Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms (BEST recipe!)

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms – This gluten-free peanut butter blossom recipe combines soft, chewy peanut butter cookies with chocolate kiss candies. A perfect holiday cookie!

I’ve been thinking about gluten-free holiday cookies and Christmas cookies since, well, July. (June, if I’m being 100% honest–ha!) There’s just no better time to bake than the holidays, is there? Lately I’ve been in a peanut butter mood, so I knew just what to make next.

I love a good peanut butter cookie recipe, whether it’s a fully loaded Reese’s cookie, a cookie with peanut butter chips, or a chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookie, but one of the most iconic peanut butter cookies around is peanut butter blossoms.

While the original recipe wasn’t gluten-free, it’s easy to make your own gluten-free peanut butter blossom cookies for the holidays. They’re adorable, easy, and so fun to make! Best of all you only need a few simple ingredients to get started.

Here’s what you need to make the best gluten-free peanut butter blossoms recipe…

Here’s What You Need To Make Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

• Gluten-Free Flour. Rather than mixing and matching a ton of different individual flours, I keep things simple with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Our very favorite is this one from King Arthur.
• Cornstarch. Then, I use two tablespoons cornstarch (or arrowroot if that works better for you), to give them a great texture. It helps with softness, and doesn’t dry out the cookies, letting the peanut butter flavor shine through.
• Kosher Salt. Using enough salt helps balance the flavor of the peanut butter and the sweetness of these cookies. My recipe uses more than some, but in a side-by-side taste test, my family all preferred the batches with a bit more salt. (They won’t taste salty! Just balanced.)
• Baking Soda. This helps the cookies spread. Make sure you’re using fresh baking soda so the peanut butter blossoms spread and rise properly. (Here’s how to check if your baking soda is fresh in seconds!)
• Softened Butter. Now for the wet ingredients! You’ll start with softened butter. It should give a bit when pressed with your finger, but shouldn’t be shiny or greasy looking (a sign that the butter is too soft.).
• Brown Sugar & Sugar. This mix from the original recipe strikes a beautiful balance in flavor and texture, keeping these cookies soft and chewy.
• Creamy Peanut Butter. We use a bit more peanut butter than many peanut butter blossom recipes, and I think it makes the cookies more delicious in every way. We tried several test batches, and using 3/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup gives the cookies better flavor and a much better texture. Be sure to use peanut butter spread here rather than natural peanut butter. I love natural peanut butter for everyday use, but for baking, you’ll need to use something more stabilized that contains oil, like PB & Co (our favorite!), JIF, Skippy, etc.
• Egg. Just one room temperature egg!
• Vanilla. A splash of vanilla extract makes these gluten-free cookies so lovely.
• Hershey’s Kiss Candies. Then, to finish the cookies, you’ll need Hershey’s kisses. Use milk chocolate kisses or dark chocolate kisses (our favorite) for a classic look.

How To Make Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms, Step By Step:

1. Combine The Dry Ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, combine gluten-free flour blend, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
2. Cream Butter, Sugars & Peanut Butter. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine softened butter, brown sugar, sugar, and peanut butter. Cream 2-3 minutes, or until smooth and light.
3. Add Egg & Vanilla. Then, add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
4. Add Dry Ingredients. Next, add the dry ingredients to the mixer and stir until just until combined. (Try not to over-mix!)
5. Chill The Dough. Cover the dough and chill at least 1 hour, up to 1 day before baking.
6. Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Station. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Add 1/2 cup of sugar to a shallow bowl to use for rolling the cookies before baking.
7. Chill The Hershey’s Kisses (If You Remember). If you remember, pop the kiss candies in the freezer for a few minutes while you mix up the cookies. (This helps them not melt as much when you add them to the cookies so they set up faster, but it’s not strictly necessary.)
8. Scoop, Roll & Bake. Use a small cookie scoop to spoon 1-tablespoon balls of dough. Smooth them into balls with your hands, then roll each of the cookie dough balls in sugar. Bake 8 cookies at a time per baking sheet, alternating between baking sheets in between batches so you don’t put cool dough on a hot baking sheet. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until they no longer look wet and shiny. Pull out 8 chilled kisses just before the cookies are done.
9. Remove & Add Kisses. Immediately remove the cookies from the oven and add a Hershey’s kiss to the center of each cookie, pressing down until the cookie looks crackled and the kiss is near the bottom of the cookie (don’t push it all the way through, but press it in deep enough that it’ll stick). Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. (Speed this up and help protect the chocolate by popping the rack in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes!) Repeat with remaining dough until all cookies are baked.

Mix It up! Try These Twists On Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies:

• Use Colored Sugar Or Sprinkles! Around the holidays, it can be fun to roll them in red or green sparkling sugar instead of regular sugar for a festive touch. Or, roll them in nonpareil sprinkles. (Check out this post all about different types of sprinkles to find out which are gluten-free!)
• Mix Jimmies Into The Dough. Another fun effect is to mix jimmies sprinkles into the dough along with the second half of the dry ingredients. 3-5 Tablespoons is a good start, though you can add more if you like!
• Try Them With Rolos. Instead of Hershey kisses, you can use Rolos! Dark chocolate salted caramel Rolos are our favorite, but the classic milk chocolate Rolos are great for milk chocolate lovers! Both flavors of Rolos are certified gluten-free.
• Try Them With Peanut Butter cups! Miniature Reese’s cups are gluten-free and add another layer of peanut butter deliciousness!
• Use Dove Chocolates. Around Valentine’s Day, it’s fun to use Dove’s special heart-shaped chocolate candies!
• Use Different Flavors Of Hershey’s Kisses! One easy swap is to use another flavor of Hershey kiss. Instead of milk chocolate or dark chocolate kisses, try Hershey’s Hugs or Almond Kisses instead!

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms:

Why Are They Called Peanut Butter Blossoms? Peanut butter blossoms were a Pillsbury bake-off finalist created by Ohio grandma Freda Strasel Smith in 1957. Originally called Black Eyed Susans after the flowers with a dark center, they were re-named peanut butter blossoms by Pillsbury, and have been one of the most famous Christmas cookie recipes in the U.S. ever since!

Why Are My Peanut Butter Blossoms Dry? The biggest triggers for dry or crumbly peanut butter blossoms are over-mixing, adding too much flour, and over-baking. Try to weigh (or at least scoop and level) your flour, and stop mixing just as soon as the ingredients are combined. Then, check your oven temperature & set a timer to prevent over-baking.

How Do You Store Peanut Butter Blossoms? These cookies do well at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days. When possible, store them in a single layer to avoid dislodging the chocolate kisses. If you plan to stack them, be sure the chocolate is completely set first.

Can You Freeze Peanut Butter Blossoms? Yep! The best way is to freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet until they’re solid before transferring them to an airtight container. That helps make sure the kisses stay put. Hard sided airtight containers work best (rather than bags), when possible. Baked peanut butter blossom cookies can be frozen for about 1 month. (Or you can freeze the dough using our tips for freezing cookie dough!)

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