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These soft gluten free peanut butter blossoms are packed with peanut flavor, and have a delightfully thin, crunchy and sugary shell. Press a chocolate kiss into the center the minute they come out of the oven and make something special!
Why this recipe works
The perfect combination of just-enough peanut butter and just-enough sweet milk chocolate (or dark chocolate, if that's your preference!) makes these cookies a classic! The cookie dough comes together so fast without an electric mixer of any kind, and the dough is never chilled.
The thick, smooth, and soft cookie dough rolls easily in your palms into a perfect round. Then, if you have some coarse sugar crystals handy, roll the dough in that, and place the balls, as is, on your baking sheet.
I’ve tried these sweet peanut butter cookies both with and without the coarse sugar around the edges. The sugar creates a delicate crispy shell, similar to the sugar on the tops of our flourless peanut butter cookies, and I like that very much.
How to make gluten free peanut butter blossom cookies
The dry ingredients are mixed with a simple peanut butter and butter mixture, then eggs, and it comes together as a soft dough. It's so simple, and if you didn't have to melt the butters, it would be a one bowl deal.
As they bake, they'll begin to crackle a bit. That, and seeing the very edges brown just a bit, is how you know they're ready to come out of the oven.
The very moment the cookies come out of the oven, press a Hershey's kiss (or a mini peanut butter cup, if you prefer) in the center. It will melt a bit, and then firm right back up as the cookies cool.
Expert tips
This is a super simple recipe that works every single time if you don't make ingredient substitutions, whisk your dry ingredients well in a bowl, and then pour in your melted peanut butter and butter, then your whisked egg. Here are some other tips for success:
How to store these peanut butter blossoms
These cookies are very stable once cool, and actually travel quite well. If you’re making holiday cookies for gifting, these gluten free peanut butter blossom cookies are a good choice.
How to get even cookie portions
I use a #50 cookie scoop to portion the dough, and then roll it into balls. The cookie scoop is, of course, optional.
But if you have a few good cookie scoops, I think you might quickly find that they're hard to live without. So useful!
Getting the kisses to stick
Unwrap your chocolate kisses while the cookies are in the oven, so you're ready to act the moment they're done baking! Working quickly, press the base of one kiss into the center of each cookie firmly. The chocolate will melt a bit in the hot cookie and will cool as if it were born there!
Choose no-stir peanut butter
I only like to bake with smooth, no-stir peanut butter that's blended well. The kind that has a layer of oil on top when you open the jar doesn't combine well with the other ingredients to make a fully integrated, smooth cookie dough.
Skippy brand is my favorite. There's a full discussion of gluten free peanut butter in our recipe for gluten free peanut butter cookies.
Choosing the best sugar for rolling
The best rolling sugar is a white granulated sugar with the most coarse ground. The granules should be about as large as pretzel salt, for reference.
It can be a little difficult to find a reliably gluten free coarse sugar. Look for white “sparkling” or “sanding” sugar, but stay far away from Wilton brand, as it's not gluten free.
I buy “Chef's Select” brand white sugar crystals on Amazon, and when I find it, I buy a bunch. You can also use “Sugar in the Raw,” which is coarsely ground sugar but is has a light brown/yellow color. It still tastes great!
Ingredient substitutions
Peanut butter-free
I think no-stir almond butter, like Barney Butter brand, would be a great 1:1 substitute. Nutella will ruin these in a hurry since it’s so, so soft.
Dairy free
To make these cookies dairy-free, you'll need to replace the butter. My favorite dairy-free butter replacer, especially for baking, is Melt or Miyoko's Kitchen brand vegan butter.
Virgin coconut oil (the kind that's solid at room temperature) might also work, but the cookies will almost certainly spread a bit more—and brown a bit less.
Egg free
There's only one egg in these peanut butter blossoms, so a “chia egg” should work great. Combine 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds in a bowl with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water and allow it to sit until it gels.
Can I use mini peanut butter cups instead of Hershey's kisses?
Sure! Even miniature peanut butter cups have a wider base than Hershey's kisses, so they'll spread or “blossom” more, but they'll still taste great.
Can I add cocoa powder in the cookie dough?
If you'd like a peanut butter kiss cookie with a chocolate cookie base, try our recipe for Gluten Free Chocolate Kiss Cookies, and follow the peanut butter variation! I don't recommend adding cocoa powder to this cookie base.
FAQs
At least in the U.S., Hershey's milk chocolate kisses are on the company's perennial gluten-free list. Plus, Hershey's practices truth in labeling. Of course, always do your homework and be sure to keep yourself safe.
Most of Hershey's kisses are safely gluten free, but some fancier varieties may not be safe. If you're unsure, you can try using a square of your favorite gluten free chocolate, or a small peanut butter cup if that's safe for you.
Yes! These cookies, once baked, freeze beautifully. Let them defrost in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter before serving.
This cookie was created by Mrs. Freda F. Smith of Ohio and submitted as an entry into the National Pillsbury Bake-Off competition in 1957. I think she called them “blossoms” because of the way the peanut butter cookie fans out as you push the chocolate kiss into the baked center.
If you made ingredient substitutions, or measured by volume instead of weight, you may have overmeasured your wet ingredients, like peanut butter or butter. Otherwise, be sure your cookie dough is at room temperature before baking it.
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (I like Better Batter here)
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) packed light brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (64 g) smooth, no stir peanut butter
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Coarse sugar, for rolling (optional)
- 21 Hershey’s milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar, and whisk to combine once more, working to break up any lumps in the brown sugar.
- Place the butter and peanut butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth. Allow the mixture to cool briefly.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the butter and peanut butter mixture. Mix to combine.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and mix again to combine. The dough will come together and be thick, but smooth.
- Divide the dough into 21 balls of approximately equal size (each a bit more than 1-inch in diameter). Roll the balls in the (optional) coarse sugar, pressing gently on all sides to make sure that the sugar adheres in a single layer to the cookie dough.
- Place about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (they’ll spread a bit during baking).
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 11 minutes, or until the balls of dough have flattened into thick disks and the cookies have begun to take on a slightly crackled appearance.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press one unwrapped chocolate kiss in the center of each just-baked cookie, about halfway to the center of the cookie.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet until firm (about 10 minutes) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The chocolate kisses will firm up again as the cookies cool.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These cookies are wonderful! Finding a good gluten-free cookie has convinced me I can remain gluten-free. I will be making and freezing these for easy and quick access to delicious, gluten-free cookies!
I’m so glad to hear that, Lori! It’s amazing what bringing back a beloved cookie can do for the spirit! I actually mean that sincerely. Cookies soothe my soul. ☺️
Is there any other gluten free flour that can be used here? Better batter is out of stock online until after the holidays.
Hi, Karen, oh wow that’s a shame! I do see that it’s in stock on Amazon, if you’re comfortable shopping there. My gluten free flour blend, Nicole’s Best, is also in stock, if you’d like to try that.
Your’s is sold out as well. Can I sub Bob’s Red Mill 1-1?
Hi, Karen, so sorry, Nicole’s Best flour is in stock, but I gave you a link to the bundles, which are listed as sold out because we’re now temporarily out of xanthan gum. Here’s a link to purchase the flour alone. You can buy xanthan gum anywhere!
Hi! Can these be baked ahead of time and frozen?
Hi, Meg, yes! They freeze very well. The only issue may be that the chocolate in the chocolate kiss may “bloom,” which just means that it takes on a white cast, during freezing. It doesn’t affect the taste at all, though.
These cookies have an excellent texture and the perfect level of sweetness for a peanut butter cookie. We loved them!
So glad you loved them, Penni! Thank you for sharing your experience.
While the flavor is decent, they’re not my favorite. Mine also turned out crumbly. I suspect it is my GF flour I am using but I have always had success with this flour in all other GF recipes. My biggest complaint, however, is that there is not enough of a peanut butter flavor.
Amazing, as always! Thanks, Nicole!
You’re so welcome, Natalie. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I love this recipe, and so many more of her recipes. I can’t eat very much sugar so I used half monk fruit, and they turned out great.
Thank you for all your recipes.
These cookies were fantastic! Rolling them in sugar gives them a great crunch. I used the gluten free flour blend from America’s Test Kitchen, and it worked perfectly. If you use a lot of gluten free flour like me, it’s both economical and easy to make your own. I love finding gluten free desserts that work as well as the originals (Go, Oreo!), and this is one of them. Thanks so much!
The absolute best!! I even did as a sheet pan and worked great
Perfect and exactly as the video showed. As a professional baker myself, my tip is to measure in weight vs cups to ensure accuracy😊
So glad you enjoyed them, Elizabeth! And thank you for appreciating the precision. :)