I love peanut butter and chocolate. (You can tell by the fact that I have multiple recipes that utilize this flavor combination.) These were one of the first treats my mom ever made after my dad's diagnosis because peanut butter cookies are naturally gluten free. Later, my mom say that others were making peanut butter blossom cookies and though, why can't we just use our normal recipe, coat it in sugar, and place a Hershey Kiss on top? And so that's what she did. This has now become a long standing tradition to make in our family all year long, and on any continent.These are super simple to make gluten free as they require no flour. Another plus to this recipe is that it is super simple and only requires 5 ingredients!
Peanut butter cookies are something super simple that everyone in my family can make (including my dad who isn't the best cook), and as a base cookie, they are easy to adapt by adding chocolate. I made these cookies for my aunt and her family as a treat when they arrived this Christmas, because I know that it's nice to have something fresh out of the oven after eating airplane food for a day. They were all finished within 15 minutes of their arrival. And I got many compliments regarding them.
These cookies can also be made vegan, with a few modifications. You will have to leave off the Hershey's kisses and coating the cookie in sugar is no longer necessary. My dad first made them for his vegan colleague, (and might have left out the sugar). But, on his second try, with help from my mom, and adding the sugar and an egg replacement, they were a big hit. We replaced the egg with 1/4 cup of applesauce (we used the cinnamon flavored applesauce, and they were surprisingly delicious) mixed with 1/2 tsp baking powder. Use the rest of the measurements as they are, and you'll have a delicious cookie .That anyone can make and celiacs and vegans can enjoy.
Ingredients:
1 c. Peanut Butter
1 c. Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Baking Soda
Granulated Sugar
Instructions:
Makes about 21 cookies
Preheat oven to 350º F.
Put all ingredients; peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and baking soda, into the bowl of a stand mixer, mix until well combined.
(Note: The dough will be very crumbly.)
3. Pour about 1/4 c. granulated sugar into a small bowl.
4. Form dough into balls. Roll the balls in the granulated sugar, place on cookie sheet.
5. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes
(Note: One way to tell whether the cookies are done is if they begin to crack.)
6. Directly after removing cookies from the oven place one Hershey kiss in the center
of each, press down.
Enjoy!
(All images taken by Eowyn Collins on December 16, 2018.)