Creamy peanut butter and chocolate kisses meet a whole wheat twist on a classic cookie – Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Blossoms.
As I sat at the kitchen table, getting judged by The Boy for buying candy corn (love you too, honey), I was thinking about how a friend of mine converted me from candy corn hater, to candy corn aficionado.
We worked in a bakery together and she was topping cupcakes with the salty sweet combination of candy corn and peanuts. And I gave her a highly concerned look…afterall, candy corn is awful, right?
WRONG.
Cut to about 10min later and she all but had me pinned to the floor, attempting to force feed it to me.
It. Was. Delicious. Chewy, crunchy, salty, sweet…it hit all the right notes and now it’s not officially Fall until I’ve had some!
That, my friends, is where I got the idea for Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Blossoms.
I decided to make some of these cookies for Halloween, and top them with Candy Corn. (Of course, this also meant making some with chocolate kisses for The Hubs…I’m not sharing my candy corn with him, he wouldn’t appreciate it).
Key Ingredients
- Peanut Butter – You want to use a creamy peanut butter but not an “all natural” one (basically, use one that doesn’t separate at room temp)
- Whole Wheat Flour – Honestly, why not?
I’m always curious, and looking for ways to work in more whole grains, so I gave it a try. This certainly doesn’t work with every recipe, but there is enough flavor and texture going on with the peanut butter and whatever you decide to top your cookies with, that you don’t notice a “wheaty” flavor or texture.
If you’re a skeptic, you don’t have to use it; use all-purpose for the total amount of flour in this recipe.
The Process
Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Blossoms are truly a “dump-and-go” recipe.
Add your sugar and butter a bowl, and mix until light and fluffy. Next add the eggs and peanut butter. Mix until well combined. Then add your dry ingredients and mix until everything to well blended.
A note on chilling the dough – While you *can* refrigerate the dough, you don’t have to. I typically don’t, unless I need to pause baking for some reason and I want to keep the cats out of my mixing bowl.
Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter creamy
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup whole whole flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- Candy Topping (ex: chocolate kisses)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugar and peanut butter until smooth and fluffy. Stir in eggs and vanilla.
- Next add flours* and baking soda. Stir together until dough is thoroughly combined.
- Scoop dough by teaspoonfuls, and roll into balls, about ¾" across (small ping pong ball). Place on prepared baking sheet, about 1" apart.
- Bake for 10-12min, until no longer shiny on the surface. Remove from oven and immediately top with candy topping (ex: chocolate kisses). Let cool for 5min on the cookie sheet. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
Notes
Recipe Notes
- How long can I store these? These cookies will keep about a week in an air-tight container or zip-top bag. They do start to noticeably dry out a bit around day 4 or 5, but you can add a fresh piece of bread to the container, which will impart some moisture (the bread will dry out, and your cookies will soften up – it’s crazy, but it works).
- Can I use “all-natural” peanut butter? Short answer: no. You need to use a peanut butter that is shelf-stable, and doesn’t require stirring when at room temperature. Otherwise, the dough will be too oily, and the cookies will spread and disintegrate while baking.
- Can I use margarine instead of butter? No – the water content in margarine is higher than that of butter, which means your cookies will end up with too much water in the dough…not good eats.
- Do I have to use whole wheat flour? No – using only all-purpose flour is just fine. Using only whole wheat flour may result in a “grainy” texture. Half and half provides some benefit of whole grains, but maintains a softer texture.
Finishing Touches
Feel free to change it up when it comes to topping your cookies!
My personal favorite is still milk chocolate kisses, but some other great options would be:
- Other chocolate kiss varieties: Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Caramel-filled, Pumpkin Spice, etc…
- Toasted Pecan Halves
- Mini Peanut Butter Cups (ALL THE PEANUT BUTTER)
- Mini-Bite-Sized Candy Bars (looking at you, Snickers)
Or skip the topping altogether, and just roll in sugar prior to baking.
Happy Baking and Enjoy!