The Prettiest Flower of Winter...
...is the peanut butter blossom.
Until the dream day comes when I can solidly plant myself and a bucket of popcorn in front of C-Span and watch the January 6th Commission hearings from morning until night, I take the joy in whatever snippets of news that is thrown our way.
I’ve a spring in my step today after the AG for the District of Columbia announced he would sue the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers for their attack on the Capitol last January. And while the content (and idea!) of the emails and texts sent by the likes of Ingraham and Donnie Jr to the White House to get The Orange Nightmare to stop what was going on at the Capitol was disturbing…it sure was intriguing. And it let me fantasize about Laura Ingraham doing time. Hey, a girl can dream.
But cookies! My daughter’s favorite cookies! She got home from her first semester at college two days ago, so these had to be made.
I’ve been tweaking the recipe for a while now, never truly happy because they were more crunchy than soft. I finally got the amounts of brown and white sugars right, and the result is this cookie.
One of my Twitter friends, @blindedbite, has a luxurious take on these cookies and instead of regular ol’ Hershey kisses, drops a chocolate truffle in the middle of each cookie. I haven’t tried this yet, but I sure do plan to.
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Makes 3 dozen.
What You’ll Need:
1 1/4 cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (113 grams), softened
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (107 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup (202 grams) peanut butter (I used Skippy “natural,” but you can use any regular jarred peanut butter, just don’t use freshly ground.)
1 bag Hershey kisses (unwrapped…)
What You’ll Do:
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
With a hand- or stand mixer, cream the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. This is a good time to remind you to scrape down the sides of the bowl a lot.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended.
Add the peanut butter and mix. And scrape. And mix. Add the flour mixture. And then probably scrape and mix one or two more times.
The dough will be soft and needs to be refrigerated for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment.
Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. I choose not to roll them in sugar, as a lot of recipes do. The cookies don’t need the extra crunch or sweetness. So there.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until firm and just turning light golden.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes, then push a Hershey’s kiss into each. Or a truffle if you’re a decadent sort.
Pour large glass of cold milk. Sit down. Eat cookies. Drink milk. Remain seated.
Is this peanut butter classic a tradition in your house?
Marissa - in what step do we add the flour mixture?
What kind of PB do you use? Traditional or natural?