Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients
1 1⁄3 cups all purpose flour
1⁄2 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1⁄3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup creamy peanut butter (I used the all natural type.)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350*F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Process 2⁄3 cup of the flour and the peanuts in a food processor (or mini chopper) to a coarse meal, about 15 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining 2⁄3 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until combined, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the dough is stiff, about 30 minutes.

4. Working with 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay them on the baking sheets, spaced about 1 1⁄2 inches apart.

5. Bake the cookies until just set and beginning to crack, 9 to 11 minutes. Working quickly, remove the baking sheet from the oven and firmly press one Kiss into the center of each cookie. Continue to bake the cookies until lightly golden, about 2 minutes longer.

6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

PBB

Comments
This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies and is from The Cook’s Country Cookbook.  When I was a child, my mom and I would make Peanut Butter Blossoms and just have a blast.  I remember one year we decided to experiment with sticking the Kisses in the cookies point side down, just to see what would happen.  (They were still tasty.)  When I asked my parents for suggestions for my 2010 holiday baking extravaganza, they both requested that I make these.  Since I didn’t have my mom’s recipe, I decided to try out this one from Cook’s Country and I was pleased, as I always seem to be with their recipes!

The Cook’s Country Cookbook