peanut butter blossoms

One of the cookies that I remember my Grandma Alma making were these peanut butter blossoms.  Some years she made them with chocolate stars and some years she made them with Hershey kisses.  They are a simple cookie to do.  Only a few basic ingredients and one bowl--I use the stand mixer.  Roll in balls, roll the balls in sugar and partway through the baking you pull them out of the oven, press a star on top and pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes.  They freeze well so are one of the cookies that I do early in my Christmas baking.

Peanut butter blossoms

1 1/3 cup flour 

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Combine the flour, soda and salt in a separate bowl.  In the bowl of the mixer cream the shortening, peanut butter and the sugars until creamy.  Add the beaten egg, milk and vanilla and beat until well mixed.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated.  Roll into balls.  This is a very tender dough so roll gently into 1 inch balls.  Roll the balls in sugar and place on parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake in preheated 375° oven for eight minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and press a chocolate star onto the center of each cookie.  Return to oven for 3-5 minutes more.  When you pull the cookies out to add the stars the cookies are slightly puffy and when you press the star on top the cookie will collapse a little around the star.  When you remove the cookies at the end of the second few minutes the stars will be shiny and melted but if they are left undisturbed they will harden in their same shape.

cookie balls rolled in sugar and ready for the oven

placing the stars on the warm cookies

Finished cookies

I think that I remember Grandma's cookies being a little bit darker in color but over thirty years ago when she shared this recipe with me there was only one brown sugar.  I used the light brown sugar this time but dark brown sugar may give you a darker cookie.