3-ingredient peanut butter blossoms are a wonderfully easy recipe to make when you want a healthier dessert recipe, especially during the holiday season!
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Why You'll Love This 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossom Recipe
These easy peanut butter cookies taste just like a peanut butter cup with soft peanut butter cookie dough and a rich chocolate kiss in the center. This recipe calls for simple ingredients and only three, so it's an extremely easy recipe to whip up when the craving hits or you're baking for a holiday cookie tray!
Equipment
- Medium bowl - a 3-quart mixing bowl should easily fit all of the ingredients to make these peanut butter blossoms.
- Rubber spatula - this is my preferred way to mix the cookie dough, but you can use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer if you prefer!
- Parchment paper - I love using parchment paper because it prevents the cookies from sticking to the pan and makes for easy clean up! Individually cut pieces of parchment paper are a huge time saver.
- Baking sheet - a large cookie sheet is perfect to fit at least 12 cookies!
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Natural smooth peanut butter - I'm a big fan of natural peanut butter over regular peanut butter because it has less trans fats and ingredients, and the more oily texture adds moisture to these 3 ingredient peanut butter blossoms and holds the dough together better.
- Light brown sugar - the perfect sweetener in cookie dough. You can use dark brown sugar or white sugar instead if you prefer. I haven't tried using other sweeteners like coconut sugar or maple syrup, so let me know in the comments if you do!
- Egg - this will help bind the cookie dough together (while also adding some protein!).
- Chocolate kisses - technically this a fourth ingredient but requires minimal effort to include in the recipe! You can use any kind of chocolate kiss you'd like: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, peppermint, etc.!
- Optional: pure vanilla extract, salt
How to Make Healthy Peanut Butter Blossoms
1: Combine all three ingredients (peanut butter, egg, brown sugar) in a medium mixing bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until a dough forms. The cookie dough should be smooth and light brown in color. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl!
2: Using a Tablespoon or small cookie scoop, scoop the dough and roll them into 1-inch balls. Place them on a prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Gently press on top of each cookie with 2-3 fingers to flatten the peanut butter balls. You want them spread out enough to place a Hershey's kiss in the center after they're baked.
3: While the cookies are baking, unwrap the chocolate kisses. This will make it easier to place a kiss in the center of each cookie once out of the oven!
4: Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and firm. Once out of the oven, immediately place an unwrapped chocolate kiss in the center of each cookie. Let cool (either on a wire rack or leave them on the baking sheet) for 10 minutes and enjoy!
Variations & Substitutions
- If you like a little texture in your peanut blossoms, you can use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy peanut butter!
- You can use any sort of chocolate kiss in the center of each cookie! Since these are a classic cookie commonly found on those amazing Christmas cookie platters, you can get festive with the holiday-themed kisses (or stick with the classic milk chocolate Hershey's kisses!).
- Using almond or cashew butter would be a fun twist on these eacy peanut butter cookies.
- For a stronger peanut butter and less sweet flavor in this cookies, you can use ⅓ cup brown sugar instead of ½ cup.
Pro Tips
- I highly recommend using natural peanut butter (the peanut butter should have a layer of oil at the top of the jar and the ingredients should just read "peanuts" or "peanuts, salt.") It's going to be more oily and result in deliciously tender peanut butter cookies!
- The peanut butter cookie dough should hold together as you roll it into balls. If it's crumbly or doesn't stick together, I would add a Tablespoon or two of more peanut butter until the dough holds together!
- The dough may not look like it's going to hold together when you start mixing the ingredients together but it will! You want to mix it for ~30-60 seconds and a dough will form.
- I mix the peanut butter dough with just a rubber spatula, but you can definitely use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer if you prefer.
- I like to bake these peanut butter cookies closer to 8 minutes and let them continue cooking as they cool for a softer cookie. If you prefer crunchier cookies, I would bake them closer to 10 minutes (depending on the strength of your oven)!
- Unwrap the chocolate kisses as the cookies bake so they're ready to go when the cookies come out of the oven!
- I recommend doubling or even tripling this recipe if making them for cookie exchanges, a Christmas cookie platter, or you just love peanut butter kiss cookies!
Storing, Serving, & Making Ahead
- STORING: Store these 3-ingredient peanut butter blossoms in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag at room temperature for up to 4 days. These cookies also freeze well so you can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months!
- SERVING: These cookies are delicious fresh out of the oven but also onced they've cooled to room temperature. The peanut butter flavor intensifies as they cool!
- MAKING AHEAD: Since peanut butter cookies are a classic during the holiday season, you can absolutely make these ahead of time. I would make them no more than 1 month ahead of time, store them in an airtight container, and freeze until you're ready to eat them! I would let them thaw at room temperature for a day before enjoying.
Recipe FAQ
Peanut butter blossoms may fall apart if the dough is too dry and crumbly, which you should be able to detect for baking! If you notice the cookie dough balls aren't sticking together as you're rolling them, add a little bit more peanut butter. I also recommend using natural peanut butter over more processed peanut butter. Not only for the health benefits but because the texture is a little more oily, which keeps these cookies moist!
You may not have enough fat (aka peanut butter) in the dough! I would add a Tablespoon or two of natural peanut butter at a time to see if that helps to moisten the dough. I would also try decreasing the bake time to see if that helps!
I highly recommend it for this recipe for a couple of reasons! First, it's a little more oily than regular peanut butter, and that oil will help make these peanut butter kiss cookies soft and delicious. Second, it has less trans fats than regular peanut butter. Standard peanut butter (that doesn't naturally separate) is made with hydrogenated oils, which are a source of inflammatory trans fats. So I try to use natural nut butters whenever I can!
Yes! These are naturally gluten-free peanut butter blossoms because they don't contain any sources of wheat or gluten.
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Print3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe
3-ingredient peanut butter blossoms are a wonderfully easy recipe to make when you want a healthier dessert recipe, especially during the holiday season!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup (286g) natural peanut butter
- ½ cup (116g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 16 chocolate kisses, unwrapped
- Optional: 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine peanut butter, sugar, and egg in a medium bowl.
- Mix with a rubber spatula or electric hand mixer (you can also use a stand mixer) until smooth and light brown in color, ~1-2 minutes.
- Using a Tablespoon or small cookie scoop, roll 1-inch cookie dough balls and place ~2-inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
- Using 2-3 fingers, gently press down on each dough ball to slightly flatten. You want them to be just flat enough to place a chocolate kiss in the center of the cookie!
- Bake 8-10 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown and firm.
- Unwrap chocolate kisses while cookies bake.
- As soon as cookies are removed from oven, place unwrapped chocolate kiss in the center of each cookie.
- Let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- STORING: Store these 3-ingredient peanut butter blossoms in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag at room temperature for up to 4 days. These cookies also freeze well so you can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months!
- SERVING: These cookies are delicious fresh out of the oven but also onced they've cooled to room temperature. The peanut butter flavor intensifies as they cool!
- MAKING AHEAD: Since peanut butter cookies are a classic during the holiday season, you can absolutely make these ahead of time. I would make them no more than 1 month ahead of time, store them in an airtight container, and freeze until you're ready to eat them! I would let them thaw at room temperature for a day before enjoying.
- I highly recommend using natural peanut butter (the peanut butter should have a layer of oil at the top of the jar and the ingredients should just read "peanuts" or "peanuts, salt.") It's going to be more oily and result in deliciously tender peanut butter cookies!
- The peanut butter cookie dough should hold together as you roll it into balls. If it's crumbly or doesn't stick together, I would add a Tablespoon or two of more peanut butter until the dough holds together!
- The dough may not look like it's going to hold together when you start mixing the ingredients together but it will! You want to mix it for ~30-60 seconds and a dough will form.
- I mix the peanut butter dough with just a rubber spatula, but you can definitely use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer if you prefer.
- I like to bake these peanut butter cookies closer to 8 minutes and let them continue cooking as they cool for a softer cookie. If you prefer crunchier cookies, I would bake them closer to 10 minutes (depending on the strength of your oven)!
- Unwrap the chocolate kisses as the cookies bake so they're ready to go when the cookies come out of the oven!
- I recommend doubling or even tripling this recipe if making them for cookie exchanges, a Christmas cookie platter, or you just love peanut butter kiss cookies!
- If you like a little texture in your peanut blossoms, you can use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy peanut butter!
- You can use any sort of chocolate kiss in the center of each cookie! Since these are a classic cookie commonly found on those amazing Christmas cookie platters, you can get festive with the holiday-themed kisses (or stick with the classic milk chocolate Hershey's kisses!).
- Using almond or cashew butter would be a fun twist on these eacy peanut butter cookies.
- For a stronger peanut butter and less sweet flavor in this cookies, you can use ⅓ cup brown sugar instead of ½ cup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 144
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 48
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 7
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 13
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 13
Keywords: peanut butter cookies, peanut butter blossoms, chocolate peanut butter, easy peanut butter blossoms, 3 ingredient peanut butter blossom cookies, how to make peanut butter blossoms, healthy peanut butter blossoms
Brigid says
This recipe has the perfect amount of peanut butter flavor. And using a food scale made it a super fast and easy recipe to make with my toddler! Big hit and will definitely be making again!
Lauren says
Yay I'm so glad you guys liked it!!
Amber says
These cookies are absolutely delicious and I love that they're a little healthier.
Lauren says
Thank you, Amber! I love to hear it.