For an egg-free version, omit the egg and use a flax egg instead. To make a flax egg, mix together 1 tablespoon flax meal and 3 tablespoons water. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes to thicken, then add it to the recipe just as you would a normal egg
**You may use unbleached all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour, depending on what you need. For gluten-free flours, we recommend Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour.
***How much milk, if any, you use will depend on how runny or “wet” your peanut butter is. If the dough feels dry and crumbly after mixing (i.e. your peanut butter was on the drier side) then add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft and pliable but doesn’t stick to your hands when you roll it into balls.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 165
- Fat: 11 g
- (Sat Fat: 4 g)
- Sodium: 43 mg
- Carbohydrate: 17 g
- (Fiber: 1 g
- Sugar: 9 g)
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 14 mg
Dietary
© The Real Food Dietitians
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