So here we are guys, halfway through December, how are we holding up?? Have you lost your ever loving mind yet? Has your to-do list grown actual arms, the better to strangle you with?? I was just telling my best friend Sarah the other day how ironic it is that everybody and their mom gets Christmas day off from work, but not actual Moms. Christmas is not even close to a day off for mom’s, are you kidding me? It’s like April 15 for an accountant. The SuperBowl for an NFL player. Walmart on Black Friday. THIS IS OUR MOMENT, the pivotal day that decides whether you are mom enough. But it doesn’t start Christmas day, oh no. We work up to this glorious “day off” for months. (How many of you moms started collecting stocking stuffers way back in August? Raises hand) Is the house decorated? Has Elfie kept moving, or has he been in the same position for a week and a half? (guilty.) Is the Christmas breakfast glorious beyond all description? Did you put all the right items into the right stockings? Does one kid accidentally not have enough presents because you suck at spreadsheets?? All the things!! I went to a cute little dinner put on for the ladies at my church, and the theme was Simple Christmas. We learned about how we should be putting our attention toward What Really Matters. We should be focusing on the people, not on all the Christmas fluff. I mean for sure, Jesus is the reason and all that, but honestly YOU try sitting your 5-year-old down and explaining that Santa’s not coming this year because we’re trying to “Be Peaceful” and “Stress Less.” I know shopping and decorating and baking gets to be kind of a lot, but can we all just think for a second about what would happen if all the Moms went zen about Christmas? My kids would revolt, 100%. We’d have World War III on our hands. How’s that for “being peaceful”?? Honestly though I wouldn’t change a thing. Bring on the joyful stress. I’m sure an NFL player is a nervous wreck on the morning of the super bowl, and that accountant is just so tired on tax day, but the payout is all worth it right? I mean a successful Christmas really does feel like winning the mom SuperBowl, right??
Peanut Butter Blossoms Recipe Ingredients
Peanut Butter Blossoms are blissfully simple! Other than the Hershey Kisses, you probably already have everything you need in your pantry. Quantities are listed in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick rundown of what you need: She called them “Black Eyed Susans” and entered them into the 1957 Pillsbury Bake-Off contest, where she won third place. Pillsbury kept publishing the recipe, changing the name to Peanut Butter Blossoms, and it’s become one of the most famous cookies ever! I mean who hasn’t made and loved these?? We seriously owe you one Freda. PS, I was curious what recipe beat out pb blossoms in 1957, and they are these totally boring looking cookies called “Accordion Treats” that neither you nor I have ever heard of. Come on judges, what were you thinking?? Freda ftw!!!
FREEZE your Hershey’s Kisses! This helps them stick to the cookie instead of falling right off! Say no to naked blossoms! Use a heck ton of peanut butter because A) hello flavor and B) it makes your cookies MOIST and not dry or crumbly! Use name brand peanut butter. Come on now people don’t skimp. JIF OR BUST Chill the dough for just a few minutes to enhance flavor and make the dough easy to work with Shape them into tiny little cookies, just 1 inch balls. This means more KPB, Kiss Per Bite
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram Now it’s time to mix together the dough. Beat the butter with sugars before adding pb, to make it nice and fluffy and avoid chunks. Next add a FULL CUP of peanut butter. Yes I said a whole cup! There is twice as much peanut butter than butter in this recipe. And make sure it’s name brand. It really does make a huge difference. Add all your dry ingredients at the same time! Flour first, then I like to use my teaspoon to mix the salt and baking soda into the flour a bit before starting the mixer again. Once you’ve got it all together (here’s what the final dough looks like), throw it in the fridge for a quick 15 minute chill. I like to shape these cookies into about 1 inch balls. I think technically this scoop is a 1 and 1/4 inch, but 1 inch is even better. You can also just use your hands. Make them about the size of a walnut. Give ‘em a good roll in some sugar. You want them well dusted to leave that crunchy sugar coating when you bite into them! These cookies don’t spread much, so you can fit 15 on a standard 11×17 half sheet. A few minutes before the timer goes off, go ahead and get the kisses out of the freezer and start unwrapping them so they’ll be ready once the cookies come out. You can see that these cookies stay a little bit puffy and don’t spread out much. That’s perfect, because we’re now going to press that kiss into the center of the cookies while they are still hot. Can you see that the frozen kiss is sweatin’ a bit? That’s because it’s a frozen piece of chocolate going onto a hot hot cookie. This condensation is totally normal and will go away once the kiss melts completely. After it melts completely it will maintain its shape (as long as you don’t touch it!) and harden into perfect kiss shape. But right now it’s time to eat one of these while they are hot. With a glass of milk. You should sit down first. This level of melty peanut butter and chocolate is no joke.
Make sure the cookies are completely cooled. I would actually freeze them completely so that they have the best chance of maintaining their shape. Pack them tightly in an airtight plastic container with a lid. You want the cookies to fill the whole container to prevent them from moving around and breaking. Fill any empty space at the top of the container with crumpled up wax or parchment paper. Place the plastic container in a box and surround completely with bubble wrap. It’s Christmastime and you know this box is about to go through hell. Give your cookies a chance. Use the bubble wrap. It’s best to ship them the same day they’re baked, so plan ahead to get them baked early in the day to have time to cool, package, and get them off to the post office.
